Cupcakes, and pizza, and potato chips, oh my! When I was pregnant with my children at age 27 and 29 I was not working as a certified nutrition and lifestyle coach and the last thing I thought about was eating healthy and exercising. In fact, isn’t being pregnant a great excuse to eat more not-so-good for you food? After all, won’t the baby get enough nutrients from the small amount of vegetables eaten by the mom? Eating for two means eating 4 slices of pizza instead of 2 slices, right?
I’ve noticed a trend among young career women having children. Modern day society has us thinking that it is acceptable to stuff our faces as if we are a garbage disposal or trash can just because we’re pregnant. Remember that MOST people walking down the street do not embrace a healthy lifestyle. So, MORE people than not will think it’s “cute” to eat like we’ve lost our minds just because we are carrying a baby.
Reality Check: Pregnant Moms DON’T get a Pass!
Well, let’s take a step back and think about the repercussions for the baby. This baby is 100% depending on us being a responsible adult with our food consumption. The food we eat determines how the baby’s organs are developed. It also determines his or her overall health. Some babies develop health conditions that are directly related to the mother’s food and beverage consumption. Not only that, but the baby may be born looking like the cutest bouncing baby ever, yet may STILL suffer from malnutrition just because the mother chose to eat poor quality food during her pregnancy.
So, What Exactly Should we Eat During Pregnancy?
Well, it’s actually rather simple. We should eat the SAME healthy foods we would eat if we desired optimal health for ourselves, but eat even MORE of it because we are carrying a baby.
Some women choose to take pre-natal vitamins during pregnancy to combat the limited nutrition they are getting through food consumption, but keep in mind that the baby thrives BEST with limited junk food consumption. If you wouldn’t water your plant with orange soda then your baby definitely doesn’t need to consume orange soda. Even though we don’t see how the junk food is being processed by the baby’s body it doesn’t mean that it’s not negatively impacting the baby’s health.
Just Do It! Making a Game Plan to Ensure Successful Healthy Eating during pregnancy!
So, how can you create THRIVING health for your baby?
- Many of us make the SAME 5-7 BORING meals over and over again. So, one thing we can do is to first learn how to COOK more healthy meals! So many overwhelmed career women I work with would prefer going out to eat instead of cooking. Sometimes they don’t even know where to start when it comes to preparing healthy meals. I’ve found that local health stores offer regular cooking classes where you can learn how to make flavorful, healthy meals that are FULL of flavor. If you attend at least one per month that’s at least 9 new healthy meals you’ve learned how to make, to add spice to your usual meal options.
- Don’t forget to also practice stress-relieving activities like working out, painting, singing, journaling, or whatever it is that YOU enjoy so that you’re less prone to stress-eating. This is essential because as we carry on more stress in a society where comfort food is literally within minutes of our home, school, or job we are MUCH more likely to overindulge on overly processed food that does not always help our babies grow at optimal health.
- Join a local or online mom’s group where you can exchange recipes with one another to make taking care of your body and your child’s body feel like less of a chore. I promise you that if you can develop the healthy eating habit while being pregnant, once the baby is born it will be easier to maintain the habit. To make looking for an uplifting and positive group easier for you, I’m inviting you to join my Nutrition 4 Busy Women Facebook group if you’re struggling with healthy meal ideas. I will also ensure that you receive my quick recipe guide to make eating healthy, flavorful, fun and rewarding!
I’d love to read your thoughts!
What would you say is the MOST challenging dilemma regarding eating healthy while pregnant? Share your thoughts in the comments section and let us know some best practices to ensuring that pregnant moms take the BEST care of their babies. Oh! And I forgot to mention this too! Eating healthy and staying accountable to a healthy lifestyle coach like myself will help you bounce back to pre-pregnancy weight much quicker too. Nice bonus, huh?
To Our Health and Happiness,
Ebonie
xoxo
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