Speaker 1: Who baby, my baby, belof I need you, Oh hell,
Speaker 1: I need you. What to Expect is a production of
Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. I'm your host Heidi Mrko, and I'm
Speaker 1: a mom on a mission, a mission to help you
Speaker 1: know what to expect every step of the way. Are
Speaker 1: you thinking twice about what you're eating now that you're
Speaker 1: eating for two? Of course you are no pressure or anything,
Speaker 1: but your body has about two hundred and sixty six
Speaker 1: days start to finish to help transform a single cell
Speaker 1: into a ready to snuggle baby, your baby. Thanks to
Speaker 1: mother Nature's also awesome autopilot, your body's already got your
Speaker 1: baby's back and those ten perfect fingers and toes, and
Speaker 1: that fast developing brain and those precious peepers and button
Speaker 1: knows Still, how's this for an assist? You get to
Speaker 1: contribute to your baby's amazing transformation at least three times
Speaker 1: a day, five or more if you're adding snacks. Just
Speaker 1: by eating healthy foods sounds like a heavy lift. Not
Speaker 1: really eating well when you're expecting isn't that different from
Speaker 1: eating well any other time in your life? Well, what
Speaker 1: if you're too green to look at a salad, never
Speaker 1: mind eat one, or feeling the burn by your second
Speaker 1: bite of anything, or you're a vegan, or you've hated
Speaker 1: milk since you were a little kid. How will you
Speaker 1: ever score all the baby friendly nutrients that you'll need.
Speaker 1: Not to worry. We know you have a lot on
Speaker 1: your plate, So today we're going to serve up everything
Speaker 1: you need to know about eating well when you're expecting.
Speaker 1: No matter how you like to eat, and no matter
Speaker 1: what is eating, you hungry for more. Let's get started.
Speaker 1: I'm here with Emma. Hey mom, Hi, I'm hungry. How
Speaker 1: about you? I'm hungry for more? Yes, so you are
Speaker 1: a notoriously picky eater, but little known fact, you are
Speaker 1: actually pickier as an adult than you were as a
Speaker 1: little kid. For instance, you used to eat fish us
Speaker 1: you see shrimp. Really, you used to eat a lot
Speaker 1: more food than you eat now. So I'm basically like
Speaker 1: the opposite of how it's supposed to be. Right. Normally
Speaker 1: kids are picky and then as adults they have this
Speaker 1: like amazing palette. That's not how it works with me.
Speaker 1: My poor husband, It's like he's got three children he
Speaker 1: has to feed. It's so true. But Sebby's a better
Speaker 1: eater than you are. He is so How did that
Speaker 1: picky eating style affect your eating while you were pregnant.
Speaker 1: I think for me, I was hoping that maybe my
Speaker 1: taste would change when I was pregnant. They just didn't.
Speaker 1: I just got more aversions. Yeah, it was a little
Speaker 1: bit rough because there are certain things that you should
Speaker 1: be eating. You can't just snack on muffins all day,
Speaker 1: which I would have done if I could. I didn't
Speaker 1: want beef with the first one. The second one, I
Speaker 1: didn't want chicken. I needed to get proteins, so I
Speaker 1: ended up you. You showed me these pastas that were
Speaker 1: made of chickpeas, and that's how I got protein a
Speaker 1: lot for a lot of my second premancy, and they
Speaker 1: really saved me. See, I come in handy once in
Speaker 1: a while. You really do. Thank you, mom. Sebby thanks
Speaker 1: you too for his brain growth because of the chickpie pasta.
Speaker 1: So you had a really hard time with your prenatal vitamins,
Speaker 1: I remember, especially with Lennox. Yeah, with Lennox, I actually
Speaker 1: used pre Mama, which you put in a shake, But
Speaker 1: with Sebby, I couldn't stomach it. So my doctor prescribed
Speaker 1: me prenate Pixie, which I would take at night, and
Speaker 1: that was really helpful. The Pixie one is less aggravating
Speaker 1: to your stomach and nausea. It was, it was good.
Speaker 1: I liked it. Plus it's a super cute pixie and
Speaker 1: it's tiny. It's not like a horse pill that had
Speaker 1: to like gag down. So yeah, it really worked for me.
Speaker 1: Most moms have some problem at some point with their prenatal,
Speaker 1: especially if it's a horse pill, so for sure check
Speaker 1: with your doctor and see if there's a better alternative.
