[rapscallions]

ok all, what's my deal? i was so dedicated to eating well with baby #1 -- i charted every morsel that went in my mouth, ate around 90-100 grams of protein a day and didn't eat sweets at all for nine months. baby #2, not-such-clean livin', but i was really careful about my protein and ate lots and lots of veggies b/c i was a vegetarian at the time.... poor, poor baby #3. help me turn this train around before it's too late!

we have been travelling a LOT this summer b/c my firstborn starts kindergarten in the fall and with another baby on the way, we're going to be soooo homebound. so that's fatal flaw #1 -- eating out. just can't avoid fast food sometimes. try to do bean burritos and salads, but... well, just damn those french fries! and being on the go so much, we do a lot of dashing and dining (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the car, argh!)

fatal flaw #2 is, now that i'm a meat eater again (long story), i just assume i getting enough protein. big question is, am i getting enough veggies??? i don't feel like i'm making great choices for this hungry fetus. what sorts of satisfying and delicious and nutritious stuff are you guys eating that is fairly fast to make for the whole family? what snacks will make up for my shortfalls. i've been carrying rice cakes and almonds in my car, so that helps some i hope, but some of my healthy standbys like dried fruit and fresh fruit haven't been as appealing to me this go 'round.

i'm eager to eat well -- i truly believe it can help make a difference in the overall health and well being of our babies, but i'm just at this point in my life where getting that kind of good food into my bod is easier said than done! thanks for any advice! (any books or cookbooks anyone can recommend??)

 

[IncaMama]

i'm the opposite it seems. with DS i ate like CRAP! i mean CRAP! i think i had cheesesteaks, burgers, fries, pizza, DAILY! omg it was AWFUL. i didn't touch a piece of fruit or a real veggie the entire time. oy.

this time around i'm craving fruits and salads and fatty things make me feel sick to my stomach.

honestly, eat what you can when you can...sure, try to eat healthy, blah blah but don't stress too much about it. your baby needs a stress-free mama too.

 

[atozmama]

There is nothing wrong with PBJ! If you find yourself busy during the day, take some time in the morning, or even the night before, to make a day's worth of snackable foods. Prepare a bunch of vegtables and fruit for snacking and have it easy to grab a sanwhich or wrap that you would like. At the same time plan what's for dinner and get that ready to go. If you have dinner waiting at home, you'll be less likely to stop at fast food. I guess this is like an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Sorry I don't have specific ideas for recipes or any thing.

 

[MistyB]

I eat lots of salads and try to go to restaurants that I know have veggies.

If I am on the run...I get taco bell bean burrito with rice, onion, lettuce and tons of extra tomato.

I get veggies and eggwhite or eggbeater omelets a lot.

I go to the farmers market 2 times a week and have tons of fresh veggies around. I cook about 10 quarts of green beans every week. I eat 3-4 tomatoes everyday. Fresh pineapple and apples too.

I always keep frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix int he freezer and it can be steamed in 5-6 minutes with some spices.

If I want to bag snacks, I take a variety of nuts. Also I like the packages of dried veggies at the health food store and love to carry them around to munch on.

Kashi go lean bars or the cereal in a baggie or container

keep boiled eggs always in the fridge...I toss the yolk though.

I have been eating tons of sandwiches...whole wheat low carb bread with veggie bacon, tomatoes and fat free mayo. YUM.

 

[beachcomber]

Heh. Right now I'm just focussing on what I actually CAN eat, not what I SHOULD eat. Once the morning sickness subsides I'll work more on a balanced diet with lots of variety.

Things I've been surviving on:

chicken soup with grated ginger in it
fresh fruit with plain yoghurt
peanut butter and jam sandwiches
cheese and crackers
fruit smoothies
granola
trail mix
small amounts of chicken when I can handle it

 

[Geofizz]

Misty, why are you tossing the egg yolk? Scrambled eggs have been ok for me for the last few days.

For me, I'm trying to identify what it is about a food that makes me want to eat it and try to find a healthier option. I put cottage cheese on a bagel instead of cream cheese. I eat three bean salad instead of pickles (I make a huge bowl every few days...). I'm working up to whole grains instead of refined (tummy is still rebeling a tad, though). I'm drinking cold, cold water with some lemon juice instead of soda.

 

[kir]

Totally sympathise with not feeling like eating! Right now my stomach is grumbling even, but i just feel lazy about getting up and getting more food in there.

Some things that do work (but unfortunately dH takes advantage of the convenience as well....)
* making my lunch and Dh's together in the morning (he has a lot of trouble eating a healthy lunch, so i help him out....when i get to it...) so i have it waiting for me.
* little containers of cereal...lately love that optimum blueberry and flax cereal yum!
* little bananas to snack on
* cut up fruit kept in the fridge...eat with cheese
* second the idea of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge (though they make me kinda sick)
* chocolate/plain milk
* raw nuts (cashews, almonds...) with raisins, fresh fruit...that's good

That said, i'm eating too many cheese-and-tomato toasted sandwiches. too much random stuff. not enough protein. what to do? very frustrating.

