Food Goals

Ben and I, before we even got married, both were very interested in and passionate about health--healthy eating, exercise, living healthy in general. When we got married, that was a continued (and common) interest for us and something we're always striving for and learning more about.

Today, I just wanted to share some of my current food/health goals. They're a little different right now than our usual health goals because I'm pregnant.

First, I'm on my midwife's pregnancy diet. I am not eating any flour (including gluten free flours such as oat or rice flour), sugar (including evaporated cane juice, something that we normally otherwise eat in moderation), spicy foods (I can't handle super hot food anyways), carbonated drinks (super easy for me because we don't drink that even when I'm not pregnant), or cow's milk. I might do a separate post sometime to go into the why's of this, but there is a reason for each one (I wouldn't do it otherwise).

Besides those restrictions, though, I have some goals for myself. I've found when I hit these goals, I feel my best, both short and long term.

My number one goal is to get enough water. I generally drink between 80 and 160 ounces per day. My minimum is 80, though I've found that when I'm pregnant/nursing, my body really needs more than that to function at its best.

Next, I eat often. I try to do this when I'm not pregnant, but it's something I really need to do when pregnant. I find I get sick, hangry, and shaky if I go more than a few hours without food. This is especially true in the mornings. I wake up at five, eat almonds. A while later, I have another snack (usually fruit with some sort of healthy fat, like apple with peanut butter or strawberries with a string cheese).

I also have goals for what I eat at each meal. I try to have at least one serving of vegetables with each meal, including breakfast. I don't always snack on vegetables, so this ensures I'm getting at least three servings each day. I buy our favorite fresh produce at the store, but I also keep frozen and canned vegetables and carrot sticks around for if I need something easy or if we're running low on fresh vegetables. We also usually have stuff around for salads that I can have and I try to plan some meals with vegetables built in (salads, soups, stir fries, etc.).

I also have a goal to have a protein for each meal. It's especially important to get protein while pregnant, because it strengthens your internal organs, which, if weak, can cause scary problems during labor. I pretty much always have eggs for breakfast (a special breakfast we might do bacon, eggs, or a yogurt drink). Then we have a meal centered around chicken, beef, or turkey burger pretty much every dinner and have leftovers or tacos with turkey burger for lunch.

For snacks (I usually have a snack at 10 am and 3 pm), I try to eat a healthy fat and a fruit. This puts me at 2-3 servings of fruits a day, gets me the vitamins and minerals while helping me not crave as many sweet things, and the fat (usually nuts or cheese) help fill me up. Sometimes I'll have carrot sticks or something instead of a fruit. I also occasionally have a treat I made instead (we have diet approved ice cream, peanut butter cookie, granola bar, etc. recipes that I make sometimes).

These goals seem to work pretty well. I rarely feel deprived, even on the pregnancy diet, because I'm eating things that I love and I've also been able to fit these into our grocery budget (though some weeks it's tight or we have to forgo something like string cheese!). I feel great, I know I'm doing what's best for myself and the baby, and I also know I'm working towards another wonderful labor, delivery, and recovery.

The best benefit--I feel great while doing it!