How to Nourish Yourself in Pregnancy and Oat Banoffee Pie Recipe

Laura Hughes always dreamed of being a midwife; but she loves her sleep and wasn’t sure about the night shifts. Last year she set up The Pregnancy Food Company thepregnancyfoodcompany.co.uk

‘I loved the idea of looking after women through such a transformational and amazing journey. The realisation of working in hospitals and pulling night shifts soon sunk in however (I love my sleep!) and I also became very interested in nutrition. I was inspired to start the company after seeing many of my pregnant and breastfeeding friends snacking on unhealthy food and becoming drained of energy. I wanted to create an honest, organic food company to help women through these challenging times, and felt my 13 years of gathering knowledge working in the food industry could be put to good use.

The Pregnancy Food Company isn’t my full time job - alongside my sister and parents I’m a Director of an airfield. I run the restaurant, which uses local produce, feeding around 60,000 people a year. It’s also the home of The Pregnancy Food Company kitchen. Managing to set up my own business, whilst still working full time, has been my greatest achievement so far.

I’m really looking forward to having children of my own in the not too distant future. I’m 26, and wanted to get my own business off the ground first before starting a family - but spending time with so many pregnant and breastfeeding women has made me very broody!

As a company, we’re planning to increase our range of foods, and from 2018 we will be running workshops with the help of well renowned nutritionist Daphne Lambert.

By eating well yourself, you’re nourishing both of you; greatly improving your chance of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. What you eat can even help protect your baby throughout their own lifetime from bad health and disease.

1. Avoid processed and refined foods. Choose organic and eat plenty of fresh vegetables, green leaves, nuts, seeds and eggs with the addition of pasture fed meats.
   
2. Include berries in your diet. They are lower in sugar than many fruits so less likely to destabilise insulin levels. They are also a good source of antioxidants vital for you and your baby.
   
3. Eat naturally fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kombucha and pickles to help maintain optimal gut flora. This is one of the most important steps you can take to improve yours, and your baby’s, health during pregnancy.
   

Laura lives in Dorset with her partner, Joe, and Charlie, their cocker spaniel.

This pie is delicious and refined sugar free - it’s always a conversation piece too! It tastes like a treat so friends don’t feel like they are being denied a ‘proper’ pudding - but without any real nasties.

Ingredients:

• 200g oats
  
• 100g rye flour
  
• 150g salted butter
  
• 200g pitted dates (medjool if you can get them)
  
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
  
• 1 heaped tbsp
  
• peanut butter
  
• 10 tbsp hot water
  
• 3 bananas
  
• A few good tbsp’s of greek yoghurt
  
• dark chocolate for decoration
  

1. Soften the butter and mix well with the oats and rye flour. Spoon into round cake tin ( I use a 9 inch one), push down on the mixture so it creates a thin layer. Put in the fridge.
   
2. Blend the dates with the hot water until they turn a nice caramel colour and smooth texture. Pour into a bowl, add vanilla essence and peanut butter - mix in well.
   
3. Spread the date mixture over the oat base, creating an even layer on top. Pop back in the fridge. Refrigerate for 2 hours (if you don’t have time to do this - don’t panic!)
   
4. Slice your three bananas and arrange on top of the date mix, then spoon your greek yoghurt on top & spread evenly.
   
5. Grate your chocolate for a little decoration on top!
   
6. Keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve.