Pregnancy, Nutrition and Physical Activity

When expecting, women have different nutrition and fitness needs.  This article gives a general overview of advice and tips to help you make the transition for a healthy pregnancy.

Personal Experience:

As a masters student in nutrition and a fitness professional, I figured that getting the right nutrition and exercise during my pregnancy would be easy because.  I had studies both pre-natal exercise and nutrition after all!  I began by tracking my caloric intake in an on-line food journaling website, watching what I ate, and of course taking a pre-natal vitamin.  This was all prior to my 8 week visit with my OB/GYN as well as my days of 'all day nausea.'  At my 8 week appointment, I talked to the doctor about nutrition, told him of my journaling and flexed my pre-natal nutrition knowledge.  The best advice I have gotten thus far was given to me at that point.  He said, "Eat when you're hungry, and do not get too caught up in calories or tracking them, the baby will get what is needs.'"  I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. 

This seemed so simple, "Eat when you're hungry."   I thought, "I can do that."  He also said, "During days of sickness, be it morning afternoon or all day, eat what you feel like eating.  If ginger ale and Cheez-its are your food of choice eat them, take your prenatal vitamin and don't worry."   Once I stopped feeling sick I could return to my healthly eating habits of whole grains, fruits and veggies and lean proteins.  

I had a conversation with a girlfriend who is also pregnant who asked, "do you think women eat whatever they want when they are pregnant because the guilt is gone?"  I think when you're pregnant you feel a little sense of entitlement to eat what you want, but the key is to still eat good foods so you will avoid unnecessary weight gain; you will also be enhancing your baby's development and just feel better.  The 27-30lbs that pregnant woman are recommended to gain are from the increase in blood volume, the actual weight of the baby, enlarged uterus, placenta, water retention and a small amount of fat stored for the mother.  These weight gains make total sense.  A weight gain of 40-50 pounds can be avoided by eating well and not overeating because you think your baby needs it.  The body is very smart and will let you know what it needs.

Guidelines for Eating Healthy during pregnancy:

It is important to eat regularly during pregnancy, but you will likely find you cannot eat as much in a sitting as you're used it.  Because of this it is important to have 5-6 smaller meals or snacks throughout the day to keep the metabolism working and to make sure blood glucose stays even.  Here are a few other tips to help eat healthy during your pregnancy and beyond.

1) Eat a balanced breakfast with fiber.  Many pregnant women complain of constipation so it is very important to get adequate fiber, starting the day with a fiber cereal or bread.  Try to combine a protein, complex carbohydrate and fruit into your breakfast as well.

Tips for a balanced breakfast:

• Add sliced almonds to your cereal or oatmeal
• Add fresh blueberries, raspberries or strawberries to your cereal, oatmeal, cream of wheat
• Add yogurt to grape nuts
• Have a glass of 100% juice, orange, apple, cranberry with breakfast
• Have an egg with wheat toast and a 1/2 grapefruit
• Mix up your breakfasts, have yogurt and granola one day, an egg the next and then oatmeal and keep alternating them

2) Add more milk or calcium to your diet.  Always choose low-fat or non-fat dairy products.  Too much dairy can add a great deal saturated fat to the diet.

Tips for adding calcuim:

• Instead of your morning coffee have a Decaf latte with skim milk
• Keep low fat yogurt on hand as a snack
• Put low-fat cream cheese on toast or a mini wheat bagel
• Find a low-fat or part skim cheese you like and have it with a whole wheat cracker as a snack
• Drink juices fortified with calcium
• Use skim milk to cook your oatmeal or condensed soup

3) Get more fruits and veggies.  Try to have a fruit or veggies with every meal or snack.  Remember that a serving of a fruit or vegetable is only 1/2 cup so you can do it. 

Tips for adding more fruits and veggies: 

• Keep peeled baby carrots and chopped celery sticks in the refrigerator.  Eat these with a hummus or cottage cheese and a whole grain cracker or toast
• Keep fresh berries on hand.  Berries are easy; you just rinse, toss them into something and eat
• Apples are great with peanut butter or cooked with cinnamon and sugar as a healthy dessert
• Dried Fruits can also be a quick snack, and are easy to add to cereals or oatmeal
• Make salads that have tons of veggies and an olive oil vinaigrette

4) Choose lean proteins and good fats.  Proteins and fats go hand in hand because most fat comes from animal protein sources, so it is important to choose wisely when you are choosing proteins.

Tips for choosing lean protiens:

• Choose very lean or lean proteins, chicken, turkey, fish, low-fat cheeses and legumes
• Use Olive Oil whenever possible when cooking or in dressings.  It is a great monounsaturated fat and great source of Omega-3 fatty Acids
• Use Soy and Nut Butters but in moderation.  Both soy products and nut butters are considered a high-fat protein source however they are low in saturated and cholesterol which is good for you when not overused
• Use chicken broth to cook your brown rice or on your veggies instead of butter
  

**Note- vegetarian moms and moms with food allergies will need to take other issues into account and these recommendations may not apply to these populations.

General Tips:

• Avoid fried foods
• Avoid artificial sweeteners - a little raw sugar goes a long way
• Eat a variety of foods - We need many food sources to get everything we need
• Stay Hydrated - Water, hot tea, Gatorade, 100% fruit juices
• Avoid sugary sodas
• Plan your meals and snacks for the day - don't be left with only vending machine snack options!
• Broth based soups and bean soups are excellent choices and are easy

Quick Exercise Tips:

I have found that movement makes me feel better all day if I do it fist thing in the morning, so I make a commitment to rise and shine and get a workout into my day early.  I also figure the baby will get me up early when it comes so why not get used to it?  

1) Do a variety of exercise.  Walk one day, ride a stationary bike the next, take a yoga class or water aerobics class the next.  It will keep you from getting bored and will add some weight bearing and non-weight bearing exercise into your routine.

2) Do some resistance training.  It is so important to keep the postural muscles strong especially as the baby begins to grow and you have to balance your weight more in the front of the body.  Light weights and many reps as well as a sculpt or Pilates class can help with the muscles of the back and core.  Weight training can also help to increase bone density and red blood cell production for you and the baby.

3) Don't over do it.  Listen to your body and make sure you are not exhausting yourself.  Try not to get breathless at any point and if it is hurting where it's not supposed to hurt then stop doing the exercise.  The best rule of thumb is if you are exhausted 2 hours after your workout, you most likely worked out a little too hard.  However, if you still feel good and energized 2 hours post workout you are most likely working out in a good range!  Everyone will be different.

4) As you get further along in the pregnancy, you will have greater laxity in the joints causing you to be more flexible.  Couple this with the weight that you are carrying in the front of the body throwing you off balance and you can become a bit clumsy.  It is important that you aware of this and possibly perform exercises that work on your balance as well as the controlling your flexibility. 

5) Studies have shown that movement and exercise are great for both the mother and the baby, whether you worked out prior to getting pregnant or if you start a routine when you become pregnant.  For years, experts said not to start an exercise routine when you become pregnant, but now they are encouraging expectant mothers to walk, do yoga and water aerobics.  The intensity and the modality with which you workout will depend on your level of pre-pregnancy exercise/activity.  It is best to consult your doctor and your trainer for their professional opinion before you begin an exercise regime.