Good Pregnant Eating Habits?

[Nathan Tucker]

My wife is pregnant with our first and she would like to remain on a pretty healthy diet. that is a bit of a problem at the moment since starchy carbs are one of the few things she can hold down consistantly in the morning and she doesnt like ginger...

what are some tips floating out there for maintaining a healthy lifestyle while pregnant; we are wary of most sources of information since they would just as soon tell us to stick to whole grains and little fat for a healthy lifestyle in general.

thanks in advance

[Paul Findley]

I don't think you can go wrong eating zone-like proportions. My wife had diabetes like symptoms during her last pregancy and we were monitoring blood sugar. A zone like meal did not spike it, as designed. She ended up losing weight during the 2nd and 3rd trimester, while producing a heatlhy child.

She should be able to eat better soon, plus you can have her go for a walk while you cook, sometimes the smell of cooking is enough to make one sick, but when it comes to eating, maybe at a different time than "normal", it can be easier. This too shall pass.

Is ginger a staple in your home? Just joking, I don't need to know.

[Jamila Bey]

Greens greens greens.

I (fortunately) have had no sickness of any sort, but I eat pickled ginger as a snack most days anyway, so that could have something to do with it.

A relative is also pregnant and can't hold much down. For her, greens- collards, kale, spinach and mustard greens are real staples... But then that's pretty typical eating for us anyway.

All best to you!

[Mike ODonnell]

I would think healthy fats, fruits, vegetables, protein (grass fed beef, chicken, organic eggs, etc...would stay away from too much fish due to high Mercury content) and esp good fish oil to help in the developmental process of building a baby (especially healthy fats for cell membrane protection and the DHA for proper brain development). No sugar, as that is just an anti-nutrient.

Not a doctor...but those are my guesses.

[Scott Kustes]

So how does one counter morning sickness without drugs if one doesn't like ginger? Are there other herbs/spices with similar effects?

[sarena kopciel]

Originally Posted by Scott Kustes

So how does one counter morning sickness without drugs if one doesn't like ginger? Are there other herbs/spices with similar effects?

Dont quote me but I have heard that papaya works well!

[Scott Kustes]

Oh no...I'm quoting you. No backing out now. Actually I was just wondering for informational purposes...I don't plan on being pregnant anytime in the near future.

[Susie Rosenberg]

Originally Posted by Scott Kustes

Oh no...I'm quoting you. No backing out now. Actually I was just wondering for informational purposes...I don't plan on being pregnant anytime in the near future.

Those acupressure bands can help. I have a kid with motion sickness, got tired of cleaning up puke in the car and keep a set of those bands in the glove box. They work like a charm for my kid.

Ginger tea is sometimes more palatable than fresh ginger, you can brew the tea, then dilute with fruit juice to take some of the sting out...it's sometimes easier to take cold than hot. Sipping a cocktail of cold ginger tea and grapejuice with seltzer was my mainstay during my pregnancies. Sounds awful, but it helped.

Susie

[Mike ODonnell]

Originally Posted by Susie Rosenberg

Ginger tea is sometimes more palatable than fresh ginger, you can brew the tea, then dilute with fruit juice to take some of the sting out...it's sometimes easier to take cold than hot. Sipping a cocktail of cold ginger tea and grapejuice with seltzer was my mainstay during my pregnancies. Sounds awful, but it helped.

Not sure if this is part of the same issue with morning sickness...but Mythbusters did a show on cures for motion/sea sickness, testing all the home and advertised remedies....the only one that worked was ginger pills. Interesting.

[Eric Kerr]

Congratulations Nathan!

Fatherhood is one of the most trying things and the most rewarding things ever.

3 pts of advice:

1) Babies leak - out of every orifice (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot)
2) Babies are people from the get-go. They have personalities, wants, needs, desires just like every other person. They don't suddenly develop those things as teenagers, LOL.
3) For a first time parents I highly recommend attending a Bradley Method pregnancy class. I learned so much and I was so much more involved in the birth than I would have been if my wife and I hadn't done this (there is a lot of stuff they don't teach you in health class).


My wife didn't suffer from morning sickness in either pregnancy (her mom didn't either) so I don't have much to offer you there, other than I think that diet, consuming enough water, and a least getting a modicrum of exercise all help to eliminate many "considered normal" issues that arise in American pregnancies.

Not exactly Paleo, Zone, or IF, but Google the Brewer Diet. My wife had good success with it with our first pregnancy. The Bradley (Husband Coached Childbrith) organization and our midwife recommended it. 2nd pregnacy we weren't as strict, but my wife is generally eats along those lines anyway.

Nice intro to the Brewer Diet here WFS
http://nutrition.birthingnaturally.n...iles/frame.htm

Excel spreadsheet that you can use to track eating WFS
http://www.bradleybirth.com/PD.aspx

Be advised that following such a diet you are unlikley to have the average 7 lb baby. Both my kids were at least 8.5 lbs or more. I provide this caution because Doctors will freak out if they think you are having a "big" baby and want to sign your wife up for a C-section.