Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

If you’re past your first trimester, you’ve probably figured out that eating for two isn’t as much fun as it’s supposed to be.  “Oh, go ahead and eat the whole banana split,” your friend tells you.  “You’re eating for two.”  Little does she know that you feel like eating a whole banana split, and a burger with cheesy fries, for every meal.  It’s hard to eat foods with all the nutrients you and your baby need when your body is demanding junk food. 

Cravings are an odd phenomenon that go hand in hand with pregnancy.  No one really knows why.  Doctors and researchers speculate and even come up with theories and experiments, but there’s still no clear answer.

Most experts agree that hormones have something to do with it.  After all, don’t hormones have something to do with everything prenatal?  But no one can explain why some women experience no cravings at all, while others feel the urge to eat things they’ve never eaten before.  Vegetarians find themselves salivating over a steak.  Health nuts start eating chips and candy bars compulsively. 

Of course, the foods that you’re craving are probably not on the list of healthy foods you’re supposed to be eating.  Broccoli and Brussels sprouts cravings are rare - possibly even nonexistent.  And you never hear stories of pregnant wives having to send their husbands out in the middle of the night to pick up tofu.  Foods with an abundance of salt, sugar, or fat top the list of foods pregnant women can’t seem to live without. 

The problem with this scenario is obvious.  If you’re an average weight person, you’re supposed to gain between 25 and 35 pounds while you’re pregnant.  A diet of corn dogs and milkshakes will not help you stay within this range.  Your best bet is to go ahead and plan for healthier meals and snacks, saving the corn dogs for special occasions.  It’s the first of many compromises you’ll make as a mom, so you might as well get used to it.

The good news is that you do actually get to consume more calories while you’re pregnant and nursing.  The average-weight pregnant woman is encouraged to eat an additional 300 calories per day.  That means that it’s okay to add a couple of extra snacks into your schedule.  You just have to make sure that those added calories are delivering good stuff to your baby.  Make it your goal to give Junior the best start possible by sending him all the nutrients you possibly can in nine months. 

Try these tips for making every bite count.

• Always plan ahead and make a list before going to the grocery store.  You eat what you buy, so buy wisely.
• Buy healthy versions of the snacks you love and leave the unhealthy ones on the store shelves.  Try unsalted nuts, natural peanut butter, whole wheat crackers, and granola cereal.
• Wash and cut a variety of your favorite veggies into snack-size pieces and keep them handy in the snack drawer of the refrigerator.
• Add powdered milk to milk shakes made of fruit and skim milk to double the calcium.  Check the powdered milk box for other calcium-rich recipe ideas.
• Sprinkle wheat germ on your cereal and oatmeal to add folic acid and Vitamin E.
• Stock your fruit bowl with of delicious, fresh fruit.  Keep strawberries, blueberries, and grapes washed and ready to eat.
• Try packaged, frozen berries instead of juice popsicles.
• Add packaged salmon to a green salad for the protein and Omega-3.
• Give the healthy foods you “hate” a second chance.  Taste buds change drastically as you get older, and many adults are surprised to learn that they actually like foods they haven’t tried since they were kids.
• Go to the websites of your favorite restaurants, including fast food to find the healthy items on their menus, especially if you eat out a lot.

Don’t forget to wash it all down with plenty of water.  Fill a 64 oz pitcher with water each morning and drink from it throughout the day.  Not drinking enough water can actually cause serious problems when you’re pregnant, including early labor.  So make this one a top priority.

Eating right while you’re pregnant isn’t so different from eating right when you’re not pregnant.  The difference is that someone else is counting on you to help him get a healthy start in life.  Even though you may be craving junk food, you have the best reason in the world to choose healthy foods instead.