K

 

[xmasbaby7]

I live on hard boiled eggs, whole grain toast, flax cereal with fresh blueberries and sliced banana with soy milk, fresh juice, but then I leave the house and go to work and it gets hard. We work and get home so late at night, it is hard to prepare a meal.

I learned my salad aversion was really a vinegar aversion, so I tend to order weird dressing I haven't eaten since I was a kid.

I keep raw nut trail mix with dried fruit at my desk, and recently discovered Naked Juice. They are soooo yoummy, and much better than odwalla. They have a blueberry folic acid drink I get for when my lunch choices are less than perfect.

If you can find edamame, you can boil a whole bag at once (don't forget the kosher salt!), and keep it in the refrigerator for a really healthy snack. It has protein, fiber, you name it. I haven't met a neice or nephew who didn't like these "Magic beanstalk beans."

I sympathize. Although I am getting to where I can eat most things again, I have developed this newfound love and pornographic thrill from the baked, white potato and toasted bagels (whole wheat) with cream cheese (organic). Things I haven't really eaten the last few years. I indulge, because I think my body must be wanting them.

I bought a juicer at Lowes for $80 by Warner in February, and I am able to juice in the morning and at night to catch up on what I didn't get in the day.

Great things I love to juice ( i am a novice still):
apple
pear
carrot
small section of broccoli -folic acid (you can't taste it as long as you have 2 pieces of fruit)
celery stalk- load of C
fresh ginger- helps the tummy
kiwi- adds sweet thickness

Good luck!

 

[MistyB]

Uck...

The whites have never bothered me though. I have also always seen it as a good way to gets lots of extra protein while eliminating the fat and cholesterol.

 

[rapscallions]

wow, you guys are amazing... eating good, good stuff. the edamame was a fantastic suggestion, i've never thought about cooking the whole bag and having them in the frig. ditto the 3 bean salad recipe -- i have all the stuff for it, what is your marinade??? mistyB, dang -- you are eating a ton of fresh goodness! (and your body is handling acid very nicely it sounds...)

thanks for the suggestions and encouragement. i have been wondering all week if my eating is effecting my energy level. can't seem to kick the fatigue, so i think i'll go to the farmer's market and try to make a change for the better!

just a side note on eggs (which that i do eat almost every day for protein and nutrients), i remember reading that as long as you eat yolk and white together, the lecithin helps your body process cholesterol efficiently, making an egg a powerful and healthy little package. and xmasbaby, as for the potato craving, go for it! we don't have to worry as much about carb intake and if you eat the skin, it is incredibly nutrient-dense. with baby 1, i would make a huge salad in my potato -- sunflower seeds, raisins, cottage cheese, wheat germ, chopped egg, sprouts, etc. etc. and catch up on my daily needs in one meal. (which hey, wouldn't be a bad thing to order at wendy's, hold the goopy cheese eh?) gotta get back on that kick -- thanks again for the input!

 

[rapscallions]

oh man, is this mental or am i really feeling this much better? i've eaten beans and more fresh stuff every day since i emailed and i have a TON more energy. it's really ridiculous how much better i feel. even if it was coincidence or just mind over matter, who cares? life is good!!!

 

[spudisle]

Yay! Glad to hear you're eating better and feeling great!!!

 

[Geofizz]

I'm glad you're doing better. I'm finding that it's a lot easier to eat healthfully now that I'm not feeling so queasy, like maybe my body really does know what it's doing.

 

[IncaMama]

ok what's edamame?

 

[aisraeltax]

hi everyone. i just joined today to learn more about cloth diapering and to generally get more information about natural parenting, which i think i did alot of with my older kids but didn't really know it had a name. CD's are new though, since I haven't tried it in over 14 years (my older son), so im a bit anxious and confused.
I wanted to post what i do regarding eating healthy, though.
I have a checklist that I use each day. It only has how many servings of protein, Vit. C, etc. that I need and I shoot for 100% checkmarks, but most of the time i dont' get it. However, if i see at the end of the day my calcium only has 3 checks instead of 4 (or whatever it is), i drink a glass of milk.
on the days i dont have the checklist, i do really bad with eating healthy.
i am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat a lot of meat. I have been adding garbonzo beans to my salads (i eat a ton of those) and i eat a lot of soft boiled eggs. I am careful the eggs are cooked thoroughly.
if anyone wants a Word copy of my list, email me privately and I'll send it to you.
Rach

 

[girrllie]

I feel the same way - Totally dedicated with my first pregnancy. Made myself eat salad every day, not one coke ever. Allowed myself 1 candy bar per month! kept my calcium up, protein, orange fruit, etc. Healthy, healthy, healthy. And this one seems to be the opposite! I barely take my prenatal vitamin b/c it makes me so nauseas. Coke slurpees (kept it down to one/day) helped the nausea. Sweets. Didn't touch salad for about 2 months. BUT, I have to say that now that the nausea is letting up some, I'm back to healthy eating. So I attribute most of it to that.

