For the past few years, I’ve watched what I have eaten pretty closely. I very rarely went out for lunch with co-workers and tried to avoid temptations as much as I could. I also have no problem repeating meals day after day, which makes it easier to watch what I eat (and easier to grocery shop!).
I knew that when I got pregnant, my eating habits might change. While I haven’t personally experienced any drastic dislikes or added anything wild and crazy into my eating habits, I have noticed changes. I went from eating a spinach salad every day for lunch like it was the best thing ever, to absolutely hating spinach. I was addicted to bagels and cream cheese for the first 2 months of pregnancy. I absolutely had to have a burger and fries from the fast food place next to my office at about 8 weeks pregnant, an immediate tip-off to one of my colleagues that I was expecting!
But overall, I’ve worked hard to try and keep my daily eating on the healthier side. It doesn’t mean that I don’t give into temptations (Oreo milkshakes are my friend and I definitely enjoy cupcakes!), but I’ve tried to find meals and snacks that are on the healthier side.
Before pregnancy, weekday meals looked like this:
Breakfast:
- Bowl of Kashi Go Lean Fit cereal with skim milk
- Small glass of orange juice
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Lunch:
- 1 slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter
- Organic baby spinach with sesame oil
- 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt
- Fresh pineapple chunks
Afternoon Snack:
- 1 Banana
Dinner:
- BLT sandwich made with whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayonnaise and turkey bacon
This was an average day and was about 1300 calories. I’d also have a morning cup of coffee and drink water throughout the day.
During pregnancy, weekday meals look like this:
Breakfast
- Bowl of Kashi Go Lean Fit cereal with skim milk
- Small glass of orange juice
- Another half glass of orange juice before I run out the door
Morning Snack
- String cheese
Lunch
- Peanut butter sandwich made with 2 slices of whole wheat bread
- 1 Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt
- Fresh pineapple chunks
- 1 or 2 clementines
- Bag of chips from the vending machine, bowl of soup or other snack (popcorn, pretzels, a few cookies, etc)
Afternoon Snack
- Banana
- Organic fruit strip
- Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (if I’m really hungry)
Dinner
- BLT sandwich made with whole wheat bread, tomato, lettuce, vegan mayonnaise and turkey bacon
- String cheese
- Pickle
- Small bowl of soup if still hungry
Evening Snack
- Usually one of: clementines, dried fruit/nuts, yogurt, something sweet (if we have cookies or something fun on hand, which isn’t often), a small bowl of Kashi cereal
I’ll also drink coffee a few times during the week, but otherwise I’m drinking water throughout the day.
I still struggle with worry over not getting enough into my diet of what the baby needs. I am incredibly picky and don’t eat a lot of vegetables (I kind of hoped that pregnancy would automatically make me crave broccoli, but no such luck!). So I have worked hard to try and find meals and snacks that pack in some of the nutritional aspects that are recommended during pregnancy, while still falling under the heading of “Things Mrs. Hopscotch Actually Likes.” A few favorites include:
- Avocado Toast: 1 avocado lightly mashed with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, salt, pepper and a dash of crushed red pepper flakes (if you want a little heat!), spread on whole wheat toast. Can be a snack when you’re really hungry or a meal if you incorporate some healthy sides.
- Raisins and Almonds: I keep a bag of raw almonds and raisins at my desk. This is a hearty snack and easy to keep on hand.
- Black Bean Quesadilla: Canned black beans, cheddar cheese, any veggies you like (if you’re not a veggie hater like me!) and 2 whole wheat tortillas. Easy to prepare and beans are great for you during pregnancy!
- Clementines: We buy a bag each week (while in season) and I keep quite a few in the fridge at work. I love that they’re small so they’re not too filling and they are much easier to peel than an orange!
- Popcorn: Air pop some popcorn and toss with olive oil and sea salt. You can make a huge batch and have this as a snack for the whole week.
On top of general nutrition, I also struggle with the crazy amount of water they say you’re supposed to drink during pregnancy! They say to aim for around 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day, or around 64 ounces. On some sites I’ve read as high as 80-96 ounces. To determine where I fall on the “8 glasses a day” requirement, I added up my current fluid intake for an average day, and I consume about 82 ounces of fluids, of which 74 ounces is water. Not too shabby! Now that I’ve broken it down, getting all of the fluids the baby and I need (especially all of the water) is far less intimidating… and I’m actually doing a pretty good job!
Analyzing my eating and drinking patterns has been incredibly helpful for me and also helps me feel really good about the decisions I have been making on a daily basis for the past 7 months of this pregnancy. I know that at the end of the day, I can’t feel guilty for what I may or may not have eaten, or if I don’t get that extra glass of water in. All I can do is try my best, make the decisions that seem right at the moment and know that I am doing whatever I can to give my baby what he/she needs. Even if I really, truly hate eating my vegetables!
