Are you changing your eating?

[sanguine_speed]

Are you planning on changing your eating during pregnancy? I worked hard for a few months before TTC at changing my eating habits to include fewer food additives, more organics and fewer empty calories. I did a so-so job of it and I'm still trying to move forward on this.
I think I do fairly well with the organics at this point; there are some foods I just can't bring myself to eat or feed my family unless they are organic, such as celery, grapes, leafy greens, soy products, soft fruit in general and berries. I just CAN'T. So the guilt keeps me on track there.

We are vegetarians-at-home, meaning we never have meat (except wild pacific salmon) in our house, but at family gatherings and as guests sometimes we'll partake. Though, I'm thinking I may have an aversion to meat right now. We're at DP's parents' place and chicken was for supper last night. I couldn't even cut it for the kids, it was grossing me out (where normally it would be okay). I also didn't eat supper when it was fish the other day.

We only eat wild pacific salmon as it stands, and of course that will continue in pregnancy. We only have it 1-2 times per month as it stands.

I'm considering seeing a registered dietician to discuss my pregnancy diet, though I do have some good reference books. I'm really concerned about excessive weight gain because I gained a fair chunk each of my previous pregnancies, and suffered some ill effects. Most notably, I had excruciating back and hip pain that probably had something to do with ending up at 225 pounds at just 5'6" last pregnancy. I had started out overweight.

This time I started out at 160, and I'm hoping to keep my weight gain to under 30 pounds if I can do so healthfully. I figure the key is to eat efficiently and get my nourishment from nutrient-dense foods (i.e. choosing green leafies instead of cinnamon buns). Easier said than done however! I'm constantly hungry and with this being Christmas there is an incredible overabundance of food everywhere. I'm scared to know how much weight I've gained already. I am really craving sweets and carbs.

Unfortunately, I've been soooo wiped that I haven't been able to go to the gym near as much as I had been going! Last night I went to bed at 6:30pm and slept until 6:00am and I'm still tired. Though that might have something to do with having been up until 3:30am the other night :irked: .

Are you concerned about your diet? Or are you maintaining what you were doing before pg?

[jeaninevp922]

I kind of have the opposite concern. I'm really going to try and gain weight! Prior to getting pregnant with dc #1, I was on the very low end of normal for weight. I didn't gain any weight until the 4th month, in total I gained 28 pounds. I don't think it was enough for me. He was born 3 weeks early - perfectly healthy, but a little small at 5 lbs 11 oz. "They" say that one of the most important factors in keeping multiples in is early weight gain, and I don't know why that wouldn't be true of a singleton. Dc#2 was initially twins, so I ate and ate and ate. The twin stopped developing at 8.5 weeks, and I'd already gained some weight by then. In total I gained a little over 40 pounds (and started out 5 pounds heavier). Dc #2 was 10 days early and weighed 6 lbs, 11 1/2 ounces! After she was born, my weight dropped to pre-first-pregnancy, YIKES!! I've been trying to gain weight for about a year. I've been a little successful, but don't know how much I weigh. I'm probably between pre-preg #1 and pre-preg #2 weights. But this time I'm nursing, too, so I really want to make sure I eat enough to gain weight early on. I hope to do it mostly healthfully, but there will probably be lots of ice cream involved!

[sanguine_speed]

Strangely enough, my dd was 6 pounds, 4 ounces, born at 38 weeks and I gained 50 pounds! I guess that didn't cut it for me, though 6 pounds, 4 ounces isn't considered "low birth weight" though it's close. The nurses were asking me if I'd been smoking during my pregnancy :irked: .

[sanguine_speed]

I kind of have the opposite concern. I'm really going to try and gain weight! I hope to do it mostly healthfully, but there will probably be lots of ice cream involved!


What about the other stuff? The non-caloric issues like food additives and pesticides/hormones? Are you maintaining status quo on those things?

[jeaninevp922]

Probably maintaining status quo on those things. We are actually eating more organic now than ever before, so that's good. We aren't entirely organic. I got a list from....environmental working group?... with produce that should be organic and produce that has relatively little residue, and I kind of go off of that. Also organic flour, cheese. Unfortunately I use regular eggs. I tried the organic ones, but they were sooooo much more expensive and half of them were unusable! I'd pay the high price if I actually got a dozen eggs, but I got fed up and now use conventional eggs:( . We don't eat a lot of prepackaged foods, so we don't get a lot of food additives, and when we do buy prepackaged I try to get the shortest, most pronouncable ingredient list.
With dc #2 I craved junk food. I'm hoping that doesn't happen again!

