Ever since finding out I was pregnant I had to slightly change up my diet due to some pretty bad indigestion earlier on in pregnancy. I talked about my experience in depth and the things I started to change in my First Trimester Recap. I have gotten a handle on my indigestion and have taken out the foods that I noticed caused it the most so I want to share with you a peak into what a typical day of my eats look like at 23 weeks pregnant.
The biggest thing I had to change was switching up the type of vegetables I was eating. Earlier in pregnancy any type of cruciferous vegetable like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts would give me the worst stomach ache and a crazy amount of bloat. So I cut those out completely. Lately, I have thought of introducing them back in but I haven’t had the courage quite yet. I also had to remove sweet potatoes from my diet for a few weeks. I have reintroduced these into my diet, but I noticed my body handles them the best when I eat them moderately about every other week. The vegetables that make me feel my best and that I have been eating the most of are leafy greens like arugula, spinach, kale and green leaf lettuce. Other vegetables that I now eat regularly are carrots, green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, squash and potatoes.
I have a lactose intolerance, but pre pregnancy I was able to handle a small amount of dairy. Once I became pregnant this intolerance got much worse and I needed to cut out dairy completely. The only item that doesn’t upset me is plain Greek yogurt. A couple other of my intolerances seemed to worsen with pregnancy as well like nuts and gluten. I will eat nuts once in a blue moon on a salad, otherwise I try and stay away from them.
I have added in much more fruit to my diet since finding out I was pregnant. The fructose in fruit has a lot of health benefits for pregnancy and the amount of vitamins and phytonutrients in fruit is essential for a growing baby. I have been eating a lot of berries and melon lately as they are coming in season. Once I am 36 weeks pregnant I will start eating dates on the regular as there has been studies that show the importance of dates and a smoother shorter labor.
Besides those changes, my diet hasn’t change much. I have cut back on supplement use (besides my vitamins) and really only get additional protein from collagen and sometimes a dairy free protein powder. I still eat a diet rich in protein. I no longer track macros, but instead focus on creating well rounded meals of protein, carbs and fat and eat when I am hungry. Some days I am hungrier than others so I eat more and other days I can’t seem to fit anything in so I end up eating less. I have found a great balance that works for me and my pregnancy and I want to show you what that looks like. This may not work for everyone, but know that if you have experienced similar situations that you can find relief with a little trial and error!
Each morning I start my day with apple cider vinegar diluted in water and warm lemon water. This has really helped with keeping my digestion moving along. I have one cup of coffee a day and I blend it with coconut oil and Vanilla Coconut Collagen Fuel.
Breakfast
I generally eat breakfast between 8am-9am and it consists of eggs either scrambled or a prepped egg bake and I will have it with either a couple slices of venison bacon or sausage. I will also have either about 1/2 cup of oats or an apple with a tablespoon or so of peanut butter.
AM Snack
Some mornings I need a snack before lunch which is generally always plain Greek yogurt with some sort of berry like strawberries or raspberries, dash of honey and chia seeds or ground flaxseed. If I don’t have this in the morning, I will usually eat it in the afternoon.
Lunch
Lunch is always leftovers from dinner the night before or a meal made from food I prepped over the weekend. This lunch was leftover Italian Marinaded Chicken Kabobs and then I threw in some roasted sweet potato that I had prepped earlier in the week and avocado.
If I don’t have a meal from leftovers, I will usually throw together a salad of leftover/prepped protein (chicken or ground beef usually) a starchy vegetable or carb like squash, sweet potato or rice with additional veggies like tomatoes and avocado and will top it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or a Primal Kitchen Foods dressing.
PM/pre workout
I don’t always eat something here because when I eat lunch and by the time I go and workout I am usually not hungry. If I didn’t eat my yogurt earlier in the day I will sometimes eat it at this time or just grab a little bit of fruit.
Dinner
I generally snack a little bit before or while I am making dinner because it is always after I get home from the gym. I am usually snacking on some fruit, gluten free crackers or a collagen smoothie.
Each night dinner is pretty simple and consist of a protein, lots of vegetables and most times a healthy carb. This night I grilled up a bunch of chicken for the week and was craving a fresh salad. I topped a bed of greens with chicken, leftover grilled vegetables, carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, hemp hearts and goat cheese.
After dinner I usually experience a late onset fullness and feel like I just ate Thanksgiving dinner so I don’t usually eat anything for the rest of the night. If I do feel a bit hungry around 8:30pm-9pm I will have a small piece of dark chocolate or a rice cake with peanut butter.
And in a nutshell, that is a very typical day of what I have been eating to keep indigestion low while still getting in all the essential macro and micro nutrients for baby girl. I am happy to answer any questions you may have or help you find what works for you! I hope you enjoyed this insight of a day of my pregger eats!