A Day (or 2) in the Eating Life of Pregnant Nutrition Coach

"When you are interested you do what is convenient. When you are committed you do whatever is necessary"

I have received several emails asking what a day of eating in my world currently looks like. This is not a "diet plan" to be followed. This is just a snap shot of how I eat for fuel, good digestion, and nutrients for myself and baby. Variety serves many purposes in life as well as in eating. The biggest mistake I see people make in my holistic nutrition practice is they find a few "healthy foods" and eat them til the cows come home. Day in and day out same foods in the same order at the same times...and you wonder why your body doesnt respond.

Why isn't it healthy to eat only the same limited foods even if those foods are great for you?

1) You are missing a world of nutrients, phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and antioxidants. There are thousands of little components on foods that help us fight disease, aging, degeneration, inflammation, deterioration, free-radical damage, etc. To miss out is depriving your body of an army of helpers! It's like walking up to a mound of free hundred dollar bills and taking 1 bill and walking away instead of grabbing buckets, barrels and bags to stuff as much money into as possible. 

2) Your body has to keep producing the same digestive enzymes to try to breakdown that same food and it's very taxing on your system.  It takes energy from your body and efforts away from producing metabolic enzymes (which are responsible for a gazillion other bodily functions that you need to be able to do!...including growing a healthy little bundle of joy) 

3) If you get more cooked foods than raw foods in your daily diet than your body is really working over time to digest that food and getting a smaller benefit in the process because the a portion of the nutrients have been killed off.  

4) BORING! Ladies - life is about being sassy, spicy, sexy and adventurous! That mentality should carry over to your food. Enjoy it, appreciate it, create with it, experiment with it!

So are we clear that VARIETY is necessary? Now let's move on.

Example Day 1

• Upon waking - 1 full glass of warm lemon water
• Homemade Green Juice: (this varies as I try to get different combinations and it depends on what organic produce I have access to that day/week)

Example Green Juice:

1/2 organic pink lady apple

1/2 cucumber

3 celery stalks

3 large handfuls of spinach

1/3 green pepper

1 handful sesame sprouts (a complete plant protein with the same amount of protein per ounce as chicken!)

1/2 lemon squeezed in after

• 30-45 mintues later

1 slice gluten free multi-grain bread, toasted

1/6 raw avocado smeared on bread

red pepper flakes, sprinkled on avocado

1 hormone-free, cage-free egg plus 3 whites

Make all as an open face sandwich

+ digestive enzyme

800mcg folic acid

Omega-DHA prenatal supplement

• Snack - few hours later

4oz peach organic Kefir (yogurt drink with high probiotic content)

1/2 banana sliced open

1Tbsp organic almond butter, spread on banana

• Lunch:

1 scoop chocolate Simply B Whey Protein

1/2 cup almond milk

1 handful raw spinach

1/5 frozen banana

1 tsp organic peanut butter

Blend all together with a few ice cubes. DELICIOUS

+digestive enzyme

• Snack:

Roasted veggies with a side of tomato sauce for dipping

or raw veggies with hummus

• Dinner

Grilled veggie kabobs
(Note: I try to limit grilling and eat more raw or lightly steam veggies when I can to preserve enzymes, life force and nutrients)

(zucchini, sweet potato, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, yellow squash)

pan seared then oven baked hormone-free chicken with no-salt seasoning

probiotic + digestive enzyme

calcium ("Bone Meal") tablets

• Before bed

Omega-DHA prenatal supplement

Prenatal once a day supplement (plant source - NOT synthetic)

Hot water with lemon

Example Day 2

• Upon Waking: large glass of filtered water + probiotic capsule
• Today's Green Juice Mix-Up

baby carrots

cucumber

spinach

celery

fresh ginger (grated in)

1/2 lemon (squeezed in)

Mixed frozen berries

On the side: 1 slice gluten-free toast w/ olive oil drizzle (for my shiny coat!) 

and red pepper flakes (spice it up baby!)

Went and taught boot camp to my current infomercial weight loss clients (teaching 4 classes a week right now to help maximize their results) - drank more water on the way (emergency bladder emptying soon ensued- Not sure what is smaller; my bladder or a grape at this point). Note to self - when teaching boot camp don't be an idiot and try to demonstrate everything you are used to doing pre-pregnancy - be more body/belly aware!

Post-run-around refueling snack

3/4 scoop Simply B Natural Whey - chocolate

1/6 fresh avocado

1/4 cup almond milk + 1/4 cup water

1 handful spinach (you won't taste the spinach...easy way to get more greens in!)

1/6 frozen banana

+ Digestive enzyme

(why the martini glass you ask? Because you should do little things that remind yourself you deserve the best! If that means drinking protein from a fancier glass instead of out of the blender cup...than sip on my fabulous friends!)

Lunch: (thanks to wonderful baby-father-to-be)

homemade chicken salad with fresh herbs from the patio garden and chopped tomato in butter lettuce wrap

Homemade miso soup with added onion, mushrooms and spinach

fresh mango and watermelon chunks

washed down with water with lemon + digestive enzyme + folic acid

Headed to the local farmers market to stock up for the week! YUM! (grabbed couple bites to fresh watermelon to eat on the way to the market - watermelon is packed with water, Vitamin C, lycopene and vitamin A)

Dinner:

1 spinach and millet lavash (looks like a tortilla but without the wheat and chemicals of most tortilla's these days 12g of fiber and all whole ingredients

smear of garden veggie flavored hummus

raw: mushrooms, green pepper and cucumber all julienned

side of (slow low temp) roasted Brussels sprouts and broccoli w/ olive oil and balsamic drizzle

washed down with club soda + crushed ice + 1 lemon squeezed + 1 stevia packet (sweet and refreshing with no calories and a boost of vitamin C and phytonutrients)

Dessert (ooh la la a TREAT...and a night time rarity!) 

sauteed organic peach slices and mixed berries w/ grated fresh ginger

toasted gluten-free pumpkin flax seed cereal

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk ice cream

(add hot fruit over cold ice cream and sprinkle of crunchy toasted cereal - talk about feeling like your being bad! mmmm!)

Followed by push-ups, a few slow sumo squats and timed plank holds on my forearms (can't help myself - one sweet treat deserves a little body energy expenditure instead of fat storage!)