Speaker 1: You know, there are a lot. There are a lot
Speaker 1: of over the counter ones. There are a lot that
Speaker 1: you can get by prescription. There are powders, there are
Speaker 1: gummies also, but you want to make sure that you
Speaker 1: clear whatever you're taking with your doctor or your midwife
Speaker 1: because not all supplements are created equal, and there's some
Speaker 1: nutrients that are super super important to get, of course fully,
Speaker 1: but there are others as well, and not every formula
Speaker 1: will include everything on that list, so check it out.
Speaker 1: If you're having a lot of trouble with nausea, then
Speaker 1: a supplement that contains some ginger might help also be
Speaker 1: six yes, And the other thing is you should always
Speaker 1: take your prenatal at night. Lesson learned. If you take
Speaker 1: it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach,
Speaker 1: oh man, that is not going to end well. I
Speaker 1: thought I was going to die when I did that.
Speaker 1: I was like, this is I've never felt like this
Speaker 1: in my entire life if a nightmare. So at least
Speaker 1: if you take it, you know, with dinner, then you
Speaker 1: have a lot more food to help ease your your
Speaker 1: stomach troubles. I think with the iron that really set
Speaker 1: me off. Oh yeah, well, for sure, with iron, it
Speaker 1: can be constipating, it can generate nausea, and there are
Speaker 1: prenatals that come without iron. You can take iron separately
Speaker 1: if you end up needing it, so that's another discussion
Speaker 1: to have with your doctor. There are slow release iron
Speaker 1: couplements that are me a lot easier to handle. Fear.
Speaker 1: Tell me that's what I actually take on a regular basis, Lofi. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: that's that's really good. Now. You have so many followers
Speaker 1: on Instagram, more than me, I should point out. So
Speaker 1: what do you hear from other moms about their diet
Speaker 1: concerns while they're expecting? I think, honestly, you know, in
Speaker 1: this day and age, people are just out there living
Speaker 1: their best life. I think it's more like indulge now,
Speaker 1: and that's pretty much how they're going to do it.
Speaker 1: Some moms I hear, like, you know, they're super like
Speaker 1: regulated what they're eating and then they work out constantly.
Speaker 1: There's just so many different moms out there. But the
Speaker 1: thing that people really share on social is like the
Speaker 1: fun aspect, like look at me eating this brownie Sunday.
Speaker 1: I'm pregnant. Yea, so that's the that's more what I see.
Speaker 1: But you don't know what's happening behind closed doors. Yes,
Speaker 1: you can only imagine if the brownie Sunday is in public,
Speaker 1: what is going on behind the closed doors, right, I
Speaker 1: mean probably behind at home, they're probably eating salads. But
Speaker 1: no one's going to post that because that's not like
Speaker 1: a pregnancy adventure. Eating a cake for lunch or breakfast
Speaker 1: is more of like a pregnancy taboo kind of thing. Yeah. Well,
Speaker 1: you know how many diet trends. They've always been diet trends,
Speaker 1: even when I was pregnant. But everything that's old is
Speaker 1: new again. So back when I was pregnant, a lot
Speaker 1: of people were on the Atkins diet, right, and now
Speaker 1: the keyto diet both are low car neither one is
Speaker 1: really pregnancy appropriate. Let's take a quick break, and when
Speaker 1: we come back, I'm answering your biggest questions about eating
Speaker 1: well when you're expecting. Okay, mom, how do you eat
Speaker 1: well when you always feel like you're to throw up
Speaker 1: or you are always throwing up? You know, it isn't
Speaker 1: easy feeling green, But of course it's super common when
Speaker 1: you're pregnant, especially in the first timester Emma, I know
Speaker 1: you were a little green. I was one of the
Speaker 1: lucky ones. I just I just said a few passing
Speaker 1: kind of queasy moments, and I had some really serious
Speaker 1: food aversions, like to chicken. But at least seventy of
Speaker 1: moms experience so called morning sickness, and there is no
Speaker 1: textbook definition since some moms they just feel nauseous, the
Speaker 1: nausea won't quit. Others throw up once in a while,
Speaker 1: Others throw up all the time. And the most extreme
Speaker 1: kind of of morning sickness isn't really morning signals at all.
Speaker 1: It's a complication called hyperremesis, and in that case, you
Speaker 1: can't keep anything down at all. Some moms don't throw up,
Speaker 1: but they wished they could, just so they could ease
Speaker 1: that queasy feeling. Yeah, sound sound familiar, Emma. Yes. The
Speaker 1: only thing that's for sure is that the joker who
Speaker 1: named it morning sickness clearly never had morning sickness, because
Speaker 1: obviously a man I'm gonna I'm gonna go with man
Speaker 1: I could be totally wrong, that could be a sexist
Speaker 1: thing to say, but sorry, I'll take one for the team.
