In this article I’lll be focusing on nutrition in the prenatal (pregnancy) season. If you are preconception or postpartum you can still apply the below information. If you have any questions feel free to reach out in the office or via email!
My goal for this article is to educate you on some of the basics of prenatal nutrition and leave you with some easy things to implement. My most trusted source for all things preconception, prenatal and postpartum nutrition is Lily Nichols RDN, CDE who I reference in this article. Lily has a few published books and an easy to navigate website and instagram account. If you’d like to dive deeper I recommend Lily Nichols book “Real Food for Pregnancy.”
During my time in chiropractic practice I have noticed a tendency for women to not eat enough while pregnant. I see this more often in a first time mom but I’ve also observed it during subsequent pregnancies. I believe that culture has a part to play in this.
As women we spend most of our lives trying to be thin and/or fit. In order to achieve this we end up eating less to lose weight. “Calories in vs. calories out” has dominated most of our thinking around our weight. The less we eat and the more we exercise the thinner/more fit we’ll be. While this will cause us to lose weight, it does not necessarily reflect a positive health state (especially depending on the food you’re choosing to eat). And while even eating nutrient dense food it’s important to remember that in pregnancy we are building an entire human and we need to EAT MORE in order to support that.
I’ve seen women struggle with this mindset shift of truly nourishing through eating more food. This tends to transition to postpartum where it is also VERY important to eat more food when nursing. Many of the “low milk supply” concerns when nursing can be dramatically changed with increasing calorie intake and drinking more water.
Of course there are times in pregnancy where first trimester nausea (or beyond) and heartburn can impact how much we can eat or what we can hold down. I do know that God made a woman’s body perfectly to handle these situations and the baby will pull from the mothers nutrient stores to maintain growth. This is why preconception nutrition is important. But I always recommend women try to sneak in nutrition where they can.
In the office we recommend getting nutrition from food. We view supplements as supplemental. You’ll find of few of our favorite trusted prenatal supplements being highlighted on one of our shelves in the waiting room this month. But to start we’d like you to focus on adding in the foods below.
Foods with a lot of protein are one of the most important! Protein is the building blocks of our cells. For our numbers people aim for around 100mg (at a minimum) during pregnancy. Some examples of foods with protein:
- Beef, lamb, pork, bison, venison (ideally from pasture raised animals) *Luckily we live in an area with many farms! However if buying pasture raised from a farm is not possible then choose organic.
- Chicken, turkey, duck (ideally pasture raised)
- Fish and seafood (ideally wild caught)
- Sausage and bacon (pasture raised)
- Organ meats (liver, heart, kidney, tongue)
- Bone broth or stock (ideally homemade but organic in store will do!)
- Eggs (pasture raised)
- Cheese (grass fed/pasture raised)
- Yogurt – especially Greek yogurt (grass-fed/organic)
- Nuts – choose organic or atleast NonGMO as nuts are heavily sprayed with chemicals and are more likely to absorb those chemicals due to their high fat content
- Nut butters
- Beans, peas, lentils, and other legumes (also a source of carbohydrates)
We love fats! Especially when growing a baby! Fat free was a fad a few decades ago but many of our vitamins and minerals need fat to be absorbed by the body. Low fat intake can actually cause nutrient deficiencies. I’ve found it can be hard for some to start eating fat when they’ve been told their entire life to avoid it or think they had to in order to lose weight (back to the culture thing) But I cannot stress enough how important it is especially for growing a baby. How to ensure you’re getting enough fat…Make sure you’re getting the proper protein intake, do not overeat carbohydrates and add in the below. Some of our favorite fats are:
- Animal fat: lard (pork fat), tallow (beef fat), duck fat, chicken skin (from pasture raised/grass fed animals)
- Dairy fat: butter, ghee, heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese (from pasture raised/grass fed animals)
- Plant fat: olives, coconuts, avocados, nuts, seeds, and unprocessed oils derived from these foods. Purchase “extra virgin” oils and avoid buying these oils in plastics.
- Avoid processed vegetable oils like corn, soybean, peanut, canola, safflower, cottonseed.
- Seeds: flaxseed, chia, pumpkin, hemp
Carbohydrates! This is another one that can be hard for women to wrap their head around eating. This was probably the hardest one for me! Before being pregnant I hadn’t eaten bread in YEARS. Enter first trimester nausea and the only thing I could stomach was bread and pasta. I had a total mental dilemma and my belief around carbs had to do a 180. It took almost my entire pregnancy to come to terms with that I needed to eat more food, including carbohydrates.
I’ve learned that there is a balance with carbohydrates and there are “good” and “bad” carbs. The goal is to not have an imbalance in your blood sugar or to have your blood sugar spike. Carbs are processed as sugar in the body so it is important to be mindful about how much and what type you eat. Focus on protein, fat and vegetables when eating and keep carbs as a smaller side dish.
For numbers purposes between 90 to 150 grams is recommended daily. You can achieve these numbers easily through vegetables, fruits, seeds, whole grains and dairy. Below are some carbohydrate foods we recommend:
- Non starchy vegetables – cabbage, asparagus, Brussels, etc
- Moderately starchy vegetables – carrots, beet, spaghetti squash
- Nuts, seeds, legumes – lower carb content
- Berries – lower carb content
- High starchy vegetables – sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash, green peas, corn
- Fruit – higher carb content
- Whole grains – rice, oats – higher carb content
- Refined grains – anything made with flour – rice, crackers, pasta, tortilla, pancakes, cereals, granola etc – higher carb content
- Milk and yogurt – higher carb content
Lastly I’ll speak to water intake. The recommendation for water intake is 100oz per day. Technically this is fluid intake and includes your tea and bowl of soup. Water is used for so many reasons in pregnancy and is vital. I find most people walk around dehydrated so it’s important most especially to have the proper water intake when pregnant (and nursing!). Add in a squeeze of lemon, electrolytes and/or trace mineral drops for an added bonus!
If you have any questions just ask one of our doctors at your next visit or shoot us an email! [email protected]
