WAPF pregnancy diet - do you follow it?

[martaluna]

I'm not even pregnant yet, but TTC, yet already worrying about this. I'm planning to follow most of the advice, but not in the quanity recommended. I'm just not that hungry usually. Forcing myself to eat that much seems unreasonable, especially that in my first pregnancy I gained a lot, like 50 pounds, so hoping I won't gain as much this time around.

I also don't like dairy enough to eat it that much, which worries me a bit because of the calcium.

Any ideas on this or your experience?

[LoveRealFood]

Martaluna,

I recommend that you listen to your body. Eat as much nutrient-dense food as possible but you don't have to eat a lot of food. Just eat until you are satisfied. If you eat your most nourishing foods first you will not overeat.

If you look closely at Price's work you will find that each culture ate different foods and there was no one right way of eating. Some ate more protein, others more carbs, and others more fat. If you focus on the macronutrient ratio that satisfies you then you will not tend to overeat and you will get the right amount of micronutrients as well. 

Pay attention to how you feel when you eat a more carbs vs. more protein. This way you'll hone in on your own unique needs. Instead of following someone else's way of eating, the best you can do is find your own.

[drmsg]

The best advise is to eat a healthy balanced diet. Dairy products are not as important as one might think. If you are worried about calcium intake eat 2 Tums each day. This will give you plenty of calcium and even help your heartburn. In the first trimester I tell my patients to eat whatever they feel they can keep down. As the nausea improves, start concentrating on more healthy eating. Avoid fast foods and too many deserts, give into some of your cravings but not all of them.

Most of the things people say you should not eat is bad advice. Caffeine, lunch meats, cheese, fish in moderation, and sushi are all safe in pregnancy. Try to gain between 15-25 pounds during pregnancy. This can be accomplished by eating well and exercising during pregnancy.

You can find more information in this video: http://medtwice.com/dietary-restrictions/

[Dove84]

I try to follow the guidelines of WAP, and am also looking into the Brewer diet: http://www.drbrewerpregnancydiet.com/id89.html

[katealicia]

I find the guidelines are too much food for me too. I do try to follow them as far as what to prioritze though. Seriously, I don't know anyone who could afford to drink a quart of grass-fed raw milk every day :) If you really don't like dairy I think bone boths are the recommended calcium substitute. Chicken stock is actually pretty easy and fun to make. I personally couldn't live without cheese, and it still has a lot of calcium in it. Other than that, I try to eat pretty balanced but because I'm in the second trimester I try to grab something that has protein or calcium before anything else. Also, you are not pregnant yet so let me just warn you. I barely ate at all before I got pregnant (I was never hungry and would forget to eat). Once you get to a certain point in your pregnancy (for me I think it was about 8 weeks) if you don't eat OFTEN you will feel really ill. You don't have to eat a lot, but you do have to eat just about every 2 hours. Just from that alone, I would say that I'm eating about 2-3 times as much as I was pre-pregnancy, but that's ok as long as you are eating nourishing foods.

[becalive]

I loosely followed WAPF guidelines on my first pregnancy and gained about 40 something pounds. but i did eat things that i know I shouldnt have and was unable to find something that helped keep my body from swelling so much. needless to say I think they help, my baby ended up with wonderful skin and a nice wide smile. 

I am pregnant again and plan to do the same again. hopefully stay away from the near daily mcdonalds sundaes i had for the last month of my pregnancy

[1love4ever]

I have been looking a little in to the Brewer diet mentioned above, which has more info than the WAPF guidelines give for pregnancy, but can be easily used along with the WAPF diet.  And I would never eat Tums for calcium...., I do whole organic foods with no artificial colors, flavors, etc.  Also remember that green leafy's have calcium (lambsquarters is an excellent source!), as well as the pith (white part) of citrus fruits.  Eggs have a little too.

Edited by 1love4ever - 11/24/12 at 9:33pm

[crimsonandclover]

I did a Brewer's Diet/WAPF diet during my pregnancy, but what really helped me the most was Nina Planck's book, the Real Food for Mom and Babies one.  She talks a lot about how to get a lot of good fats and fish during the last two months when the baby's brain is forming.  I gained about sixty pounds, but not a single stretchmark to be seen.  I am prone to stretchmarks, having some as a teenager when I gained weight and lived off of chocolate bars, so I think gaining pregnancy weight out of real food with good fats helped me.  Not to mention - I had a fairly easy time of it breastfeeding due to all the DHA and fat in my diet, which in turn helped me lose the weight!  I am convinced most of it was due to diet.  I am not a healthy person genetics-wise unless I eat well.