Speaker 1: I'll be the sexiest one. It's it. Hardly ever, ever, ever,
Speaker 1: is limited to the morning. It's usually seven sickness, and
Speaker 1: it's no joke, and it makes eating anything you know,
Speaker 1: never mind eating anything healthy, really really challenging. But here's
Speaker 1: the good news. The first trimester when most moms suffer
Speaker 1: the worst of morning sickness, which actually medical experts call
Speaker 1: it n v P or nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.
Speaker 1: But the first timester is not a time of high
Speaker 1: demand in terms of nutrients. That's when your baby is
Speaker 1: literally the size of a baby bean, and you know,
Speaker 1: even a teeny little lentil and what you eat doesn't
Speaker 1: matter as much as it's going to matter later on.
Speaker 1: Staying hydrated and eating foods that make you feel better,
Speaker 1: that's what it's all about. And I mean whatever gets
Speaker 1: you through the day and gets you through the night,
Speaker 1: that's okay. Even if it's the same food over and
Speaker 1: over and over again. Yeah, you hear about variety is
Speaker 1: such a nutritious way to eat. I don't care about
Speaker 1: variety if you're feeling sick. If it's the same food
Speaker 1: over and over again, that is fine. And hopefully it's
Speaker 1: something that has some nutrients attached, like a lot of
Speaker 1: mom's crave melon or oranges or even you know, dry
Speaker 1: cold cereal. Yep. But whatever it is, as long as
Speaker 1: it's safe to eat, go for it. If all you
Speaker 1: can swallow the saltines, consider, you know, trying to find
Speaker 1: some whole grain saltines, but don't push your luck. If
Speaker 1: you're on survival mode, you can definitely make up for
Speaker 1: the nutrientslator and the calories too. In the green meantime,
Speaker 1: don't even think about serving yourself broccoli or kale unless
Speaker 1: that's what you're craving. Unlikely, but it could happen. Every
Speaker 1: mom is different. Now. I have a couple of tricks
Speaker 1: to try. My favorite is become the smoothie Queen. Pack
Speaker 1: your freezer with frozen banana, frozen mango, berries, peaches. You
Speaker 1: can blend it all up with almond milk or with
Speaker 1: yogurt or with regular milk, whatever you can best handle,
Speaker 1: and bingo, you've got a meal that you can sip
Speaker 1: instead of having to eat if eating is hard for you.
Speaker 1: And the ice your cold, the better, since in general,
Speaker 1: cold foods are easier to handle when you're queasy because
Speaker 1: they don't have any smell, and smell is something that's
Speaker 1: super offensive to queasy pregnant moms. I mean, did a
Speaker 1: lot of smoothies, right? A lot of smoothies? Yeah, a
Speaker 1: lot of smoothies. It's a great way to pack in
Speaker 1: nutrients without making yourself sick. And foods like mango are
Speaker 1: an excellent substitute for green foods like kale because it's
Speaker 1: got the vitamin A, it's got the vitamin C. So
Speaker 1: you're you're ready to rock and roll. Ginger. I don't
Speaker 1: think you're a phantom of but ginger can be super soothing,
Speaker 1: and so can anything sour. So a lot of moms
Speaker 1: like to suck on lemons or limes or grape fruit.
Speaker 1: So you know what they say, when life gives you
Speaker 1: morning sickness, make lemonade, right, you see, for me sour
Speaker 1: made me gaggy. I don't know, maybe I was like,
Speaker 1: everybody's different, everyone's different, everybody's different. I'm probably the best
Speaker 1: way to eat anyway, when you're expecting it is definitely
Speaker 1: the best way to eat when you're in the throes
Speaker 1: of throwing up and having nausea. And that's the six
Speaker 1: meal solution a k a. Grazing instead of mind to
Speaker 1: four sound three squares a day, which you're never going
Speaker 1: to get down, never mind keep down, just graze on
Speaker 1: five or six mini meals or snacks. The idea is
Speaker 1: to keep your tummy just a little bit filled all
Speaker 1: the time, because when it's running on empty, your gastric
Speaker 1: juices that your stomach is producing have nothing to feast
Speaker 1: on but you and your stomach lining can make you
Speaker 1: feel sicker. So eat early before you get out of
Speaker 1: bed in the morning, have some snacks by your bedside
Speaker 1: so you can have a nibble before you get up,
Speaker 1: Eat often, you know, throughout the day and late also,
Speaker 1: so have a bedtime snack that will hopefully contain some
Speaker 1: complex carbs and protein. And that's a combination that can
Speaker 1: minimize morning sickness. If you can do a little cheese
Speaker 1: with your crackers. Awesome. If you can add a little
Speaker 1: almond butter to your banana smoothie, fabulous. Keep snacks with
Speaker 1: you wherever you go, in the car, at your desk,
Speaker 1: in your bag. Nothing that's gonna stink, of course, nothing
Speaker 1: that's going to make a stink. A couple of my
Speaker 1: favorites are freeze dried fruit and freeze dried cheese. One
Speaker 1: brand is Moon Cheese. Definitely, there are other brands out
Speaker 1: there that is not going to spoil in a hot car,
Speaker 1: and it's not going to stink up your office, like
Speaker 1: for instance, a ripe banana that you leave in your
Speaker 1: destroyer that would that would make a stink. I wouldn't
Speaker 1: recommend that. I used to love it just sucking on
Speaker 1: packets of nut butter, peanut butter, oh yeah, nuts nuts.
