Eating (Better) For Two

Prior to actually finding out I was pregnant, I hunted online for pregnancy focused nutrition books and ended up ordering a few of them. I wanted to be ready to begin a cleaner and healthier lifestyle for when I would suddenly be responsible for the well-being of someone other than myself.

For the most part, I was already a fairly healthy eater who lived an active lifestyle. I ate and cooked well balanced meals, I forewent fast food alternatives by choice, I frequented the gym and participated in my ladies Bootcamp class twice a week. What more could I do that I already wasn't?

Seeing as how I starting out with some good habits under my belt, any additional modifications were pretty simple. Not to mention that I don't think there is a greater reason in the entire world to start taking better care of yourself than there is when you are trying to become, or find out that you are pregnant.

Since my husband and I were"trying", I started taking my prenatal vitamin a couple months before we actually conceived. Getting into the routine of taking a vitamin every day was new for me, but now it is second nature. I also gradually added in two 1000 mg vitamin D capsules every morning upon my doctor's request.

Very quickly the question became "how can I better baby's health?" I was willing to do whatever it took to ensure that I was doing everything in my power to provide the best care for this tiny human. The way I see it, there is so much in this world that I cannot and will not be able to control, but if I can in fact do something to strengthen my baby's well being then you can damn well guarantee that I will. When you're a mother that becomes your job. Choosing to be and remain pregnant means taking on the role of protector, nurturer and teacher for the duration of your child's life. Thanks to my great mother I will never lose sight of that.

Once I most certainly was pregnant, cleaning up my diet so that baby was getting the most nutrition was my main goal. Suddenly things like folic acid and flax seed were more important than ever before. Having read book upon book, I knew to expect cravings, and I wanted to be ready to approach them in a healthier manner. Rather than reach for ice cream, I would make my own popsicles with plain greek yogurt and frozen fruit, or bake this incredibly delicious and clean five ingredient banana loaf that legitimately tastes like cake. Don't get me wrong, I let myself be a pregnant woman who had a treat every now and then, but as soon as my second trimester hit and glucose testing loomed in the air, I cut out artificial sweeteners and sugar cold turkey for about three weeks just to feel the difference. Honestly, I didn't consume enough of them prior to this little experiment, but I certainly didn't miss them.

To this day, sitting at 31 weeks, I don't have sugar cravings or long for ice cream or chocolate. At most, if I am not satisfied after dinner, I have found a new love for frothed milk with a splash of pure vanilla extract, honey and cinnamon. It cures whatever void I am feeling and is a great way to get an extra calcium boost without the artificial sugary high a Starbucks drink would provide, for example. Here is another thing I have learned throughout all of this: things won't always make sense. I have never been a milk lover. I was always that person who would eat cereal and then waste a whole bowl of milk. Magically, I have morphed into the weirdo who walks to the fridge and pours a glass of milk and chugs it for pleasure. One night I realized I had drank three glasses consecutively. What have I become?

If I do have a "treat" now, it's usually once a week, and please do not think I am depriving myself. I in no way long for these treats, however, when I was recently at our friend's birthday party for their one year old, I was in no position to pass up a small piece of birthday cake! I'm not a robot after all. A big difference from before pregnancy to now, however, is that before I would have easily let having a piece of cake turn into having a binge weekend; whereas now I find it quite simple to have the piece of cake and then immediately return to my clean eating without feeling an ounce of guilt.

Typically, my go to foods are the same week after week: skim milk, plain greek yogurt, lean ground turkey or chicken, chicken breasts, oven roasted and preservative-free turkey breast slices, zucchini (which I spiralize and eat with homemade tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and never enough chili peppers), fruits and vegetables (spinach always), black eyed peas (a legitimate obsession I can't even begin to explain... I will literally eat them plain by the spoonful), low fat cheeses (Laughing Cow wedges are my favourite), dark rye bread, water with fruit flavored tea bags in it (never been a juice person, but this makes your water a little less boring), and EGGS of course! I also usually bake clean muffins or a loaf every Sunday, which then becomes one of my snacks during the week when I'm at work to enjoy with my morning tea.

While exercise is super important as well, I find that eating can totally make or break all of your hard work at the gym. Before, I used to be one of those people who would have junk food and then tell myself that I would just counteract the damage by doing more cardio. Even then I wasn't naïve enough to believe that's how it actually worked, but I did it anyways. When looking back on these old tendencies, it makes it clear to see how I have made improvements. Now, I would first ask myself if what I am going to eat is providing anything of value to my baby. If the answer is no, then I instead choose something else that is. It is the difference between woofing down a bag of chips and cutting up an apple to have with peanut butter, and it goes a long way. So, before I found a safe pregnancy workout routine (which I did, have stuck to this whole time and love), I tried to master my eating while knowing that pregnancy sometimes makes your taste buds unpredictable.

I've learned that when you're pregnant it gets harder to meal plan when something you love on Monday becomes something you can't stand by Wednesday. I am (or was) a creature of habit in the sense that prior I was able to make a whole pot of soup last me for lunches all week long. However, just as frequent as cravings occur, so do food aversions, and I soon realized that plotting out a plan of attack for my weekly meals was damn near impossible. This is why having a handful of healthy food in the fridge at all times is beneficial, and eggs are the perfect go-to when nothing else seems appealing.

I can't even call this a temporary change as much as it is a lifestyle change because even after the baby is born I would like to nurse, which again relies on the mother ensuring that she is providing herself with the proper nutrition, which in turn is shared with baby. However, this seems like a more than justifiable lifestyle that I am happy to engage in for my little peanut.