I started googling like a mad woman, reading doctor blogs, and studies about what not to eat. AND THEN I started getting frightened... holy smokes - the Internet is great, but it can scare the poop out of ya if you read into everything. New words are now in my vocabulary... the 2 WORST that stand out the most:
+GMO (genetically modified organisms)
+Aspartame
My whole outlook on grocery shopping changed. I knew I needed to avoid sugar (the bad one), and now... anything with the above ingredients too? How is a girl supposed to eat? And who has time to look at every label in the store? Or on a menu?
So I called my mom. She grounded me - she explained that when she was pregnant many years ago, they hadn't done research yet... and we all turned out fine. She said the key word "moderation"... and it hit me. I need to eat a majority of healthy & natural foods. And it's stuck.
Once getting past the first 16 weeks of feeling icky... I started a new outlook. Natural is better. Organic is better. Do the best I can. The one food I absolutely cannot stand since getting pregnant: onions. The thought of them makes me want to yack.
My favorite go to foods now?
+organic fruits & veggies. my faves: kiwi, pears, pomegranites, bananas, mandarins, carrots, artichokes, avacado, edamame (all great for a snack)
+peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (I get the healthy jelly from whole foods {no gmos}, and a natural peanut putter} and I eat whole grain, fiber filled bread anytime I eat bread (spend time to read the labels and find a really nutritious bread).
+shredded wheat cereal. that's the only ingredient. whole grain shredded wheat... it does an amazing job at filling me up in the morning - and I know it's a good kick start for me.
+orange juice (read the labels... it was shocking to see what some of them have - they claim to be healthy and pure squeezed, but they're not.)
+brown rice vegetarian sushi rolls from whole foods
+water with a fresh squeezed lemon... or if I need something really tasty, I do 70% water and 30% cranberry juice.
+vanilla almond milk. It's so good. I will still eat some dairy (cheese) but I have cut back.
+for a healthy dessert... I will eat a greek yogurt (check the labels for aspartame)
What I {mostly} avoid?
+Aspartame - I have cut it out completely... that's the one ingredient I have no trouble finding on a label!
+soda - I had sprite for new years so I could have my own bubbles... but have you seen the amount of sugar in those things!?
+all of the "black listed" pregnancy food/drinks (alcohol, deli meat, raw sushi, unpasteurized cheese, etc)
+sugar... the simple, white, ends in "ose" ingredient that is oh-so-yummy. I still eat it... but I have cut down a lot! {candy has been the hardest... it's my favorite!}
When TL is home - we make a lot of eggs and hash browns (read labels), soups, and veggie dishes. (Nothin' too special). We eat out a lot, but I have simplified what I order, looking closer at the ingredients than I used to. Neither one of us are big meat eaters... but I crave red meat when I need a big healthy dose of iron.
I still eat what I like... I have just noticed a shift in how my brain works in choosing what I eat. Hopefully this feeling of wanting to eat better lasts through pregnancy and beyond!!
The one thing I hear a lot of people tell me is "you're eating for two". And that's true. But there's me, and then a tiny person that only requires an extra few hundred calories a day. But hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do... even if that means I need a milk shake at the end of a long day :)
What are your go to foods? {pregnant or not}