Cassandra Forsythe

After the initial surprise of a positive pregnancy test settles in (whether it be a happy surprise or not-so-happy surprise...), most women's thoughts turn towards her nutrition. She thinks, "What should I eat now to build the healthiest baby possible? What should I stay away from and what do I need more of?"

When I found out I was pregnant, it definitely wasn't expected, so I had to start burying my head into nutrition books to find out what my best course of action was. At first, I was really worried that my diet was low in folic acid (since that's the one nutrient we're told we need to have in our diet to prevent neural tube birth defects), but after re-examining my foods and supplementation under a new light, I found out I was fine. Also, luckily, I had recently attended a nutrition conference where I learned about the importance of the nutrient choline, so I knew I needed to increase my intake of whole eggs (one of the richest sources). But, there was still more to know.

Now, you can find many great books on the shelves today that go into length about what foods you should eat to provide you with all the nutrients to build a healthy baby, but to keep it short and simple, I'm going to summarize here what you should be eating, and why it's important. I'll then give you an example of how I ate on a daily basis. As a result of this, I had an extremely healthy pregnancy, a low amount of fat gain and weight gain (in me), and easily delivered a very healthy, very strong, happy little baby (pictured above, doing what she does best... sleep :) ).

Top Nutrition Guidelines for a Healthy Baby:

1. Eat fat and plenty of it. I'm not talking about fat in doughnuts or cookies here. I'm talking about good fats found naturally occurring in whole foods. Fats like egg yolks, nuts and seeds, natural nut butters, coconut oil, olive oil, hemp oil, flax oil, avocados, meats, fish and poultry, natural bacon, butter and dairy fat, and fat in certain dietary supplements, like krill and fish oil. You need this fat to prevent depression in yourself, and to build all the fat-containing components of your baby... like their brain! So, don't deprive yourself of fat, and realize it's not going to make YOU fat, but instead, will contribute to the healthy fat development of your child. Although most people focus on the healthy omega-3 fats found in marine animals (fish and krill), which are extremely important, you also need naturally-occurring saturated and monounsaturated fats to build normal cell membranes. 

2. Eat protein and plenty of it. Again, we're not talking about chicken nuggets or deep-fried cheese protein. I'm talking about mostly whole-food protein sources, and certain dietary supplement proteins. Protein like grass-fed, antibiotic-free meats, fish and poultry, eggs, whey, rice and hemp protein powders without additional sweeteners, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and dairy without added sugars (not chocolate milk even though your taste buds want it). The amino acids in protein are going to help build all the protein structures found in your baby - everything from their skeletal muscles to their heart muscles, to the enzymes that help them transport nutrients (made up of amino acids).

3. Eat fruit and plenty of it. For some reason, whether it be the antioxidants, the natural sugar, or the fiber (no one REALLY knows), pretty much every woman craves fruit when she's pregnant - and that's a good thing because of all those wonderful components it contains. So, go with it. But, focus on whole pieces of fruit, not fruit canned in syrup, or fruit covered in sugar (like a candy apple). In terms of the best and worst fruits, well, pretty much anything goes, but watch out for fruits that are found to have high pesticide content, like apples and grapes, and buy those ones organically.

4. Eat green vegetables and plenty of them. Not that pregnant women crave broccoli or something, but green vegetables are something pretty much EVERYBODY lacks in their diet. And, I'm not being a typical dietitian here, but after reviewing hundreds of diet records from clients, most people barely eat one green vegetable a day. Green vegetables contain hundreds, if not thousands of unique nutrients and antioxidants that help prevent cancer, fight diabetes and minimize heart disease. It'll do this for you AND your baby while it's in utero. Plus, research has shown that women who eat more vegetables when pregnant produce a baby that actually enjoys eating vegetables themselves. So, when they've started eating solids, you'll be able to happily feed them asparagus or Brussels sprouts and know they won't spit it back in your face...

5. Eat when your body tells you to, but try not to give in to excessive cravings for sugars and processed sweets. When I was pregnant, I did NOT count calories, or worry about how much food I was eating and I still only gained 15 lbs. In fact, I ate whenever I wanted to eat, but I just didn't over-indulge in desserts and sweet treats. Yes, I did enjoy a cookie or two each week (and banana bread when my hubby made it... yum), but I just didn't make those foods the mainstay of my diet. I do remember in the first trimester of my pregnancy that I wanted to just eat boxes and boxes of cookies and nothing else, but I didn't knowing that it wasn't good for me OR my baby (hello diabetes). Overall, your body knows how many calories it needs to produce a healthy baby, but your brain doesn't have a stop mechanism for sugar. So, be careful when your sweet tooth calls and try not to give in. Sure, a cookie here and there isn't going to ruin you or your baby, but it can lead to an event the cookie monster would be jealous of so keep tabs on it.

Here's an example of how I ate when I in the third trimester of my pregnancy. As I said, I didn't count calories when I was pregnant, so I can't tell you exactly how many I ate, but if you asked me to ballpark it, it was probably around 2200 to 2600 a day. But REMEMBER: I worked out A LOT during my pregnancy - sometimes three times a day. These calories might be too high for you, but quality is just as important as quantity.

Breakfast: 2 omega-3 eggs and 1/2 cup egg whites, cooked with fresh parsley and spinach and topped with salsa. One slice sprouted grain bread, toasted and topped with coconut oil and natural fruit spread (no splenda or sugar added). 

Mid-morning meal: Hemp protein smoothie made with Hemp Pro 70, mixed frozen berries, Vanilla Hemp Milk or Rice Milk, hemp seeds and half a banana.

Lunch: Big spinach salad with carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, celery, topped with olive oil vinaigrette dressing and a can of smoked oysters (I craved seafood when I was pregnant and these were easy). Big organic apple.

Mid-day snacks: Organic fruit leather, mixed nuts and a few rice crackers. (I know there's not a lot of protein here, but hey... that's what I wanted to eat).

More mid-day snacks: Unsweetened whey protein mixed with water. Whole fruit - pears, grapefruit, kiwi (whatever I bought that week).

Post-workout: Unsweetened whey protein mixed with water poured over 1 cup or more of cereal (usually Multigrain Cheerios) OR Prograde Workout mixed with water.

Dinner: Grilled pork tenderloin, with a side of steamed edamame beans, and steamed Brussel sprouts (I really love them). 3/4 cup of steamed brown rice topped with a bit of sea salt. Finally for a sweet treat, I sometimes had a cookie :)

Evening snack: a whole mango (yes, I pealed an entire mango and would eat it... it was divine).

Variations on this would be the protein I have at dinner, the snacks I had mid-day and types of fruit; breakfast was almost always the same thing (eggs).

Note - you'll notice I don't eat any dairy. It's not that I'm anti-dairy, it's just I am intolerant to it, other than whey (the protein found in milk).

So, that's about it.

Bottom line for nutrition during pregnancy - eat good food and eat it when your body wants it. That'll build a healthy baby and allow you to get some sleep at night when he or she arrives.

Enjoy!

Posted Jun 09, 2010 by .
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