Food Changes

Over the last 3 and a half months, I have cut out some foods and also added some foods to my diet… I read a lot of books (which I will share in a later post) and read a ton of articles on the internet with regards to what foods are good to eat and what foods should be avoided during pregnancy…

Please note, however, there are no clear cut rules on what foods should or shouldn’t be avoided so it’s best to use your discretion and this post is not meant to be listed as a things you MUST do, but merely it documents my experiences and choices thus far…

Foods To Avoid

• Deli Meats & Hot Dogs
  • This one was not difficult for me to give up considering that typically I never really eat deli meat or hot dogs with the exception of the occasional roasted turkey breast sandwich here and there… The reason to avoid these is because of the risk of listeria,  which can cause a miscarriage.  Now, you can enjoy as long as you make sure they are cooked until steaming, but I decided to just avoid them all together… I have had a craving for hot dogs (weird!) so I was able to satisfy that by grilling up chicken sausages instead…
• Caffeine (yes that means coffee!)
  • From the moment that I found out I was pregnant, I gave up my morning coffee… This was tough for me, but not as tough as I would have imagined because hey, it is worth it in the long run   I suffered some headaches and extra tiredness (coupled with normal 1st trimester tiredness) but after a week or so I was ok.  The jury is out on whether caffeine in moderate amounts is ok for pregnancy (there are numerous mixed studies), but since I was a little paranoid, I decided to be extra cautious… On occasion, I have had decaf coffee but now it doesn’t appeal to me… Instead, I started to sub my morning coffee with calcium fortified orange juice instead, so it’s a double punch of vitamin c and calcium… I am not sure if I will return back to coffee post-baby (maybe I will need it for the sleepless nights!) but I really look forward to my morning glass of OJ!
  • One thing I really missed was unsweetened iced tea but I’ve subbed that for water out at restaurants… and at home, I brew decaf or herbal iced tea to enjoy, which tastes just as wonderful!
• Raw Or Smoked Seafood
  • This wasn’t huge for me because I was never a big sushi person… I do like smoked salmon but have only had it a few times in my lifetime so restraining was not a big deal… again, the reason for this is the risk of listeria…
• Unpasteurized Cheeses
  • I read at first that you should avoid all soft cheeses and I went into a state of panic because I have developed a major love of cheese over the last few months!!!  However, as long as the package clearly states that it is pasteurized (most that I’ve encountered in a grocery store are, although if you are buying from a farmers market just check with the seller), you can enjoy… If you haven’t guessed it by now, the reason for this is the risk of listeria…

Other Changes I’ve Made

I already mentioned orange juice  as something new I’ve added to my diet, but I’ve also added a few more which should come as no surprise… fruits and veggies (washed very well)…I have had cravings for veggies especially roasted veggies like onions and peppers haha…

I should mention that I had previously been taking over the counter prenatal vitamin but my doctor did give me a prescription for a prenatal vitamin + a DHA pill…

The thought of some meats (especially chicken) has really made my stomach turn… I have not been eating as much meat, but I’m still eating it a few times a week and I’ve been trying to ensure that I consume enough protein by enjoying yogurt, peanut butter, cheese, beans, and of course eggs like the amazing veggie filled omelet I had yesterday…

In addition, during the first three months, I felt like all I was eating was carbs because it made me feel better (I didn’t suffer from morning sickness, just a little nausea, but I was exhausted and carbs made me feel better!)… I ate a lot of wheat toast & pb, wheat saltines, dry cereal, and pretzels… For some reason (I think it was due to the extreme heat we were having, I could not stomach the thought of making oatmeal… However I am out of that phase now and have been able to eat more well rounded meals, including a yummy bowl of peachy peanut butter oats!

So basically, after reading this post, you’ll see that for the most part what I’ve been eating is fairly similar to what most healthy food bloggers eat on a daily basis!