Speaker 1: So that was really helpful because anytime, like you, you
Speaker 1: stay full throughout the whole day, and you're gonna feel
Speaker 1: a little better. I think whenever that any sort of
Speaker 1: like hunger creeps in, it's gonna turn to nausea central exactly.
Speaker 1: And you know, in in the short term, fluids are
Speaker 1: way more important than solids in the first time. Ester,
Speaker 1: so don't push foods that you can't stand, but do
Speaker 1: push the fluids. Water. Coconut water can be a actually
Speaker 1: soothing almond milk. Fruit that has a high water content,
Speaker 1: like say watermelon that's water and icy cold. It's definitely
Speaker 1: a pregnant crowd pleaser. Okay, so what about heartburn? That's
Speaker 1: not fun. I know I was queen of heartburn with
Speaker 1: both pregnancies, and ironically I had one bald baby and
Speaker 1: one hairy baby. So that's an old wives tale. First
Speaker 1: of all, nobody does heartburn like a pregnant woman. I mean,
Speaker 1: I once again, I escaped it. Don't be a hater, Emma,
Speaker 1: don't be a hater. Of course you did, you unicorn.
Speaker 1: But it's actually true what they say about heartburn and hair.
Speaker 1: I mean, it's not a sure thing, but research has
Speaker 1: shown a connection between moms who have heartburn and babies
Speaker 1: born with a lot of hair. Doesn't always go that way.
Speaker 1: Lennox was bald till he was one, and then Seby
Speaker 1: was born with like a twope of hair. I did
Speaker 1: have two cue balls, and I did not have heartburn.
Speaker 1: So you can thank your hormones for heartburn. Of course,
Speaker 1: the same hormones that relax. Other muscles in your body
Speaker 1: also relax, those in your digestive track, including the esophageal sphincer,
Speaker 1: which typically keeps food and gastric juices in your stomach
Speaker 1: where they belong. And when it's relaxed, all that yucky
Speaker 1: stuff backs up and you feel the burn and you
Speaker 1: taste that acidity reflux. I can taste it right now,
Speaker 1: just thinking about it. You know what your triggers are, Emma,
Speaker 1: you know what they are. Yes, don't pull them like
Speaker 1: spicy foods or greasy foods. Clearly, nothing that combines spicy
Speaker 1: and creasy like pepperoni pizza. That would be bad. Of course,
Speaker 1: if you crave it, have it, you'll just pay later.
Speaker 1: Eating sitting straight up at the table rather than slouched
Speaker 1: over on the sofa and staying as upper right as
Speaker 1: your pregnant body is going to allow you too after
Speaker 1: you eat is going to help a lot, because obviously,
Speaker 1: if you're slouched over, everything backs up more easily. And
Speaker 1: eating slowly, not gobbling up your food even if you're
Speaker 1: super hungry and nothing heavy before bed, when you're definitely
Speaker 1: going to feel the burn the most, and propping yourself
Speaker 1: up in bed is going to help with that too,
Speaker 1: And it should go without saying by now, but I
Speaker 1: will say it the six meal solution because gut bombs
Speaker 1: are going to give you heartburn ammunition for sure. My
Speaker 1: best heartburn trick is ice cold almond milk. You just
Speaker 1: simple little after meal and before bed. Moms, I know
Speaker 1: swear by vanilla almond milk, so give it a try,
Speaker 1: especially icy cold. And beyond that, there's always the toms
Speaker 1: and roll its that you popped like candy, Elma, did
Speaker 1: you that? Of course I I popped toms like candy, yes,
Speaker 1: And of course those are a constipating yes, yes. And
Speaker 1: I was queen of pregnancy constipation. You're the queen of
Speaker 1: a lot of things, I really am, whereas my crown um.
