Pregnancy and food!

Hi everyone,
I'm sure there are some readers out there who are pregnant. There's so much to think about when your pregnant when it comes to food and exercise. Some people just want to eat and eat, and only think about food, but are able to control themselves. Others are so careful with what they eat, fearful that they will gain too much weight. And there are others who just eat and eat because they are "pregnant" and they just feel its ok to do so.
Here are some small tips to stay on track. And just to be clear, I'm not a DR. and this isn't medical advice. These are just some tips from my own experience, and from what I have learned about food over the years.
1. A common misconception is that if you have gained too much weight, you should completely go off all carbs! I have heard people tell me that they have been advised to a eat low fat, fat free, sugar free diet and no carbs, including whole grains. This means meals of rice cakes and low fat yogurt! Let's think about that for a minute. If there is no fat and no healthy carbs, where on earth are you getting your energy from, and what in the world is your baby going to eat? And if we are substituting for low fat and sugar free foods, we're definitely in for trouble, because as I have mentioned many times before, these foods MAKE us want more food, they give us cravings, they dehydrate us...not exactly what you want to have going on while you're pregnant!

2. If you have gained too much weight, just keep in mind portion control. Don't think that you can eat double or triple portions just because you're pregnant. We abviously need to eat more, and crave more, and that's ok! Just keep yourself in check, and don't use pregnancy as an excuse. Learn how to minimize your grain intake and find other healthy foods to supplement with. But please, do not go carb free, sugar free and fat free.

3. Sugar, sugar, sugar. As always, sugar is the culprit of everything evil! A lot of us crave sweet, sugary foods during pregnancy. It's ok to let yourself have a treat here and there, but again, don't go for the muffins and chocolate milk just because you're pregnant. It's no excuse!

4. Make sure your snacks are filling, fattening and healthy. For example, try having a grapefruit with some nuts and sunflower seeds or fiber cracker with some avocado or peanut/almond butter. Think less like a bowl of cereal and milk, and more like some oats with nuts and raisins and a fruit on the side. Its important to stay full and energized throughout the day so you don't resort mindless eating and over eating at meals. Having small, filling snacks in between meals will really help you stay on track.

5. Don't get hung up on how much weight you gained and try and go on a diet. If you are eating healthy food, exercising, controlling your portions and not giving into all your sugary cookie cravings, your body will gain the weight it is supposed to, when it's supposed to. Some people gain only 20 pounds while others can gain a healthy 40. (Although if you have gained a lot more than that and are eating junk, you might have something to think about...)

6. Really, if you think about it, a pregnant woman is a regular woman with a bigger appetite, so just add a little more to your plate if you feel the need. No reason to give into all those cravings. No reason to double your portions and no reason to go on crazy low calorie diets.  Just stay focused, use all the tips and tricks I have posted from previous blogs, and you'll be fine!

Good luck, and more on exercise on the next post!