Are you trying to eat healthier while ttc, pregnant, or breastfeeding? What are some of your go to healthy foods?
cherry / 146 posts
your pregnancy diet still seems really healthy!
i’ve been trying to eat healthier ever since we started TTC. this means substituting high-fiber, complex carbs for simple carbs (ezekiel toast instead of white toast,, lentil chips instead of potato chips, steel-cut oats instead of instant oatmeal), increasing my intake of lean proteins (like chicken breasts and fish), and cutting out all soda and caffeine. since i’m expecting twins, i aim to drink at least 128 ounces of water everyday (i carry a 1L nalgene bottle with me everywhere and make sure i finish one every 4 hours). fruits, nuts, greek yogurt, and string cheese are my favorite snacks. it’s hard for me to eat things like broccoli too, so i dip my veggies in hummus or salad dressing. i’m usually good about my diet during the weekdays, but on the weekends, i’ll let myself eat pizza, chocolate croissants, and cheeseburgers.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Good for you. I eat lots of crap, and only seem to do better when I find the time to exercise — they are totally hand-in-hand for me. And I have been unsuccessful thus far in figuring out how to carve out some regular time for a workout while balancing work/baby/blogging/etc.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
I used to be so healthy, but I’ve gotten out of the habit over the years. I don’t eat too terribly, but I’m far from where you are! Keep it up!
grapefruit / 4923 posts
wow you have such a healthy diet–kudos to you! that avocado toast sounds really good, i will have to try that.
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts
Yikes, I read this as I was eating a candy bar. You are a self-disciplined mama! Good job
clementine / 994 posts
Your diet seems very healthy still! I think you did a great job switching over to things you’re craving more while still maintaining a healthy diet overall.
Pre-pregnancy, my diet used to consist of lots of vegetables and snacks of string cheese and yogurt. Once the morning sickness and food aversions hit though, I’ve only been able to stomach high starch/carb foods like baked potatoes, sandwiches, pasta and tortillas–foods I didn’t really each a lot of before. I’m hoping this phase will pass, and I can add more vegetables back into my life. I miss them, but they turn my stomach.
pear / 1946 posts
Your diet looks great. Pre-pregnancy I think I ate fairly healthy but during the first 14 weeks of constant nausea that all went out the window. I pretty much ate whatever I thought would get me through the next hour, which was usually salty carbs – crackers, chips, French fries. I went from hardly ever eating fast food to having to limit myself to once a week. Now that I’m almost in the 3rd trimester I’m eating healthier again but still give into my sweet tooth way more often than if I weren’t preggers. I hope I’m no setting myself up for bad habits post baby!
guest
I had major food aversions on top of existing food allergies (dairy and wheat), which made eating a nightmare for the first few months. I was very worried about not getting enough iron (couldn’t even look at red meat), and calcium. My solution was a green shake (a ton of steamed kale and spinach, a handful of blueberries and raspberries, and an apple all mixed up with some almond milk). Steaming the vegetables was key for me because it made them a lot easier to digest on an already slowing digestive system. It tastes surprisingly yummy (I could drink it on my most nauseous days), and helped me get my needed vitamins. Definitely recommend!
guest
I’m still a few months our from TTC, but I’m already cleaning up my diet because I’m obsessive like that, and I’m finding it easier than normal with my extra “I want a baby” motivation. We no longer buy grocery store meat and are instead buying shares from small farms near us that pasture their animals. I’ve been experimenting with liver (super health food!) though the only thing I can make so far is pate. I’ve also been making homemade chicken stock and beef stock, good sources for minerals… I’ve also been eating more probiotic foods like sauerkraut and kombucha. And of course, veggies, veggies, veggies! We have two different recipes for kale that we love… and lucky me, I actually like broccoli.
Other veggies have been more of a struggle though. Ah well, it’s a work in progress.
honeydew / 7968 posts
wow. i’m so not healthy. you put me to shame. also, i need to start counting calories – i don’t think i’m eating enough.
olive / 63 posts
Your both pre and post pregnancy diet seems extremely healthy and …. miserable to me. Were you trying to lose weight before you got pregnant 1300 calories is really really little…..
honeydew / 7444 posts
How did you survive on 1300 calories?? :O I ate pretty healthily while pregnant and was lucky enough that i didn’t have any major cravings. I also count calories (more or less) so i always reminded myself what an extra 300-500 calories actually meant. Are we food twins? I had the exact same snacks as you did, with the addition of 2-3 apples a day.
I loved leafy green veggies pre-pregnancy, but once i got pregnant i was repulsed by kale or swiss chard! I had to mix it up in fried rice or pastas in order to get my greens…that repulsion lasted until 4 months post-partum!