5 Things this Pregnant Dietitian Thinks You Need to Know About Pregnancy
5 Things this Pregnant Dietitian Thinks You Need to Know About Pregnancy
The cat is out of the bag, or I should say, I’ve “popped”! My family will be expanding and preparing for the arrival of our second child. While, we’ve stayed pretty quiet on this blog, I felt this pressing need to communicate a few pregnancy and nutrition related tid-bits to you.
Without dragging things along, let’s just get into it:
GIVE YOURSELF GRACE
I don’t know about you, but during the first few weeks of my pregnancy I felt like a young teenager with raging hormones and experienced this deep desire to eat foods I typically don’t consider as being a part of my “normal” diet. These feelings had me zipping through fast-food drive through lanes and munching on crispy French fries. While this didn’t last long, I also didn’t go ALL IN, every day. I practiced mindful and intuitive eating practices to feed my body what it was wanting. What am I trying to say? If on occasion, all you want is a burger and fries or a slice of pizza, it’s not a big deal – especially when it’s all you can keep down. But while you’re doing this, ask yourself if you can still enjoy from fresh fruits and veggies through other parts of the day. Because. Balance, right?YOUR WEIGHT, YOUR BUSINESS
Every body is unique, and as such, every pregnancy is unique too. Weight gain is inevitable and this can be a difficult concept to wrap your head around if you’ve previously struggled with body image. But, I urge you, this is not a time to practice restriction, but rather, to feed your body with positive vibes and seek help if restriction is on your mind. You do not need to discuss your weight progression with anyone other than your health care practitioner who may or may not be monitoring it. In my case, my practitioner weighed me once at the start of my pregnancy. That’s all. Once.CONTINUE TO MOVE YOUR BODY
Of course this recommendation comes with caution: most women can tolerate moderate-intensity exercise during their pregnancy. So, if you can, continue. I definitely wouldn’t advise taking on a completely new form of activity during this time, but if you previously enjoyed dance, brisk walks, spin classes and resistance activity – go for it. If you’re apprehensive, speak to your health care practitioner for further advice. Personally, I’ve enjoyed multiple forms of activity ranging from prenatal yoga, long walks and weight training. I find that despite feeling exhausted by the pregnancy, it’s actually energizing to be active. Not to mention, I’m able to strengthen my body for the big job that lays before me (labor and post-labor recovery).TAKE YOUR OMEGA-3s
I’ve always been cautious of my omega-3 intake (all types: ALA, DHA and EPA) and the intake of my clients. While I encourage a “food first” philosophy, I recognize that so many of my clients and maybe even many of you find it a challenge to consume fish regularly, and in pregnancy, you may not have the appetite for fish. This doesn’t make the job of getting omega-3 (DHA and EPA) any easier! Benefits to baby include: improved vision, optimal brain development and the possibility of improved distribution of fat adiposity. To add, benefits to mama include preventing pre-term labor, possibility of protection against postpartum depression and of course, keeping inflammation at bay. If you’re concerned about omega-3 and want to learn more about how to improve your intake, contact us, we’d love to help.PROTEIN IS IMPORTANT TOO
I know. I’m definitely THAT Dietitian who loves to talk about ways to get clients to enjoy more fruits and veggies. As a result, sometimes we lose sight of how important protein is for expectant mothers. Think about it: protein is the building block of DNA, and your body is creating this little human. It’s hella important! Do your best to include a source of protein at every meal – this could include poultry, low mercury fish, legumes, tofu or a helping of cottage cheese. What makes this even more crucial is that many proteins also include iron, another important micro-nutrient for you and baby. Again, if you want to learn more about optimizing your protein intake, or, if you’re a numbers kinda gal, we can help you determine how much protein your special body needs.
If this post resonated well with you, I’m glad. If you’re feeling like you’d like to speak with a Dietitian to round out your nutrition or identify any gaps, give us a shout. We’d love to help where we can.
With love, Carrots and Cake,
