Pregnancy diet: for those of you who are struggling to eat.

It’s about time we address one of very important aspects of pregnancy and that’s healthy diet. Personally, I’ve always had great relationship with food – I ate pretty healthy, wasn’t picky at all and didn’t restrict myself from yummy treats if I really wanted one. I was in a healthy weight, my portions were the right size and I got enough calories to have a lot of energy, be in a great mood and maintain my weight at that good healthy point.

And then I got pregnant…

Probably, the most horrible feeling for me is nausea. Honestly, I can be in pain and still function pretty well, but if I’m nauseous, I can’t think of anything else, because I’m too afraid of vomiting. So when my morning (or really all-day-every-day) sickness started, I couldn’t even make myself to take a bite. Absolutely everything was disgusting. For a food lover that’s probably one of the worst nightmares – missing that part of enjoying a meal. I started losing weight rapidly and passed the point after which I would be already considered underweight (that was a big deal for me as well). I felt so fatigued and miserable, I just wanted to lay all day in bed and hate my life. Also, seeing my husband worrying about me, seeing the look on my doctor’s face every time I got on the scale and being concerned about my baby’s health, I truly felt like an awful human being.

Before you freak out and think “nope, I’m not ready for that”, let me clarify, that it all turned out well in the end. Yes, I was underweight for two months or so, but my baby never was and when I finally started to wrap my mind around ways that I can eat, I became healthy again in no time.

Morning sickness only lasted 3 months for me, after that I went back to enjoying food once again and even more so, because my crazy pregnancy nose was able to detect insanely deep tastes and smells that I’ve never noticed in my food before. I can’t imagine how it must be like for people who feel nauseous throughout all of their pregnancy, seriously, my heart is with you.

So, let’s get to the bit where I give my tips about how to take control over your stomach.

 

First thing you’ve got to understand – you might not feel hungry, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t need to eat. Being a true believer of nature knowing it all, I seriously thought that even if I’ll feel a bit sick, I will still feel hungry, which eventually will lead me to eating, because my body will be asking for it. And it was not like that at all. The nausea was so strong, it absolutely killed any hunger whatsoever. I could go the whole day without eating and it wouldn’t feel any different from just one hour without food. So please DO NOT wait for your hunger to help you out, get the calories and the nutrients no matter what.

 

Since you need to force yourself to eat, try to trust your cravings. For example, the first thing that I felt disgusted by was chicken (and I still can’t enjoy it to this day), when even the thought of it would make me feel twice as sick, so I completely eliminated it – took it out of my sight and instead tried to get my proteins from other types of meat, dairy and legumes – those were not pleasant to eat either, but at least they didn’t disgust me, so it was pretty manageable. On the other hand, the one thing that I seemed to ever crave during those three months were green apples. You know the sour not sweet at all kind? I got a ton of those, so that even if I can’t take a bite out of anything, I’ll still have something that I fairly enjoy.

 

Make a schedule. This was my husband’s idea – since I couldn’t really tell when I needed to eat something, he brought a huge white board to our kitchen and wrote down time and food categories, so that I could mark what exactly I had that day and could clearly see if I was missing some of the nutrients. The goal was to eat at least 5 times a day, even just a little bit and get all of the categories: Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Dairy and Protein. I feel like this was the turning point for me, because before I could have had 3 apples and a piece of bread in a day and I would believe that I ate pretty well, but now I could actually see, what I was missing for a balanced and healthy diet. Also, pretty fast you’ll start to notice which of the categories you cross over easier and which ones are at the point of you nearly pushing through the nausea to swallow. For me fruits and vegetables were almost in every one of my meals, but to get dairy and protein was really hard. Now that I think about it, I should have probably gone vegan for that period of my life – it would have made it a whole lot easier.

 

Experiment. Try different food combinations, new recipes and be sure to have a taste of foods that you didn’t used to like, because pregnancy does weird things to your body and you might find yourself enjoying some of them. I remember watching cooking tutorials and even just searching for pictures of food for inspiration. Sometimes, it made me feel like eating.

Important note: if you do that during the other two trimesters, you’ll want EVERYTHING, so use this one wisely.

 

Research. I’ve been telling you about my own experience, but actually now when I know a little bit more about proper nutrition, I realize that some of the foods that I truly believed to be very important for health, are not important at all. I used to believe that I absolutely have to have dairy and meat, otherwise I will die of starvation, so I ate them even though I didn’t enjoy it for a second. So, please, do your research. And, I am begging you, don’t blindly trust people like me. Don’t just read one blog post and go “well, that must be true”, because it sounds convincing or because it worked for someone. Get your information from reliable sources, check the facts and take under consideration that everyone’s body is unique and there are no universal things that work for everyone. Personalize your diet and your way of life to what suits your best.

 

And, of course, consult your doctor. After all, who will know better ways to help you than an updated medical professional that, probably, has encountered many people with similar problems? Tell them how you feel, describe your exact situation, raise your concerns – there are no stupid questions. Ask them for advice and reassurance about your baby’s health, because stress also plays a huge role in your physical wellness.

Don’t beat yourself up if some days you are just not having it. Take me for example. Yes, I had some bad days and some anxious times, but my baby turned out to be perfectly healthy. The rest of my pregnancy was wonderful and I remember it with smile and pleasure. As long as you are trying, you are not failing, so stay positive, stay strong and focus on the bigger picture: you are going to have a baby, and as far as I know there is nothing more amazing than that.