When seen through this “highlight reel”, it might seem like a pretty junk-food-filled pregnancy, but I actually credit my good nutrition habits and experience to a healthy, low-sickness baby diet that’s 80% “on”.
Because I had a solid food foundation in place before I got pregnant, it was easier to maintain a good routine and notice cravings and changes before they got out of control. For example, pre-baby breakfast was eggs, spinach, and cheese (with ketchup of course!). With baby, I added in a piece of toast (with butter or peanut butter & jam) and sometimes a glass of OJ.
I found myself needing the extra carbs for energy because little Blueberry was taking so many nutrients out of the food for himself, so I also added a second breakfast of oatmeal & yogurt or cottage cheese + walnuts & berries most days, especially when we’re at the gym super early.
Lunch always happens before 12pm: a roast beef sandwich & salad 3x/week, or meat with a starch such as quinoa or rice + salad on other days; often takeout from local legends Plum Catering or Savor Living because I love & trust their food quality and prep, or if I’m on the road I might hit the Whole Foods hot bar.
Dinner is usually meat & potatoes & cooked veggies from my organic veggie delivery box (Plan B Organics), fish & chicken 1-2x/week but mostly grass-fed beef from Dragonfly Garden Farm, because I know my body loves beef! I often have ice cream or yogurt for an evening snack, depending on the day!
Craziest cravings:
Weeks 5-8: asparagus, spinach, all things green
Weeks 9-12: all the seafood Italy could offer
Weeks 13-17: MILK. Giant glasses of whole milk, often Water Buffalo or Sheep milk 😀
Weeks 18-22: Fat. Extra egg yolks, sour cream on everything, and even more butter than usual
Weeks 23 + : I will keep you posted!!
None of this is much different from how I ate before, except adding in an extra meal (which kind of just replaces my post-workout shake I used to have) and some extra carbs to each meal (sometimes a whole-grain salad, sometimes a cookie!)
But I know that if I didn’t have a decent routine and understanding of my meals beforehand, I would have felt like garbage, freaking out and reaching for whatever I could find to keep my blood sugar up!
If you’ve been in the gym lately, you’ve seen me when I need to eat and it’s not pretty!
Keep eating!
~Coach Rach