Working on Good Nutrition

For the past few years, I’ve watched what I have eaten pretty closely. I very rarely went out for lunch with co-workers and tried to avoid temptations as much as I could. I also have no problem repeating meals day after day, which makes it easier to watch what I eat (and easier to grocery shop!).

I knew that when I got pregnant, my eating habits might change. While I haven’t personally experienced any drastic dislikes or added anything wild and crazy into my eating habits, I have noticed changes. I went from eating a spinach salad every day for lunch like it was the best thing ever, to absolutely hating spinach. I was addicted to bagels and cream cheese for the first 2 months of pregnancy. I absolutely had to have a burger and fries from the fast food place next to my office at about 8 weeks pregnant, an immediate tip-off to one of my colleagues that I was expecting!

But overall, I’ve worked hard to try and keep my daily eating on the healthier side. It doesn’t mean that I don’t give into temptations (Oreo milkshakes are my friend and I definitely enjoy cupcakes!), but I’ve tried to find meals and snacks that are on the healthier side.

Before pregnancy, weekday meals looked like this:

Breakfast:

• Bowl of Kashi Go Lean Fit cereal with skim milk
• Small glass of orange juice
  

Lunch:

• 1 slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter
• Organic baby spinach with sesame oil
• 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt
• Fresh pineapple chunks

Afternoon Snack:

• 1 Banana

Dinner:

• BLT sandwich made with whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayonnaise and turkey bacon

This was an average day and was about 1300 calories. I’d also have a morning cup of coffee and drink water throughout the day.

During pregnancy, weekday meals look like this:

Breakfast

• Bowl of Kashi Go Lean Fit cereal with skim milk
• Small glass of orange juice
• Another half glass of orange juice before I run out the door

Morning Snack

• String cheese

Lunch

• Peanut butter sandwich made with 2 slices of whole wheat bread
• 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt
• Fresh pineapple chunks
• 1 or 2 clementines
• Bag of chips from the vending machine, bowl of soup or other snack (popcorn, pretzels, a few cookies, etc)

Afternoon Snack

• Banana
• Organic fruit strip
• Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (if I’m really hungry)

Dinner

• BLT sandwich made with whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayonnaise and turkey bacon
• String cheese
• Pickle
• Small bowl of soup if still hungry

Evening Snack

• Usually one of: clementines, dried fruit/nuts, yogurt, something sweet (if we have cookies or something fun on hand, which isn’t often), a small bowl of Kashi cereal

I’ll also drink coffee a few times during the week, but otherwise I’m drinking water throughout the day.

I still struggle with worry over not getting enough into my diet of what the baby needs. I am incredibly picky and don’t eat a lot of vegetables (I kind of hoped that pregnancy would automatically make me crave broccoli, but no such luck!). So I have worked hard to try and find meals and snacks that pack in some of the nutritional aspects that are recommended during pregnancy, while still falling under the heading of “Things I Actually Like.” A few favorites include:

• Avocado Toast: 1 avocado lightly mashed with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes (if you want a little heat!), spread on whole wheat toast. Can be a snack when you’re really hungry or a meal if you incorporate some healthy sides.
• Raisins and Almonds: I keep a bag of raw almonds and raisins at my desk. This is a hearty snack and easy to keep on hand.
• Black Bean Quesadilla: Canned black beans, cheddar cheese, any veggies you like (if you’re not a veggie hater like me!) and 2 whole wheat tortillas. Easy to prepare and beans are great for you during pregnancy!
• Clementines: We buy a bag each week (while in season) and I keep quite a few in the fridge at work. I love that they’re small so they’re not too filling and they are much easier to peel than an orange!
• Popcorn: Air pop some popcorn and toss with olive oil and sea salt. You can make a huge batch and have this as a snack for the whole week.

Analyzing my eating and drinking patterns has been incredibly helpful for me and also helps me feel really good about the decisions I have been making on a daily basis for the past 7 months of this pregnancy. I know that at the end of the day, I can’t feel guilty for what I may or may not have eaten, or if I don’t get that extra glass of water in. All I can do is try my best, make the decisions that seem right at the moment and know that I am doing whatever I can to give my baby what he/she needs. Even if I really, truly hate eating my vegetables!