[tsfairy]

My diet the past couple of months has been awful, so I'm working really hard to make a point to eat better since I found out I was pregnant. I am eating a little bit of the Christmas candy and cookies we got (like 1-2 pieces/cookies per day, because I know I'll lose my taste for them soon and I'd like to enjoy them a little bit :duck: ) but otherwise I'm trying to eat a ton of protein and almost no refined sugar. I had pre-e with DS, so my big goal is to keep that from happening again.

[sanguine_speed]

I had pre-e with DS, so my big goal is to keep that from happening again.


I had that with my first too and ended up having an induction. I hope to avoid that again. It sucked.

[mnkygrl79]

last pregnancy I gained 45 lbs :eek Just a few months ago I was still 25 lbs over my prepregnancy weight. I did wind up losing 12 lbs before getting pregnant, and I'm determined to not gain as much this time!

I'm going to be making a lot better food choices (I was doing weight watchers to lose the weight this time, and I think that will help me to continue to make better choices)

I want to be the cute little pregnant lady with just a cute belly :o

[arelyn]

DH and I just got back from almost a year living abroad. When we got back we found out that I was due for a raise and we could afford to go organic with almost all of our food. On top of that change DH is a third generation celiac so I'm going gluten free to either:
a. cut down on baby's exposure to stuff that will make baby sick
or
b. prevent baby from becoming sensitive at all

Either way I'll consider going GF worth it!! And oddly enough since becoming pregnant I've stopped craving crusty bread (my usual PMS craving).

[beckyphry]

I'm vegetarian, but I don't always eat so healthy (i.e. lots of white pasta). I have told myself for years that I want to start being more creative with food (I tend to eat the same things over and over), but now I actually have some big motivation to do that. I also want to start exercising a little, just walking, since I know that the better shape I'm in now, the easier labor will be.

[kristen1978]

Hi girls --
Just a thought. I recommend "Your Vegetarian Pregnancy" (can't remember the author's name, sorry!) as a good reference for both vegs and meat-eaters, as it contains info for both and is easy to use. Also the Shonda Parker pregnancy book has helpful nutritional stuff as well.

My guess is that lack of protein could lead to both gaining excess and not enough, as when you are lacking you tend to crave a quick fix (carbs, sugars) and some people lack so sseverely that they loose their appetite in a way, (kind of like how most people are perpetually dehydrated but aren't thirsty) -- have you both been counting protein grams? In our practice we recommend 100 grams/day.

Hope that helps!:o

[sanguine_speed]

Hi girls --
Just a thought. I recommend "Your Vegetarian Pregnancy"


I picked this up at a local consignment store for $3 before we conceived. It's pretty good.

[Einen]

I don't need to change much because I already eat pretty healthy.

I'm going to wean myself off of coffee this week.

I'm going to pay more attention to eating a lot of protein.

A month or two ago I totally cut out refined sugar for a few weeks. The results were amazing. After about the first 4 days I totally stopped craving sweets and even now, after I stopped being stringent about it, sweets almost gross me out after the first bite or two. And I LOVED my sweets too!

I have learned a lot about nutrition from www.westonaprice.org (http://www.westonaprice.org). I would highly reccommend checking it out.

[jeaninevp922]

Einen,
Are you anticipating having a hard time weaning off coffee?
I switched to decaf, and now I'm going to try and cut down, but give it up completely? Not gonna happen. Especially since I got a new vacuum brewer and burr grinder for xmas, to go along with the roaster I got last year.

And I'd like to give everyone a friendly reminder to stay hydrated! Especially to those who live in dry winter weather!

[sanguine_speed]

Einen,
Are you anticipating having a hard time weaning off coffee?
I switched to decaf, and now I'm going to try and cut down, but give it up completely? Not gonna happen.


I have managed to stop coffee altogether, but I did it before TTC so I could take good old fashioned Ibuprofen for the painful headaches.

