I have been a very bad blogger lately. Although I have a
good reason. Promise! Hubby and I are expecting baby number 2! We are all over
the moon excited about new little baby. We can’t wait to find out what it is.
My little man (almost 7 now!) is ecstatic as he has been “wishing” for a baby
for years (as we all know, that is how babies are made) and has taken to talking
to my belly most days.
What does that have anything to do with blogging? Well, I
have been so tired at night which is when I usually blog, I have been passing
out on the couch at 8pm! I feel like I may be in the process of morphing into a
sloth (yes an actual sloth) Recipe testing? Meh..
Trying new foods? Meh… It has all been
too hard. I have been struggling to find the energy to do my regular every
evening activities! But it’s only up from here I guess, into the 4th
month now so I should start feeling more energetic soon… right?!
Today’s post is just about the things I have been craving as
people seem to freak out a little that they want to eat foods they normally
wouldn’t. I believe (and I am no expert just another mum, trying to tune into my body's needs during pregnancy), as long as you aren’t craving harmful things like chalk or
dirt (yes some women with pica do this) and stay away from foods that you should avoid [full list here] and you’re still eating mostly healthy, organic and fresh foods then you and your baby will be fine. The occasional chocolate bar or hot chips wont hurt.
For me, it seems to be a bit different this time around.
With my first (7 years ago!) all I wanted was vinegary foods (and the occasional
sip of vinegar from the bottle – shhh, this is our little secret) but this time
the cravings seem to change from month to month! First up, all I wanted was
citrus fruits - mandarins, oranges, orange juice, I just couldn’t get enough of
the stuff. Then all I wanted was potatoes, potatoes, potatoes and potatoes
followed by a nice serve of.. yes you guessed it - potatoes! And now? Peanut
butter! OMG how good is that stuff! In my normal non pregnant life, I wouldn’t eat
bread often, but now it’s all about toast smothered with peanut butter for
breakfast and no one is going to stop me! You know what? It is just not worth
stressing about little things like that when you’re pregnant. If you eat right,
what is a bit of bread and peanut butter going to do (as long as you don’t have
gluten intolerance that is). Really, we need to listen to what our bodies want
when we are expecting. Daily, I still drink fresh juices, green smoothies (Here is my favourite green smoothie recipe if you are new to them, it is a great one to start with as it will ease you in to drinking greens , eat
mostly salads for lunch (when I am not
eating potatoes) and have a well-balanced dinner (mostly).
There are many conflicting messages to pregnant women. Many health gurus claim you shouldn't eat foods such as grains, some say don't eat dairy etc yet some dietitians say you should eat these things. If you tune into what works for you, you will be fine. Personally, I can't eat dairy, it makes me break out badly and doesn't sit right in my gut. I also eat very little gluten and grains (until recently). I also can't eat many nuts, a small handful or I am in agony. I healed my gut from IBS and I am now really in tune with what doesn't work for me.
I believe restrictive eating isn't good during pregnancy (low fat, low carb etc). You need to give yourself and your baby as many nutrients as possible. The best way to make sure you are doing that is by eating, fresh, organic (if possible), whole foods. Nothing from a packet. When eating this way, it really helps keep the cravings for junk food away. And if occasionally you want to eat something "naughty" then really there is no harm done.
I will be posting some recipes soon (will try not to post
too many about potatoes – or peanut butter!) so keep a look out or subscribe so
you don’t miss the post J
I would love to hear about everyone else’s cravings! Crazy
or not! Feel free to share below!
Bee xx