Speaker 1: And speaking of constipation, what should pregnant moms eat when
Speaker 1: they are constipated? So consippation definitely comes with the pregnant territory.
Speaker 1: Mother nature actually has the best intentions, always sure she does.
Speaker 1: She's got the best intentions when she slows down your
Speaker 1: digestive tracks. So slowing food down allows your body to
Speaker 1: absorb more nutans and that's a plus for baby, but
Speaker 1: it happens to be a minus for you, because when
Speaker 1: things are slowed down, you end up constipated and bloated
Speaker 1: and miserable and gassy. First of all, what you shouldn't eat,
Speaker 1: which is anything that can clog you up, white bread,
Speaker 1: white rice, anything sugary processed foods in general. What you
Speaker 1: should eat you probably know this, but whole grains, fresh
Speaker 1: fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds. You know, those fiber
Speaker 1: filled foods. Kiwi are a lot cuter than prunes, and
Speaker 1: many people are surprised to find out they were as
Speaker 1: effective as any dried fruit in keeping things moving. So
Speaker 1: those cute little kiwi's, crack one open and beans. If
Speaker 1: you can handle the gas, then pass the beans. And
Speaker 1: and then of course wash it all down with lots
Speaker 1: of fluids, because it's the fluids to keep all those
Speaker 1: high fiber foods moving along. And what about fatigue, mood swings,
Speaker 1: and headaches. I had all of those, all of the above.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna make it super easy here with the one
Speaker 1: solution that covers all those symptoms and more. You guess it.
Speaker 1: It's the six meal solution, which you're if we are
Speaker 1: already doing, if you're a queasy mama, or if you're
Speaker 1: having heartburn, because it's going to help with that. But
Speaker 1: eating small amounts of protein and complex carbs all day
Speaker 1: will keep your blood sugar on an even keel, and
Speaker 1: that will give you more energy, fewer headaches, and might
Speaker 1: even help moderate those mood swings. And that bedtime snack
Speaker 1: will help you sleep better and help avoid that pregnancy insomnia.
Speaker 1: On the flip side, though, a king sized candy bar
Speaker 1: or carmel macchiato would seem the logical solution to fatigue
Speaker 1: and headaches, plus what could make you happier. Those quick
Speaker 1: sugar fixes can actually send your blood sugar soaring and
Speaker 1: then after the sore comes to crash and that can
Speaker 1: bring your energy and your mood down along with it,
Speaker 1: with the potential for a headache too. And of course,
Speaker 1: if you quit caffeine cold turkey, you will get headaches.
Speaker 1: So remember the mom mantra of moderation. Two cups a
Speaker 1: day is fine and if you cut back, definitely cut
Speaker 1: back gradually. Yeah. I learned a valuable lesson there when
Speaker 1: I cut out coffee and my headaches came with running in. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and that's the good news. You don't have to cut
Speaker 1: it out. You just have to cut down if you
Speaker 1: have a big habit two cups of days. Good. Well,
Speaker 1: I had a huge habit and I got pregnant with Sebastian,
Speaker 1: and all of a sudden I wanted nothing to do
Speaker 1: with coffee. It was a really it was It was
Speaker 1: a really hard time for me. Okay, okay, And now
Speaker 1: the question that every mom has. Everybody says, you're eating
Speaker 1: for two. So does that mean you take everything you
Speaker 1: normally eat and just double it? Yeah, if only, well,
Speaker 1: you are eating for two, but one of the two
Speaker 1: of you is teeny teeny tiny, So yeah, Fortunately for you,
Speaker 1: if you're feeling too sick to eat a lot, and
Speaker 1: unfortunately if pregnancy has made you twice as hungry, you're
Speaker 1: not literally eating for two of you. And that means
Speaker 1: you don't have to double up what you normally eat,
Speaker 1: not even close in the first timester you really don't
Speaker 1: need more than a hundred calories per day on top
Speaker 1: of what you normally eat. And you can actually get
Speaker 1: away with your if you have to, because you're very
Speaker 1: sick and you can't eat even if you're hungry. So,
Speaker 1: for perspective, a hundred calories about one of those tiny
Speaker 1: snack bags of almonds or maybe a cup of yogurts,
Speaker 1: So it's not that much. Not exactly the all access
Speaker 1: past to Ben and Jerry's you might have been hoping for,
Speaker 1: though no one's going to stand between you and a
Speaker 1: scoop of chunky monkey, least of all me. By the
Speaker 1: second trimester and into the third, you're gonna need more calories,
Speaker 1: but really really only about three hundred calories are more
Speaker 1: extra per day above what you normally eat. Where you
Speaker 1: spend those extra calories, of course, is your business, and
Speaker 1: I'm certainly not going to micromanage them, but if you can,
Speaker 1: it's smart to cash in on nutrients in whatever form
Speaker 1: that you find them palatable, especially as baby grows. It's
Speaker 1: a really super smart strategy. We'll get to waking in
Speaker 1: another episode, but just keep in mind that gaining too
Speaker 1: much weight when you're pregnant, or eating a lot of
Speaker 1: unhealthy foods can increase your risks of, say, gestational diabetes
Speaker 1: and other complications. You can't always prevent those wrist no
Speaker 1: matter how will you eat, but certainly if you end
Speaker 1: up with gestational diabetes, micromanaging what you eat is going
Speaker 1: to become a reality. So there's something there's something in
Speaker 1: that grilled chicken salad for you too, And if you're
Speaker 1: expecting twins, you'll need to double up on the extra calories.