I thought decaf would be alright, but I found out that a lot of decaf is not water processed; a chemical neutralizer is added to most to negate the caffeine. I don't know much about it, but I figure since I personally used coffee for the caffeine, I've got no reason to have decaf either.

[jeaninevp922]

Ours is water processed. I've been on decaf for a while, so I'm not a caffeine addict, just a coffee addict:wink

[megincl]

Last time DW was pregnant, we used the Sears pregnancy book as a guide. Now it's living at some unknown friend's house, so we need to turn elsewhere for guidance. I am generally the one watching out for what she eats, so I'd love to know where to look. In particular, we'd love info on alternate sources of calcium (like greens), how much calcium, protein, other stuff is recommended. Any good, trustworthy online sources for this?

Thanks!
megin

[gizzyntaz]

Funny, you ask, as I sit down to eat my lunch: two eggs, 1/2 apple and a small yogurt. Prior to finding out this morning I would have come downstairs after my short nap with DS and inhaled the refrigerator, I was so hungry. I probably would have grabbed a handful of Christmas cookies and a few slices of my homemade raisin bread (got a bread machine for Christmas). I was SOOO hungry. But I repeated what I hope to be my mantra... high protein, high protein, high protein, and I thought about my Bun and I ended up with what you see above. An improvement, surely.

With DS I gained 30 pounds without exercising much at all (I really babied myself during his pregnancy - he was my first and I also had lots of BH contx from 18 weeks on). Luckily he was huge and my placenta was too. Within 9 days of coming home from the hospital I was back at my pre-preg weight and in my clothes (I was VERY lucky). I hope to have the same luck this time, as I am starting at the same weight (should've lost a little to start with) and I'm nursing my son still with no plans on stopping unless he wants to. The only difference is that I will be exercising - mostly swimming and walks. I hope that makes a difference with my labor. But I'm going to try not to rely on the simple carbs, and I've also given up caffeine, etc. Just using the Bun as an excuse to eat healthier overall...

Anyone have any tips for easy, quick high protein lunches for a SAHM? I'm usually starving by that point (and I'm not a vegetarian). I'm going to try to make up big batches of chicken/veggie salad, but are there any other suggestions? Eggs are good, but I eat them for breakfast, usually. Oh, and I'm not inclined to eat salads. I have good intentions, but I find it never happens.

[gizzyntaz]

arelyn - I was GF for the first year of DS's life because he was born allergic to wheat. He since outgrew it, TG, but I can give you ideas of what to eat, or subs if you'd like (of course, you probably already know because of your DH). It was hard, but I never doubted it was worth it... For me, it was a lot healthier too. I'm such a carbaholic!

[Einen]

Einen,
Are you anticipating having a hard time weaning off coffee?
I switched to decaf, and now I'm going to try and cut down, but give it up completely? Not gonna happen. Especially since I got a new vacuum brewer and burr grinder for xmas, to go along with the roaster I got last year.

And I'd like to give everyone a friendly reminder to stay hydrated! Especially to those who live in dry winter weather!

I hope not! Tommorrow's my last day and then it's no more. I'll probably have a day or two of tiredness and headaches but I've been gradually reducing the amount of caffeine to try and avoid withdrawal.

[coloradomom]

For what it is worth ladies my MW said that coffee is not a problem during preg.:duck: She said that as long as you keep it to 1-2 cups a day there will be no harm to the baby. I have one latte every morning, using organic coffee and milk and she said "go ahead and enjoy it"!

[jinetemx]

Yes, I am definately changing eating. Better,healthier choices. While I still have the energy to cook, I am going to try to make lots and freeze. Last pregnancy I was so wiped out I don't think I cooked more than 5 meals in five months. I'll be making lots of bean and veggie soups, and pretty soon MANGO season hits here, so I plan on eating lots of fruits, too. I'm not a big meat eater, but a couple times a week I will eat chicken or something (the baby and husband have to eat, too!) We have a great organic farm nearby, but no organic meats (bummer). I am also starting a massive veggie garden project as well as a hen house for my own eggs and free range chickens! Life on the farm is good!

