Tackling Constipation During Pregnancy: Recipe For a Complete Meal

Constipation is a common trouble that more than 50% of pregnant women go through!

So, if you are one of them, relax! 🙂

How to get over it?

Focus on having adequate amount of water during the day. Start your day with a glass of warm water.  Include high fibre foods like whole grains and beans; also add healthy portions of fruits and vegetables. Avoid packaged and processed food as much as you can.

Here’s a recipe idea that can help you tackle this problem!

Beetroot & Carrot Sabzi with Whole Wheat & Ragi Roti and a glass of Beet Buttermilk

 Ingredients:

• 2 medium to large beetroot, finely diced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups of water
• 1½  tablespoons oil
• 7-10 curry leaves 
• ½ teaspoon cumin seed 
• 1  medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots, grated
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder 
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric 
• ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
• salt as per taste

To make masala powder:

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon chaana dal
• 1 dried red chilli

Dry roast these ingredients on a pan and grind it.

Ingredients for Roti:

• 1 ½  cup Whole wheat flour
• ½ cup ragi flour
• ¼ teaspoon Carom seed( ajwain seeds)
• Salt to taste
• ¾ th -1 cup Water
• Ghee for greasing

Ingredients for Beet Buttermilk:

• 2 glass of the leftover liquid from pressure cooking the  beets
• 3 tablespoon curd
• ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin  seeds
• A few sprigs of coriander leaves, chopped finely.

Preparing the Beetroot:

1. Rinse the beetroot first very well in water. Peel the skin and chop it fine.

2. Then add 2 cups of water in the pressure cooker. Add the chopped beetroot and add salt.

3. Pressure cook the beetroot upto 2-3 whistles.

4. Once the pressure in the cooker drops on its own accord, strain the beetroot and reserve the water. You can use the water in soups, dals or to knead your roti dough. Here, we will make buttermilk with this water as buttermilk is an  excellent remedy for constipation.  

 
Preparing the Beetroot and Carrot Sabzi:

1. Heat a kadai (wok) and then add oil.

 2. When the oil becomes hot, reduce the flame to a low and add cumin seeds followed by curry leaves and ¼ teaspoon turmeric.

3. Sauté until cumin seeds crackle on low flame.

4. Then add finely chopped onions and sauté it for 2-3 min till it turns translucent and add 1/4th of the masala powder. Stir it well.

5. Now add the grated carrot. Cover with a lid and cook for 3-5 min. Add salt to taste.

6. Check if the carrot is cooked, it doesn’t have to turn to mush.

7. Add the boiled, chopped beetroot. Mix and stir well.

8. Now cover with lid again and cook for 2 to 3 min on a low flame.

9. Since the beetroot is pre-cooked, no need to cook the sabzi for a long time.

10. Switch off the flame.

11. Stir in 1/4th of the masala powder into the fresh grated coconut*

12. Add in this mixture into the sabzi and stir it well.

13. The sabzi is ready to be served with roti.

*In case you don’t have fresh coconut, use desiccated coconut. It works well too.

Preparing the Roti:

1. In a bowl mix all ingredients except ghee then make soft dough. Cover it and leave it for half an hour.

2. Divide the dough into equal size balls.

3. Take a ball, roll it over on the flour, place it on the roti making disc, and roll it with roller from bottom to top, take it off and change the position.

4. Repeat the process till you get the round or equivalent to round shape.

5. Cook for both sides in an iron tawa on high flame. Apply ghee before taking it off the tawa.

6. Serve hot with any gravy.

Preparing the Beet Buttermilk:

1. Whisk the curd in a bowl, so that there are no lumps and it’s a smooth mix.
2. Add the beet juice and beat it well.
3. Since the liquid has salt in it, add more only if required.
4. Add roasted cumin and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Most of the ingredients used in the dish above like beetroot, carrot, whole wheat, ragi, curd, ajwain help as remedies for constipation.

Other food tips to manage constipation:

• Now is a good time to indulge in rajma, since beans of all kinds are excellent. You can improvise your veg pulao by adding rajma.
• Try adding chickpeas. you can go Mediterranean by making hummus.
• Replace potato with sweet potatoes.
• Include spinach, make sabzi or simply add it in your daily dals or soups.

Hope you like this meal! Let me know if you need any more recipe ideas or food tips.

Also Read – 10 Myths Busted about Pregnancy Foods, Vegan And Pregnant? Here is The Ultimate Diet Plan to Meet Your Nutritional Needs!
 

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