What To Eat When You’re Expecting

Pregnancy cravings can be frustrating when you can’t find easy-to-prepare recipes to satisfy your taste buds. Don’t look any further! Here’s a flavorful vegetarian recipe that is sure to cure even the most stubborn palate. In this episode of Epicure with Chef MDs, we visit James Beard Award winner Chef Vikram Sunderam at Rasika, a modern Indian restaurant in downtown Washington, D.C., to talk about healthy pregnancy tapas. Alongside Chef Sunderam will be Dr. Amr Madkour, obstetrician and gynecologist at the George Washington Medical Faculty Associates, offering important nutritional information.

 

Chef Sunderam prepares an avocado and banana chaat, an Indian appetizer made with a combination of tangy flavors meant to open your palate. The avocado, the base of the dish, is a great way to satisfy a craving for fatty food because of its healthy oils, protein, potassium, vitamin K and dietary fiber. In addition, the banana is caramelized to bring out its natural sweetness.

 

But it is the chutney in this dish that will really make your palate pop. The chutney is made with garlic, jaggery, ginger and hot chiles that not only each add a burst of different flavor, but, more importantly, they each add a different nutritional benefit. The garlic contains selenium, which is an essential mineral with antioxidants that protect cells from damage. The ginger helps to regulate blood sugar and curb nausea, being especially helpful to pregnant women. Lastly, the chiles provide additional antioxidants.

 

Between the sweetness, tanginess and spice of this chaat, there is no chance that anyone, not just a pregnant woman, will be left unsatisfied after eating this dish.

See what Dr. Amr Madkour and Chef Vikram Sunderam have to say in the latest episode of Epicure with the Chef MDs.