Speaker 1: So you're going to go as high as six hundred
Speaker 1: extra calories per day three per baby above what you
Speaker 1: normally eat. And you'll probably double up also on the
Speaker 1: heartburn and I and indigestion for sure. So definitely eat
Speaker 1: those extra calories in small amounts, especially as you're growing.
Speaker 1: Uterus crowds out your digestive tract, which is going to
Speaker 1: happen even with one baby, but definitely toys as fast
Speaker 1: with two. Double the fun. Yes, what about when your
Speaker 1: favorite food group is sugar? Hey, look, I get it,
Speaker 1: I get it. This isn't about deprivation, and eating well
Speaker 1: should never be about deprivation, but especially not when you're
Speaker 1: doing the heavy lifting of pregnancy, because that's just not fair.
Speaker 1: Sugar calories are essentially empty calories. That's just a reality.
Speaker 1: So to keep your weake in within the guidelines that
Speaker 1: your doctor or midwife gives you while getting the nutrients
Speaker 1: that a healthy pregnancy needs, it is a smart strategy
Speaker 1: to limit the sugar calories that you eat. But that's
Speaker 1: if you can limit them, and if limiting sugar is
Speaker 1: an option for you, and you know yourself. For some moms,
Speaker 1: it's just it's really hard to curb the sweet tooth
Speaker 1: once it's chomping on a single brownie and suddenly the
Speaker 1: whole train makes all gone. And if you can stop
Speaker 1: that a mini Snickers, that's no big deal, or even
Speaker 1: too mini snickers, but if one or two leads to
Speaker 1: the whole bag over time, that could become a big deal.
Speaker 1: So you know your limits and whether you can tempt
Speaker 1: temptation on a regular basis. By the way, here's some
Speaker 1: actual good news, and that's the dark chocolate is a
Speaker 1: very healthy pregnancy food. The darker the better because it
Speaker 1: contains more nutrients, but it also because it's lower in sugar.
Speaker 1: It might even keep your blood pressure in check and
Speaker 1: definitely boost your mood. Like, who can't be happy when
Speaker 1: you got dark chocolate around, right? Some research, in fact,
Speaker 1: suggests the babies of moms who eat dark chocolate in
Speaker 1: the third trimester end up crying less and sleeping better.
Speaker 1: Happy mom, happy baby. Here's your excuse to eat some
Speaker 1: dark chocolate when you're pregnant. I actually still eat it.
Speaker 1: That's my habit that I kept from pregnancy. I still
Speaker 1: eat my dark chocolate and it's a good habit to mend. Yeah,
Speaker 1: not mad. When we come back, it's time for help me, Heidi.
Speaker 1: And now it's time for help me, Heidi. We're all
Speaker 1: answer you're pressing pregnancy and parenting questions. No holds barred,
Speaker 1: no filter allowed, t am I, no such thing. We're
Speaker 1: all moms here or dad's. Chances are if you have
Speaker 1: this question, other parents have it too. You are not alone.
Speaker 1: Motherhood is the ultimate sisterhood, and we're here to help
Speaker 1: a sister out Emma who needs help today. So this
Speaker 1: comes from a listener who says, so over the years,
Speaker 1: I've tried a lot of different diets to keep my
Speaker 1: weight under control. Lately, I've dabbled in raw and paleo
Speaker 1: and have also gone vegan. Now that I'm magnant, I'm
Speaker 1: wondering if I should stay on something lower carb, higher protein.
