"pregnancy diet"

ashellypnut

Anyone have any tips/suggestions about what to be eating? Obviously using common sense here is the best way to go but...I read the list from "What to Expect etc." and I'm having a hard time with it.  I can't seem to eat ALL of the servings from all 12 groups every day! I made a spreadsheet to keep track of what I'm eating and I've noticed that I'm not hitting it all. It's definitely made me more aware but... 

What are YOU eating?!? LOL! 

Abeille

For me, 1st tri was more about survival, and I ate what I could stomach. Mostly a lot of bland foods. Now that I'm feeling a lot better, I'm making and effort to eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables....just trying to eat healthy, but not stressing about it.

I've never read What to Expect, 12 food groups seems a bit much!

dhreczuck

I have that book. What killed it for me was all the recipes they provided seemed to involve chicken which was the absolute last thing I wanted to eat in the 1st trimester! I think the advice while certainly healthy is a bit unrealistic for anyone who is actually pregnant. Just try to get some protein everyday and some fresh fruit or veggies and you'll be good.

Country Girl in the City

dhreczuck:

I have that book. What killed it for me was all the recipes they provided seemed to involve chicken which was the absolute last thing I wanted to eat in the 1st trimester! I think the advice while certainly healthy is a bit unrealistic for anyone who is actually pregnant. Just try to get some protein everyday and some fresh fruit or veggies and you'll be good.

The thought of chicken still turns my stomach.  I agree with everyone else, 1st tri is all about survival.  In the second tri, your body helps to tell you what you need.  Once I was over ms, I started some interesting for me cravings.  I can't get enough oranges or milk.

Do make sure you are taking your PNV's.

jglenn4

Abeille:

For me, 1st tri was more about survival, and I ate what I could stomach. Mostly a lot of bland foods. Now that I'm feeling a lot better, I'm making and effort to eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables....just trying to eat healthy, but not stressing about it.

I've never read What to Expect, 12 food groups seems a bit much!

 

This.  My nausea lasted until about week 23 and so I ate whatever I craved that I thought I could keep down.  I'm normally a very disciplined eater (e.g.  pre pregnancy I kept a food log that counted protein grams, fiber, fat, calories, etc.) but that ended with this pregnancy.  Nausea is back and I have food aversions to a lot of my healthy staples so I'm back to eating for survival.  Carb-y things usually help my nausea.

*sparky*

A spreadsheet seems way too complicated to me...I try to eat healthy, but also have to go with eating what I feel like having.  I am still early and have not started having food aversions yet, but like the other posters I could not go anywhere near chicken in my 1st trimester in my last pregnancy.  I could barely tolerate other meats.  I make sure to take my PNV every day and try to load up on a vareity of fruits and veggies.  I also had very low iron in my first PG and had to take prescription iron on top of my PNV, so this time I am making sure I eat high-iron foods.

The big thing for me is making sure I don't get too hungry - that is when I start feeling cruddy.  And I am drinking lots of H2O.

ShellBear+

I don't do a "pregnancy diet" but try to eat healthy mostly.  I try to eat alot of fresh fruits, veggies, meats, yogurt, nuts etc. and watch my sodium.  I was really watching my diet before I got pg and tracking everything but I have slacked on that.  I definitely indulge more.  I have my gd test next week so this may all have to come to an end lol.  I think you don't have to stress about getting all your servings of each group as long as you make mostly healthy choices.  You may not be feeling so well soon and it will be hard to do that anyway. You just eat what you can stomach.  Don't worry baby will do just fine taking what it needs from you. 

GraceInCA

A spreadsheet seems like a lot of work. If you have a smartphone, I would recommend downloading the MyFitnessPal app. It's free, and not only can you track calories very easily, it'll also tell you how much you are getting in terms of daily amounts of important stuff (fiber, carbs, fat, etc.).

I've been on a health kick since before getting pregnant, and I've done a decent job keeping up with it. I have noticed that eating frequently and having healthful snacks around (fruit, yogurt, granola, lots of water) means I make better meal choices when I have to sit down to eat, especially if I'm ordering in a restaurant.

babystoli

Abeille:

For me, 1st tri was more about survival, and I ate what I could stomach. Mostly a lot of bland foods. Now that I'm feeling a lot better, I'm making and effort to eat a variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables....just trying to eat healthy, but not stressing about it.

I've never read What to Expect, 12 food groups seems a bit much!

This is what my doctor told me at my first appointment.  I saw a different doctor for my second appointment... and she said to not even try anything but carbs until I went 72 hours without vomiting (finally happened this week).   I had pretty severe morning sickness and could barely eat anything/keep anything down.  And that was with Zofran!  I lost 10-15 pounds during the first trimester (I def. had that to lose- they weren't worried). 

This week I am trying to eat three actual meals, with snacks.  And drink more water (rather than Icees and gatorade).  Some days,  the only thing that stayed down were Icees!! 

TX-Bride

I try to eat more home cooked meals, have a salad at least once but twice would be ideal, milk with breakfast and a yogurt cup with lunch. Add side of veggies.

danuli8

What to Expect's diet recommendations are practically impossible to hit 100%. I agree that in the first tri, you eat what stays down first and foremost. Things do get a lot better once you hit the second tri. Then I would say, just get some protein, calcium, and fruits and veggies every day and you're doing just fine. If I notice I haven't had any seafood for a week, I crack open a can of tuna and make a tuna salad sandwich or get some fish out of the freezer and cook that for dinner. Just rotate among all the "good stuff" and don't worry about hitting every single kind of food every day.

danieleandwayne

I have to laugh-- I can't even imagine spending enough time to make a spreadsheet for my meals. That takes all the enjoyment out of eating! LOL

I agree with pps: 1st tri is about what you can actually eat. I lived on mango, pineapple, pickles, and then eventually added bagels with cream cheese. Those were the only foods that mostly stayed down.

Now in my 2nd tri, I'm back to eating how I ate before I was pregnant-- complete protein of some sort and lots of veggies and fruits. I try to eat the rainbow, as in getting a variety of colours on my plates to add diversity of nutrients.

But tonight, for example, I'm having a big, fat steak and cheese from D'Angelos because work sucked MFN balls today and I want to eat one. And if Mama's happy, then baby is happy...

ocho2002

Eat a healthy diet. You don't need a book or a spreadsheet. Whole grains, dairy, protein, fruit and vegetables. Have a treat when you need it. If you're in first tri, eat whatever you can if you're sick or have aversions.

ashellypnut

Thanks everyone! I don't feel like a bad mommy now : good advice to follow! Bon appetite!

MT-Head

Just try to get in the fruits, veggies, lean proteins and healthy grains if you can.  I had no issued with morning sickness and no real food aversions except shredded meats and squishy pickels/olives, so I just made sure I had 2 or 3 fruits and 3 or 4 veggies a day.  Good thing about that is, it also keeps your BMs regular.

In retrospect, I think What to Expect is an OK book, but it kind fo focuses more on what can go wrong or bad things that can happen than serve as a guide for pregnancy.  And "The First Year" book - that I found to be pretty much a waste.  The whole last third is about illnesses, aliments, deformatives, maladies, etc.  Scary stuff for a FTM, IMHO. 

RedLucia

With the "What to Expect" list, make a list of the food that count for multiple categories. Also, review the portion sizes...sometimes what we think of as 1 portion is actually 2. 

Personally, I cannot always hit it due to MS. So I am doing the best I can and trying to stomach my prenatal vitamin each day.