You would think that having other kids would make it easier, but I actually find it harder. I think our energies are just pulled away from us so much. So the first time around, it was all about us and nurturing the fetus. This time we have someone else to think about - the kid running around the house and in your case 2!

I know for me some of it is also a cost issue. With #1 it was all organic and our grocery bill almost doubled with I was pg. This time I barely make it to the grocery store and there's just no room in the budget for some of the organic stuff I wish I could buy.

Not trying to make excuses for you (and me), but just give yourself a break too! I think as the nausea abates and you pay more attention to diet, the eating will get healthier and healthier.

 

[wawoof]

It's funny, my nutrition concerns this time are a lot different than last time.

Last time, I wanted tons of sweet fruit and sweets, this time I don't want sweet stuff, even some fruits
(Out: watermelon, bananas, raisins, most apples, sweet oranges, pears, smoothies
In: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, granny smith apples, tart oranges).

Last time I craved meat, eggs, and milk all the time, this time I've had an aversion to meat and eggs almost the whole pregnancy, and can only eat milk in cereal, not straight.
(Out: steak, eggs, chicken
In: occasional ground beef (ground meat is ok, it's meat's texture that makes me want to puke) crumbled in something like tacos or tomato sauce, morning bowl of whole grain cereal with chopped nuts & raisins (they're only ok mixed in cereal), occasional eggs scrambled and put in something like burritos with a lot of flavoring to disguise them, lots of beans, lots of cheese - my primary craving).

Last time I wanted salad, this time I only like cooked veggies (except for carrots).

Anyway, lots of differences - those preg hormones are wierd things!

My nutrition concern is I'm afraid I'm not getting enough protein or iron due to my meat aversion, and all the calcium (inhibits iron absorption) I'm getting from the tons of cheese I'm eating. I'm going to ask to get my iron levels checked at my OB appt on Tuesday. Anyone have suggestions for veggie iron sources during pregnancy? Can't stomach molasses - too sweet. I'm going to try to eat crumbled organic ground beef a couple of times per week when it doesn't sound gross...

Wendy, do you mind sharing your 3-bean salad recipe - that sounds scrumptious!

 

[rapscallions]

girrllie, thanks for the break, and for addressing the food cost issue too. we were eating a lot of organic, but i've had to start shopping at (gag!) walmart (this is killing me by the way, another rant for another thread) just to afford the food we need. my boys are packing it away already at just 5 and 2 (can't fathom affording the teen years!) anyhow, it's always so nice to be in this rollicky boat together.

wawoof -- i was hoping wendy would come back with her bean salad too, but i went ahead and experimented. not much of a "measurer" anyhow and you can't really go wrong with vinagrette... i tossed freshly steamed green beans (yum, yum, YUM!) with kidneys, garbanzos and some diced red onion. poured on a little olive oil and little red wine vineagar and a tbsp. of sugar. killer! i'm on my second batch in two weeks. it's so easy too, one of those things (as my husband put it) our moms used to make for church picnics and think they were such great chefs! sometimes the simplest stuff is best.

hope everyone is getting to the feeling better stage. for some reason, my fatigue is back with a vengeance, but i am at least eating better, so at least i'm not fatigued and guilty!

edited to say that michelle, edamame are whole soybeans. can usually find them in the frozen section of health food or ethnic grocery store. mmmmmm! boil five minutes, a little sea salt, delish!

 

[Geofizz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rapscallions wawoof -- i was hoping wendy would come back with her bean salad too, but i went ahead and experimented. not much of a "measurer" anyhow and you can't really go wrong with vinagrette... i tossed freshly steamed green beans (yum, yum, YUM!) with kidneys, garbanzos and some diced red onion. poured on a little olive oil and little red wine vineagar and a tbsp. of sugar. killer! i'm on my second batch in two weeks. it's so easy too, one of those things (as my husband put it) our moms used to make for church picnics and think they were such great chefs! sometimes the simplest stuff is best.

Pretty close! The sugar is 1/2 c and I also add chopped bell pepper. I had some diced chilis left in the fridge the other day and tossed those in as well. I'm happy to pm the recipe, though I don't think I can post it. Let me know.

 

[wawoof]

Wendy, thanks for PMing me your 3-bean salad recipe. It turned out awesome! Like rapscallions, I put in steamed green beans, kidney beans, & garbanzo beans, plus chopped bell peppers & red onions. Yummy! I used extra virgin olive oil, which I was worried would make it too olive-y, but it's fine after all the other spicing.

Rapscallions & Girrlie, I sympathize about needing to economize on groceries. We're buying a lot of conventional rather than organic food due to financial limitations right now. But in some ways it sucks for our budget knowing too much about food supply contamination, etc. I can't stomach non-humanely raised, non-natural beef, so we just don't eat much beef these days. We buy store brand organic milk because I can't stomach drinking conventional milk either. But we can't afford organic cheese so we're buying the cheap but yummy cheese at Trader Joe's. And we try to buy organics for the most contaminated fruits/veggies. However, most grain products, nuts, and other foods we're buying are conventional these days. Frustrating trade-offs!