Nutrition During Pregnancy

I wrote a post a while back called Eating Healthy During Pregnancy, but I wanted to add to it a little.
I found an AWESOME post from He & She Eat Clean about Nutrition in Pregnancy….and I LOVED it so I wanted to share!! Definitely go check it out. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so much is because it is pretty much the way I eat (during these past few months of pregnancy more so than the first few)….but also because it is incorporating nutrition principles from Bradley.

Side Note: I am SO thankful Emily introduced me to the Bradley Method!! I honestly think if more people had the knowledge/awareness about Bradley, they would opt for this route. It is 100% COMMON SENSE, & Jon especially is HARD CORE about that.  Emily said she heard about it on t.v.- haha!! It surprises me I’d never heard of it before, but I sure am thankful she discovered and shared it. After reading the books, Jonathan & I are both 100% on board. It lines up with our lifestyle & beliefs anyway, so it was really a perfect fit for us and exactly what we were looking for. I think a big part of the reason natural childbirth gets such a bad rap is because women go in unprepared. They think they can just “handle it” and wing it without any preparation. They just say “I want to have the baby naturally” without any knowledge, research, or preparation, & assume they can be tough enough to make it through. NOT the CASE at all. Bradley takes a lot of work & prep- mostly mentally & for the coach. I know it sounds crazy to “practice relaxing,” but it’s absolutely crucial. I encourage you if you’re expecting or plan on kids in the future to at least do your research and look into it…you might just find it’s a perfect fit for you too!
Anyway….one of the many things I love about Bradley is that a big part of the method focuses on nutrition.

Now gotta be honest. For the first few months, it just wasn’t happening for me. I couldn’t stand the thought of vegetables, salad, grilled chicken, or water. That made it tough to eat healthy, and that is FINE! It’s important to just get food on your belly- whatever it may be- when you’re feeling sick & icky all the time. Obviously the healthier the better, but if you feel like I felt in the beginning, it was whatever I could stomach. I did my best- I didn’t eat straight donuts every day or anything- but I did eat a lot of bland carbs & things I wouldn’t normally eat…but thankfully that nausea went away and I was able to get back to a more “normal” eating routine. That made a huge difference in the rest of my pregnancy too….energy, digestion, mood, immune system, etc.

The biggest thing is to IGNORE the people who will encourage you to take FULL advantage of this opportunity to eat whatever you want….and as much as you want….because you’re “eating for two.” That is NOT true!! Around an extra 300 calories a day is all you really need, and those 300 need to have a strong nutritional value. This is a crucial time….you are GROWING another human being who is relying solely on YOU for nourishment.
It’s not about being perfect…..it’s about consistently making good choices.

I am eating more grilled chicken (finally- it’s not totally making me want to barf anymore), tons of veggies (raw, cooked, smoothies, & juicing), raw nuts, eggs, etc. I still have a sweet tooth (since I’m missing out on a few of the Advocare products that helped me get that under control),  so I am working on things to help with that. Cereal is not the BEST thing for you (processed & typically has a lot of sugar), but it’s not a terrible option either, so that is usually my “go to” with almond milk. I am enjoying cake at my showers, but I try to make sure the majority of my meals have a solid nutritional value.

This will also help control weight gain. I have gained about 20 lbs so far (and have friends who have definitely gained way less than me), but I feel good about that number and so do my doctors.  And for the most part, a big chunk of that 20 is from all this stuff….(Except the baby of course. He’s only about 3 lbs (ish) right now, so he still has some growing to do!!)

SO here’s my recommendation. If you’re expecting or even “trying” to get pregnant, start eating this way. DEFINITELY check out the post at the top….it pretty much says everything I would say & gives great suggestions for what to eat. And if you’re not to that stage yet, save this post for future reference.
Here are the main staples in my diet right now, almost 8 months:

• meal replacement shakes (I drink for breakfast with a big glass of my homemade veggie juice from the juicer)
• raw almonds, walnuts
• organic Greek yogurt (tons of protein)
• almond milk & cereal
• low-fat organic cottage cheese (another great source of protein)
• Ezekial bread (the English muffins are my fave)
• organic fruits (apples & oranges whole, but frozen berries for smoothies)
• organic veggies (ALLLLL kinds!! I eat them raw, cook them as sides, juice with them, put them in smoothies, etc.)
• cage free, hormone free organic eggs (typically boiled- just started eating 1-2 yolks)
• chicken, lean turkey, and tuna & salmon in moderation (just started buying organic, hormone & antibiotic free)
• dark chocolate pomegranate or acai berries (as a treat- a daily one- ha!)

Obviously I eat more than just that, but for the most part that is what I eat on a daily basis. Jonathan is on a 24 Day Challenge (yes, I am a little jealous that he is raving about how much energy he has right now…), so I am doing a good bit of meal prep in bulk. No excuses that way!!
Wishing you a happy, healthy pregnancy (or future pregnancy) full of the best possible nutrition for your little one!