Feeding the Belly

I thought I would share a little how my diet is looking these days. While I'm not a nutrition expert, I hope it's helpful. If nothing else, these pregnancy posts will be good for me for future reference.

Within 5 minutes of telling John's parents I was pregnant, his Mom (a registered dietitian) had already lent me some pregnancy nutrition books. I took home "Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide" and read through it pretty quick. Yes, there's the daunting list of things to eat (only 300 extra calories and so much extra protein, fiber, calcium, and more!) and avoid, but it's shared in an entertaining manner. And about half the book is recipes.

But well before sharing the big news, I started taking prenatal vitamins. My doctor gave me some samples during my annual lady check-up this past spring and I alternated those with my regular daily vitamin (plus iron) until they ran out. At that point, I switched to prenatals full-time.

Since I spend the majority of my week at work, my lunch and snacks have seen the biggest changes. Gone are the daily cold cut turkey sandwiches. In its place is generally some sort of leftovers. Last week I had some of Smitten Kitchen's mushroom bourguignon (amazing!). Other times I'll make a batch of something like pasta salad with veggies and chicken. And then there are times I run out of ideas (or time) and buy something.

In general, I've noticed that I crave variety with my food. Which I take as a sign that I should be eating a variety of foods to fulfill my (and my baby girl's) nutritional requirements.

As for snacks and other "lunch accessories," I've started to bring some extra fruit with me as a snack. In the past, I might just bring the banana to work. Now, I bringing the banana and some clementines. During the first trimester, I brought a small bag of almonds instead of the extra fruit. I've also swapped out a cup of yogurt for a cheese stick. Fortunately, I never had morning sickness. There were times that I felt a little queasy, but I would eat a snack and the feeling would go away.

One constant from my pre-pregnancy lunch is the presence of some sort of granola or nutrition bar. Right now, it's the super nutrient packed Good Greens bar in a wide variety of flavors. These things are pretty much the perfect pregnancy snack! The taste is far superior to other protein bars; plus they have 100% of your daily fruits and vegetables, 10 grams or so of protein, Omega 3's, antioxidants, and probiotics. They're also organic, gluten free, vegan, and raw. We discovered them at the Cleveland marathon expo in 2011 and have been hooked ever since. I keep an extra in my purse and in my desk for back-up.

So far, I haven't had any crazy cravings or flat-out food aversions. Sure I eat the occasional cookie, dessert, or bagel at work, but nothing out of the ordinary. If anything else, I've been disinterested in foods. During the first trimester, it was mostly coffee and the crust of one brand of wheat bread. I was telling my Mom about my disinterest in coffee and she said the same thing happened with her when she was pregnant. I started to drink coffee again during second trimester, but only with cream. Previously, I used to have it with cream and sugar. And yes, it's the recommended 12 ounces of coffee or less in a day (less than 200 mg of caffeine). And that's usually every other day.

As for other disinterests, I've had no desire to drink beer or any sort of alcohol throughout the whole pregnancy. It must be my body's way of telling me what to avoid. I'll smell what John is drinking (sometimes taking a small sip) and don't want any more. Though a glass of wine is starting to sound good during the second trimester.

While I haven't had cravings, pizza always sounded good during the first trimester. During the second trimester, I've been really into dairy. Like, I had to move the pasteurized triple-cream cheese and crackers away from myself during Christmas. I've also been drinking skim milk like it's going out of style.

On the flip side, I've been "enjoying" a bit of acid reflux after meals in the second trimester. Yes, eating small portions more frequently helps, but sometimes I'm hungry! I inhale my food and later regret it with a side order of burping and bloating. And let's just say that slower digestion makes me (and John) sometimes wish for a fart patio a la Portlandia.

Finally, I've been trying to drink plenty of water. Per John's Mom, if I'm thirsty, it's too late. And your urine should be the color of light lemonade. And as she told Oprah, the lemonade should be made with one lemon!

How did your eating habits change during pregnancy? Or did you make changes to your diet to prepare for pregnancy?
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