[thewaggonerfamily]

I am <sob> giving up Coke. It is my caffeine substitute of choice. I usually have at leas one with breakfast and one with lunch and usually a few more in between. Today is day 1. I started with green tea with peppermint tea in it and have been drinking ice water. Its really hard since pop and water is about all I drink. I'm also going to try to stay away from most refined sugar and white bread, rice etc although I won't be nazi about it. The last 3 babies were 9#4oz (after I lost weight during the pregnancy! so I want to be careful. I'm also allergic to artificial sweeteners so that's not really an option for me. Fortunately it seems when I am pregnant I crave fruits and vegetables and healthy food. I just have to get to that point.

[thewaggonerfamily]

Hoo boy, that was hard, but I'm on to day 2. I'm craving sweets something awful though. I had a couple frosted sugar cookies yesterday, which probably isn't the best, but I figure I'll get past the Coke and then worry about the sugar. For all you healthy food ladies, do you think apple or white grape juice over ice would be okay to substitute or should I stay away since they are just sugar water in a differnt form?

[sanguine_speed]

As a former pop-addict (and not that long ago), I understand how hard this must be for you!

As far as I was concerned, almost anything was better than Coke. Now, I occasionally treat myself to fruit spritzers, which are fruit juice and carbonated water. But, no artificial colours, artificial flavours, and also without a multitude of other carcinogenic chemicals.

Just imagine your baby drinking the pop--that helped for me. Sometimes I don't need help with that; I've occasionally seen toddlers with bottles full of pop :irked: . That really stops me.

[gizzyntaz]

I gave up my one-a-day Diet Cherry Coke about a month ago. Prior to giving it up I started stocking our fridge with flavored seltzer waters. Our store brand has ones that are basically just carbonated water with a little splash of flavor (no sugar or artificial sweetener) - it's a good substitute when you need something fizzy. You'll have to try them, they are in the soda aisle.

I, personally, wouldn't substitute juice because of the high sugar content. But I like water so I don't have problems getting enough fluid. The bigger problem giving up the soda is giving up the caffeine. I drag through the day...

[arelyn]

I feel sooooo sick! I only threw up once (more the result of a two year old doing something nasty with his food, blech) but I can't shake this nausea. Making matters worse, I'm sure, is that my appetite has been totally gone for a few days now. The foods I've had the most problems even thinking about eating include all sources of protien known to man (except one)! Here I am at the point in my life where I need the most protien and all I can manage to eat is ricecakes, soymilk (overly sweet chocolate flavoured no less:o ) and Bryer's all natural popsicles. Sometimes I can manage peanut butter (if I smother it with jam) on the rice cakes. I'm not getting enough of any nutrient by normal standards and I'm getting really worried. I'm sure a lot of the nausea will subside after I get enough food in me. Afterall, skipping meals usually made me queezy before the baby. How can I make myself want to eat?

Thanks in advance for any ideas you can come up with!!

[beckyphry]

Katie, way to go on giving up Coke! You can do it!! Just give yourself time to get over the cravings, and pretty soon you'll be over it totally.

arelyn, I'm sorry you're so sick! Don't worry too much about nutrients now.. your little bean is probably getting most of their nutrition from the reserves already in your body from before you got pregnant. A friend of mine actually lost weight in her first trimester because she was so sick. She just gave birth to a robust and healthy baby boy last week! I'm not saying nutrition isn't important, but eat what you feel like eating when you're really sick, you know?

I'm lucky in that cold water is just about the only thing I feel like drinking, since I'm so thirsty. I'm not sick, knock on wood. My mom said she got some nausea with her 4 pregnancies but it wasn't bad so maybe I'll be spared? :fingersx: My appetite has also been pretty good and I'm trying to reduce refined sugar and increase vegetables and protein.

[gizzyntaz]

arelyn - when you are sick you have to eat what you can. You'll get through it. Most of the first tri with my son I carb-loaded. Just learn from my mistake and get back on the protein plan as soon as you start feeling better! Make sure you stay hydrated too.

[Einen]

I've been feeling pretty gross today. I lost my appetite (VERY strange for me :lol ). But I made myself eat dinner and it wasn't so bad once I got started.

I don't do much juice either because of the high sugar content. It's mostly water for me.

thewaggonerfamily- I hope you can power through the Coke withdrawal. Just think of how much great nutrition you can give your baby when you replace the Coke calories with better food.