pregnant super-mom diet suggestions?

[beautifulboy]

What is a super diet for a super mom-to-be?  What are the best foods to be eating while you're pregnant (in your fist/second/third trimesters)?  I think I am a pretty healthy eater but I bet I can do better.  Any suggestions about the best foods to eat while growing a babe would be greatly appreciated!

[Dot-to-Dot]

I'd say bone broth (homemade from an organic chicken or beef soup bones) for all of the amazing nutrients for sure.  Lots of fruits and lots of raw vegetables dipped in hummus.  And some coconut water for hydration (especially if you're drinking tons of water and you want to maintain your electrolytes and potassium, because sometimes you pee so much in pregnancy that stuff goes right through you).  I love Vitacoco.  The mango peach flavor is fabulous!

Then starting in the second trimester I'd for sure add a nourishing tea made of loose leaves - red raspberry leaf, nettles and alfalfa.  At least these are some of the things I try to consume often.  A long time ago I read that beets were one of the best pregnancy foods.  I have tried so hard to like them and have prepared them many ways, but I just don't like them.  But if you do...well, then they'd be a great addition, I suppose!

While this isn't food, I think it's probably pretty important to have a really high quality fish oil or krill oil as well as vitamin D (about 5,000iu a day).  Those will help keep your immune system in tip top shape and better yet, 2-3 grams of vitamin C would help and I'd also have elderberry on hand in case you start to feel sick.  If your digestion starts to feel the effects of squirrely hormones, slippery elm would be a good thing to have on hand (you can eat it fairly easily in apple sauce or oatmeal).

[Kedrosami]

Google the Brewer Diet. It'll give you lots of clear direction and ideas!

[MamaWithAPony]

I'm glad you posted this!  My midwife told me to increase my protein and cut out sugars and icky carbs (like white bread).  But I am picky and kind of at a loss - and getting tired of oatmeal and cheese and peanut butter. 

[Naturallove]

My midwife swears by raw milk and has all of her clients drink it.

[Dot-to-Dot]

Pardon me for hi-jacking, but Naturallove, does your midwife offer any comforting facts, statistics or general insights about raw milk in pregnancy?  I would consider this a wonderful addition, too, although in a recent thread someone mentioned that unless you are in peak condition to fight off e. coli (which simply IS a risk...but, it is a risk with things like raw vegetables, too, so *shrugs*) that you shoud wait until after pregnancy.  Because, it's not just the risk of getting sick, but it's also the risk of then losing the fetus.  I really, REALLY want to start raw milk...but I'm hung up on that risk.

However, beautifulboy, I'd agree that if you're comfortable with the risk, raw milk is probably an awesome addition for a super pregnancy diet!

[beautifulboy]

Hi Everyone Thanks for the feedback so far!

I think the raw milk risk is not really a risk if you know where your milk is coming from.  We have bought some raw milk from a local farm in the past, we go in the barn, say hello to the cows and then pick up our milk in the farm store.  It is my feeling the e-coli is from sad places where animals are treated poorly.  Am I right in my thinking here?  Just like eating lettuce from my garden doesn't pose the same risk as eating that packaged stuff unwashed. 

Edited by beautifulboy - 4/3/11 at 5:32am

[Naturallove]

Well raw milk, as in all things food, is only as safe as the source. The source we get ours from is a local dairy that has been in business for 30 years and has top notch standards and practices. They also have detailed and regularly updated information on their bacteria counts. I would never drink raw milk if I didn't know the source. I am much more concerned about contracting E-coli from eating at a salad bar than I am from drinking our raw milk. Now if you presented me with some raw milk from a factory farm, I would glove up and treat it as a bio-hazard...

On a side note: for most small farmers that produce and sell raw milk, it's their lively-hood and they don't want people getting sick from drinking their milk anymore than the consumer wants to get sick. So, most really do try and go above and beyond to have the very best practices and prove that their product is safe.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I would check out the book Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck.  It's a great resource!

[averlee]

In the book What to Expect When You're Expecting, they lay out the Best Odds Diet. My personal approach is to eat whatever I want or would usually eat, plus at least one extra fruit/veggie and one extra protein food every day.

[Naturallove]

Originally Posted by averlee 

In the book What to Expect When You're Expecting, they lay out the Best Odds Diet. My personal approach is to eat whatever I want or would usually eat, plus at least one extra fruit/veggie and one extra protein food every day.

While the nutrition information in WTEWYE may be helpful, I would not recommend anyone read that book. It is very medical and tends to be fear provoking and not at all consistent with natural parenting.

I would also add that although it is not one "super food" getting adequate protein is probably the most important (right up there with folic acid) thing you can do to insure a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby. Inadequate protein intake has been linked to preeclampsia. Pregnant women should be getting at least 75g of protein a day. So, when in doubt eat some protein

[beautifulboy]

Originally Posted by Naturallove 

While the nutrition information in WTEWYE may be helpful, I would not recommend anyone read that book. It is very medical and tends to be fear provoking and not at all consistent with natural parenting.