As I’ve recently gone through pregnancy myself, I thought it was a good idea to share my PERSONAL top tips to healthy eating during pregnancy and fighting off those dreaded pregnancy symptoms. I must point out that these are MY own thoughts on what worked personally for me. That means they won’t necessarily work for everyone but, as a Registered Nutritionist and a recently pregnant one at that, I thought sharing my experiences may be helpful for some.
So here goes, my FIVE TOP TIPS to Healthy Eating During Pregnancy:
- Eat Regularly – I’ve said it before, but this REALLY helped me to keep energy levels up, fight fatigue and also to beat off cravings. If you’re full and satisfied from foods throughout the day, you’re less likely to think about food and therefore those cravings aren’t so tough to deal with. Let’s be honest, trying to fight cravings when you’re low in energy, hungry or when you’ve just skipped a meal simply isn’t going to happen!!
- GET YOUR FIBRE – I can’t stress this enough. Constipation and Diarrhoea are common symptoms during pregnancy but in my experience they can be beaten! I would notice a marked change in my digestion if I didn’t quite reach my 5+ A day. Admittedly, this may be because my body is so used to having 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day that it played havoc whenever I didn’t. Even so, getting your 5 A Day and including plenty of wholegrains in your diet is likely to have a positive impact on your digestive health and help keep these undesirable symptoms under control
- Keep hydrated – This is often easier said than done, but during pregnancy I was extra thirsty and had to really plan to make sure I stayed hydrated. It’s very hard when your bladder is so small and squashed during pregnancy to want to keep on drinking fluids, but it’s actually even more important to stay hydrated during this time. This is because during pregnancy your baby is effectively swimming in a liquid sack, and your body has excess supplies of blood and bodily fluids too. To encourage more fluid consumption, try carrying a bottle around with you or keeping bottles in locations such as your desk, your car or by your bed. Also try and build fluid into your routine so you naturally have a drink at certain times of the day.
- Don’t be scared of exercise – Pregnancy can send your hormones/emotions/mood in all different directions and actually exercise can be a great remedy for that. Not only did I find that time spent exercising gave me space and time to think, away from work and day to day life, but it also helped to release endorphins and boost my mood too. You don’t have to take up any rigorous exercises during pregnancy, but the Department of Health recommend around 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise most days. You should be able to carry on with your normal exercise routine or, activities such as swimming, yoga, pilates and walking are all great for keeping you active during pregnancy.
- Don’t overly restrict yourself – as a Nutritionist who specialises in Maternal Nutrition, I know the importance of healthy eating during pregnancy more than most. However, being overly restrictive with foods such as sweets, cakes and biscuits can be quite unhelpful and end up with you actually craving them even more. Initially I was fairly strict with myself, but as I got further into my pregnancy I was a little more lenient with those foods that I wanted to keep to a minimum in my diet. It’s important to remember that, as long as you’re having a balance of foods and not necessarily ‘overdoing it’ when it comes to the empty calorie foods, then it’s not going to cause you or your baby any problems.
So there are my 5 top tips to healthy eating during pregnancy. Please do send in any of your own top tips that really helped you. It’s always good to hear and I’d love to chat and share more on this topic too. Don’t forget to check out my range of Pregnancy Blogs and specific articles such as: