One of the things that concerned me the most during my pregnancy was nutrition. Not only because I want to stay healthy for own good, but because I knew that what I ate would impact on my baby’s development. I wasn’t sure on what to eat and if I should add animal products back to my diet or not. There was just so much information out there that I was feeling extremely overwhelmed. Thankfully I was not alone, and I was able to get some light and inspiration from other women like myself and with their support and a lot of research I was able to find balance and grow a healthy, chubby little guy. That experience is what I want to share with you, and hopefully I can lit some light on your journey as well.

What does a balanced nutrition look like for moms to be ?

When you decide you want to have a child you start to reevaluate many aspects of your life: the place you live, your finances, your job, your friends and even your partner. These are all external factors that play important roles in raising a child, but we can’t forget the internal factors - your physical and mental health. When you are caring another human being inside you, it is important that you get support and do self-care to help you mentally cope with all the changes that are going to happen, and it is equally important to pay close attention to you body’s physical needs too. We don’t often think about it, but our mental well-being is closely related to all aspects of our lives, and this includes our relationship with food, even more so during pregnancy.

In this era of social connection we are all bombarded with gurus, influencers, and social media celebrities that make all seem so natural and easy. We follow people to find inspiration and end up creating an extra pressure to mimic their realities. They pass thru pregnancy as if it was the easiest thing they’ve ever done. They never got bloated, so blown up they look like big air balloons, or fat. They kept their routines and their skins are always glowing - is that what pregnancy glow should look like?

When we can’t reproduce that same reality it is easy to blame ourselves and believe we are failures. We blame ourselves for satisfying our pregnancy craves - remember that chocolate cake you ate in the mid night? But what we can’t forget is that either none of that is true or they have something that you still don’t have: information.

Let’s consider that a lot of those instagram celebrities are not sharing the real truth, and that is: pregnancy is hard, you will get tired, not every day will be a hitting-the-gym day, and sometimes you will look like crap. But a lot of them are really having a great time and are mastering the whole thing, and not to brag, I kinda did pretty well during my pregnancy as well. That was only possible because I got the right information on my hands and started to apply it even before I got pregnant.

How to prepare for pregnancy
If you are not on the habit of eating fresh plants, it is a good idea to start including some fresh fruits and veggies to your diet even before you get pregnant. That is because eating more whole foods will help your body to detox from toxins, control your blood-sugar levels and regulate your hormones. All of this is important when trying to conceive. But the benefits of a healthier diet won’t stop on conception, their will carry during your whole pregnancy. A healthier body will withstand changes much easier than an unhealthy one, as many conditions can be exacerbated during pregnancy. For example high blood pressure and gestational diabetes as way more common among women that already had the conditions for the development of these diseases prior to pregnancy.
Here are some easy changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle for a healthier pregnancy
Snack on fresh fruits and raw nuts instead of candies and packaged snacks
Have one meat-free meal per day. Not to eat less, but to replace the meat with more vegetables, grains and seeds
Eat baked or roasted instead of fried foods
Drink lots of water - at least 2 L/day
Have black coffee instead of the creamy, sugary and fatty gourmet options
Take the stairs instead of the elevator
Go for walks - even short ones will make a difference
Avoid pastries and baked goods - it is okay to have them as a treat once a week, but try to avoid eating them every day.
Those changes are simple to make and will do a great deal to help you during your motherhood journey. Staying active is also very important, as exercise will help your body stay healthy during pregnancy, during labor and after you have your baby. Physical exercise is the best aid for a great nutrition when it comes to staying physically and mentally healthy during this period of constant changes. For me the combination of both great nutrition and regular exercising was the key to an uneventful pregnancy.

We all want boring pregnancies

When it comes to our healths we all want a boring, uneventful life. That means no scary visits to the hospital, no regular doctors appointments, no medications needed on a regular basis, no chronic conditions. When it comes to our pregnancies all we want is to have fairly regular one with the minimal symptoms. If you started to care for your nutrition before getting pregnant you may be feeling the benefits already, but if found this article just now, be certain that it is never too late to start taking care of yourself and your nutrition. Start by introducing the suggestions above and you may soon notice some positive changes. In my case, adopting a healthier lifestyle minimized a lot of the annoying pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness, bloating, swelling, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, tiredness, and body aches.

The best moment for you to start any changes is prior to getting pregnant. And that is not because changes won’t be effective if you decide on doing them during pregnancy, however you will be more overwhelmed once you are pregnant, and your body will be going through a lot of changes already and that will make adding some more a bit harder. When you start earlier, maintaining the new habits will be much easier once you are expecting. One easy to spot result of this is that you may get less morning sickness and less cravings. That is because by eating cleaner and more nutritious foods, your body won’t feel as much aversion to foods, plus the extra nutrients you are getting will help minimizing your cravings - there are no room for cravings if you are already getting all the nutrients your body and baby need.

With a combination of more balanced diet and physical exercise you may expect your visits to the doctor’s office to be very boring, at least that how it was for me most of the time - aside from when I got to see or hear my baby, which was always exciting :) Blood work always came back normal, my blood pressure was never high (even during labor) and my weight gain was minimal, I gained what my baby needed to grow. My discomforts were very small too, as my body was strong enough to deal with the changes and adapt. Not everything was perfect, but I think I did pretty well overall. And if I could do it, you can do it too!

Change doesn’t need to be big, and even if you need to change a lot, you don’t need to change all at once. Start with small little changes that you are confident you can manage and then progress to the next, then the next, and the next - you got what I mean. Before you know they will become habits and will be easier for you to keep them. If you need some inspiration on food to prepare read the recipe session of the website.