Speaker 1: I don't want to end up gaining too much weight,
Speaker 1: but I do want to eat well for my baby.
Speaker 1: So it doesn't get a lot of buzz, but really
Speaker 1: the best way to eat at any time in your life,
Speaker 1: especially when you're expecting, is the balance way, maybe it's
Speaker 1: boring something your mother might tell you to eat if
Speaker 1: your mother were me, but optimally suited for supplying all
Speaker 1: the nutrients that you and your baby need. So you
Speaker 1: probably know the drill whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies,
Speaker 1: little fat, dairy, lean protein, healthy fats. But let's drill
Speaker 1: down on the different kinds of diets that you've dabbled
Speaker 1: in and are wondering about. So low carb encompasses a
Speaker 1: lot of diet trends with different degrees of carb deprivation.
Speaker 1: None of them are super healthy for pregnancy, since carbs
Speaker 1: aren't the enemy. They're actually awesome sources of vitamins and
Speaker 1: mineral and fiber that pregnant moms need. That is, if
Speaker 1: you choose the right kind of carb, the complex kind
Speaker 1: of carb, you can easily skip refined carbs all that
Speaker 1: white stuff and eat well better still in fact, so
Speaker 1: don't be carb phobic, just be carb selective. Now, Gluten
Speaker 1: free if you have siliac disease is a must, and
Speaker 1: it's important if you have a sensitivity to gluten. But
Speaker 1: think twice, once for you and once for your baby.
Speaker 1: If you're thinking of giving up gluten because you just
Speaker 1: think it's healthier because it's not. Without whole grains, it's
Speaker 1: hard to get the nutrients you'll need to eat well.
Speaker 1: Keto takes low carb to a new low, and it
Speaker 1: actually eliminates nearly all carbs, including fruits, whole grains, and
Speaker 1: some vegetables which are all mom and baby friendly foods
Speaker 1: that do your pregnant body good. Without the carbs, what
Speaker 1: happens is your body runs out of its preferred energy
Speaker 1: source and then starts burning fat, and that's a state
Speaker 1: called ketosis. Thus keto that might be your objective at
Speaker 1: other times in your life, but not when you're pregnant
Speaker 1: and weight loss isn't wise. Another downside to ketosis is
Speaker 1: that ketones are produced when your body burns fat, and
Speaker 1: those keytones can be passed into the placenta. And there's
Speaker 1: not a lot of research, but there's some to show
Speaker 1: that it's not a good thing when that happens. So
Speaker 1: I probably say curb your keto enthusiasm for now. Now,
Speaker 1: paleo goes back to our cave mom routes, when meat
Speaker 1: ruled and foraging was limited to whatever grew on bushes
Speaker 1: and trees. There are some paleo pluses like avoiding refined grains,
Speaker 1: which the diet specifies that you do, cutting out sugar
Speaker 1: and processed foods. But before you go all hunter gatherer
Speaker 1: during pregnancy, there's some potential risk to For one thing,
Speaker 1: a super high protein diet isn't recommended when you're expecting.
Speaker 1: You should actually take a Goldilocks approach to protein. Not
Speaker 1: too much, not too little, About three servings per day
Speaker 1: is just right, and a serving being like a quarter
Speaker 1: pound burger or four ounces of chicken. Now, paleo eaters
Speaker 1: can also come up short in nutrients that are found
Speaker 1: in grains and in fiber. A modified paleo diet which
Speaker 1: allows for some whole grains and beans but keeps meat
Speaker 1: eating moderate, is a good compromise and another positive takeaway
Speaker 1: from paleo that you can feel free to take into pregnancy.
Speaker 1: Eat more nuts and seeds. Those are sources of healthy fats.
Speaker 1: Now onto raw diets. Raw veggies and fresh fruits are
Speaker 1: definitely pregnancy friendly foods, but going all raw all the
Speaker 1: time is could be a raw deal when you're expecting.
Speaker 1: Some vitamins and minerals are only absorbed when they're cooked.
Speaker 1: Plus raw foods can be sometimes contaminated with bacteria that
Speaker 1: would otherwise be killed during cooking or during pasteurization. Some
Speaker 1: foods were made to be cooked when you're baking a
Speaker 1: baby bun. Speaking of veggies, vegetarians of all varieties can
Speaker 1: have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies just as healthy, possibly
Speaker 1: even healthier than meat eaters, depending on the kind of
Speaker 1: meat you otherwise would eat. Veggie diets are usually high
Speaker 1: in vitamins and minerals and fiber, and if you eat
Speaker 1: eggs and d airy, you're not going to miss out
Speaker 1: on protein and calcium. Vegan takes a little more effort.
