Here are some essentials for healthy eating and principals of nutrition that you can use both during and after pregnancy
Recipes can be found on the blog.
healthy
eating
is easy.
WHAT THE HECK ARE CALORIES ANYWAY?!?!
Knowing what to eat is important to your health... especially when there is SO much BAD information out there trying to sell you stuff. So let's get down to basics:
1- Everything in this picture is 200 calories. (1 Overpour wine, 4 fun size candies, 2 eggs scrambled with spinach, 2 frozen veggie burgers, 1 bag pita chips, 2 tbsp peanut butter.) I am assuming you've come to the conclusion that some of these are better to eat than others. Just like we balance our time, we need to balance our calories.
1- Each macronutrient (carbohydrates, fats, proteins) have a specific amount of calories per gram.
2- Carbohdrates and proteins have 4 calories per gram. Fats have 9 calories per gram. Sugars and alcohols have 7 calories per gram.
3-We can use simple math to determine which category our food fits in. (9 grams of fat = 90 calories) If most of the calories are coming from fats, it's a fat, for example.
4- Balancing our calories is easy. We need roughly 50-60% of our food from carbohydrates, 20-35% of our food from fat, and 15-30% of our food from proteins. There are tons of free calorie counters out there that can help you stay on track of this. I use livestrong.com.
Love Snacking?
So do I. When you're pregnant, regular snacks can prevent morning sickness. When you're chasing after kids all day, snacks are essential to get significant nutrition when the last thing you're focused on is getting your essential vitamins and minerals.
Pack a bag with nuts, chopped raw veggies, low-sugar protein bars (I love quest and detour), and water. Keep this with you and you won't be tempted to grab something unhealthy.
Want the recipe for these Mediterranean Spinach Squares? Head to the blog.
Not a veggie fan? Try roasting them!
Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc are all delicious when you pop them in the oven for 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss with some olive oil (we need the fat to absorb the nutrients, this isn't a place to trim it out), some herbs, salt/pepper and you have an awesome side to your meal.
Not a veggie fan? Try roasting them!
Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc are all delicious when you pop them in the oven for 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss with some olive oil (we need the fat to absorb the nutrients, this isn't a place to trim it out), some herbs, salt/pepper and you have an awesome side to your meal.
Not a veggie fan? Try roasting them!
Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, onions, etc are all delicious when you pop them in the oven for 20-40 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss with some olive oil (we need the fat to absorb the nutrients, this isn't a place to trim it out), some herbs, salt/pepper and you have an awesome side to your meal.