My Nutrition In The First Trimester

We all know the benefits of eating healthy during pregnancy BUT what happens when you’re fighting through nausea?

What if the last thing you want to eat is protein or veggies?

What if you’re fighting cravings like a crazy person?

Many women struggle with eating well during this time. The want to eat well because they want their babies to have the best start possible but they just don’t have it in them. The mere look of foods that they once enjoyed has them running in the opposite direction.

This was my first trimester. I didn’t have much desire to eat well. My body wanted cheese burgers, pizza, chips. grains, and lots grease! Ah, man-there was nothing like a big juicy burger to fill my pregnant soul.

I’d pick up a bag of jelly beans and stash them in my car!!

This is far from my usual nutritional intake but my body was very clear as to what it wanted and I just went with it. I tried to stay as active as possible to maintain a healthy weight, but that was just as rough. (To read how I worked out in my first trimester, please click here.)

I know that this is stressful for many women, especially when it comes to the weight gain side of our dietary habits during pregnancy. To be honest, there were times that I was a little worried. I’m not immune when it comes to having body-image issues from time to time. In face, I posted on my FB page earlier this week that I had tried on a ton of my summer clothes and NOTHING fit and for a split second, I felt like I had failed myself.

I did nothing of the sort.

If you find that you’re worried about nutrition during pregnancy, talk to your primary care giver. This is a very normal side to pregnancy but it’s tough when you’re worried about your health as well as your baby’s.

You can also try and balance out your intake by eating plenty of the nutritionally dense foods that you can still stomach so when you do have a craving for something sweet or salty, you have some of the good stuff stored. Prenatal vitamins are also loaded with all the good stuff. Let’s face it, this is a very common side of pregnancy and most doctors and midwives will always recommend taking one because they know how hard it is for us.

Mind you, this is just general advice. If you want something a little more specific, I recommend consulting with a Registered Dietitian, Registered Nutritionist or Naturopath to help you put together a reasonable nutrition plan that will ensure that you’re getting what you need.

Most importantly, we typically have cravings because our body needs something. Trust that it’s doing what it needs to be doing. Our bodies are pretty darn smart and are great at telling us what they need and don’t need.

Love your baby body,

Terrell