Speaker 1: You'll just need to make sure you cash in on
Speaker 1: high protein lake ooms like beans and tofu and grains,
Speaker 1: and talk to your doctor or midwife about taking supplements.
Speaker 1: Definitely need BE twelve if you're vegan, because it's only
Speaker 1: found in animal proteins, and you probably also need calcium
Speaker 1: and iron and vitamin D two. By the way, bean
Speaker 1: pastas like Emma enjoys like Bonza are amazing sources of
Speaker 1: protein that are completely meat free, and they're also super nutritious.
Speaker 1: Maybe you're lactose intolerant or you're just not a milk fan,
Speaker 1: but you've heard them. Milk is a must when you're
Speaker 1: building baby bones. Not so. Calcium comes in all kinds
Speaker 1: of packages, from yogurt to cheese and red meat. A
Speaker 1: lot of moms think it's a must eat it isn't.
Speaker 1: It does have more iron. But any source of protein
Speaker 1: is a good source when you're expecting, from chicken to turkey,
Speaker 1: shrimp to fish, So you can definitely be a piskytarian
Speaker 1: if you wish to. Just don't go fish for swordfish, shark,
Speaker 1: or any other fish that's high in mercury. And you
Speaker 1: know all about the don't eat the sushi eggs. Eggs
Speaker 1: are a great source of protein. You can choose omega
Speaker 1: three eggs if you can, because there are a great
Speaker 1: source of healthy fats. The same goes for grass fed
Speaker 1: beef and pasture raised chicken if you can find them
Speaker 1: and afford them, because unlike grand fed, they are packed
Speaker 1: with Omega three fatty acids. While we're on the subject
Speaker 1: of fat and fatty acids, a very low fat diet
Speaker 1: isn't pregnancy appropriate either, not only because a low fat
Speaker 1: diet is often used to lose weight, and you're not
Speaker 1: supposed to lose weight when you're pregnant. But because they're
Speaker 1: called essential fatty acids for a reason, they're essential. Your
Speaker 1: body needs some fat to build a baby and to
Speaker 1: build up supplies for breastfeeding, you're gonna need to lay
Speaker 1: down some fat. And plus a little fat makes nutrients
Speaker 1: and vegetables more absorbable. So, for instance, if you choose
Speaker 1: a fat fee dressing, that means a less nutritious salad.
Speaker 1: So little fat in your salad dressing is actually a
Speaker 1: good thing. So you know, this is just the tip
Speaker 1: of the iceberg, or I guess I should say the
Speaker 1: iceberg lattice. And for the record, you should probably offer
Speaker 1: a remainer or rugle in your salad anyway, because iceberg
Speaker 1: doesn't come with any nutrients, or at least you can
Speaker 1: you can toss some shredded carrot and cabbage into your iceberg.
Speaker 1: But clearly just the tip of the iceberg. There's so
Speaker 1: much to talk about when it comes to eating when
Speaker 1: you're expecting. Actually, there's enough to fill a book and
Speaker 1: it's a good thing that I just wrote one and
Speaker 1: it's out now. Eating well when you're expecting. Everything you
Speaker 1: need to know about eating well, no matter what you
Speaker 1: like to eat, and no matter what is eating you?
Speaker 1: And plus it has about I think a hundred and
Speaker 1: seventy five recipes and they're all easy, quick to prepare,
Speaker 1: because really, who wants to stand on swollen dogs to
Speaker 1: make dinner for you and your puppy? Right? Emma, I
Speaker 1: mean I don't, okay, even when I'm not pregnant. Done
Speaker 1: and done, baby love a baby love. I need you,
Speaker 1: Oh hell, I need you. Thanks for listening. Remember, I'm
Speaker 1: always here for you. What to Expect is always here
Speaker 1: for you, who are all in this together. For more
Speaker 1: on what you heard on today's episode, visit what to
Speaker 1: Expect dot com slash podcast. You can also check out
Speaker 1: What to Expect when You're Expecting, What to Expect the
Speaker 1: First Year, and the What to Expect app. And we
Speaker 1: want to hear from you. Connect with us on our
Speaker 1: community message board or on our social media. You can
Speaker 1: find me at Heidi Murkoff and Emma at Emma Being
Speaker 1: w t E and of course at What to Expect.
Speaker 1: Baby Love is performed by Riley Beider. What to Expect
Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio. From more shows
Speaker 1: from I heart Radio, check out the I heart Radio app,
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