Let’s talk cravings!
I feel like I’ve had them all, but this pregnancy I’ve had big time cravings for cereal, pebble ice, fresh fruit and home made chai lattes (see my Insta highlights for recipe!). I’ve noticed that within my own pregnancies, I feel much more intuitive to the needs of my body and it is such a cool feeling! It is a blessing and a curse to feel like you need more water or iron, but also that you need it like yesterday! Haha. There’s a lot of urgency when a craving hits, right? But aside from indulging in the occasional craving, I really try to consume a lot of healthy nutrients to make sure that I am adequately nurturing my baby and myself. Of course, I am just sharing what works for me + what has been approved for me but always ask your dr if you have questions!
Through three pregnancies I really try to make sure that I am consuming plenty of iron, folic acid, and micronutrients. These are things that sometimes can get overlooked when all you want is ice cream or Hot Cheetohs. I like to try to make my three main meals as healthy and nutrient packed as possible and then if I craving hits, I will make a small snack out of it. It’s all about balance and reducing stress around eating.
My Pregnancy Grocery List
Iron
When I was pregnant with Tatum, I experienced a slight iron deficiency which can be common during pregnancy due to the blood volume increase that occurs. Through that experience, I learned about a few ways to incorporate more iron into my diet. (WebMD recommends pregnant women get at least 27 mg of iron per day!):
- Beef: I am a steak girl through and through so having a few more grilled steak salads or ground beef tacos each week was a no brainer for me.
- Iron-fortified cereal: Capitalizing on my cereal craving, a bowl at night keeps my iron on track and satisfies my cravings!
- Pre-Natal Vitamin: My favorite pre-natals have just enough (but not too much) iron to keep baby healthy!
Folic Acid
Folic acid is a must-have in a pregnancy diet to keep your baby’s brain and nervous system growth on track each week. I hadn’t really paid much attention to my folic acid intake before getting pregnant but now I’m a real stickler about it! Here are a few of my favorite ways to incorporate it into my diet (WebMD recommends pregnant women get at least 400mcg of folate per day):
- Pre-Natal Vitamin: This is an important one (and you may already be taking it to take care of that iron!) But doctors recommend taking a pre-natal even before you get pregnant and are in the trying stages to make sure that your baby has folic acid during the vital early stages of pregnancy. I switch between Careof and these!
- More cereal!: I’m telling you, the body is intuitive! Cereal cravings for the win. (PS – It has to be iron-fortified for this to qualify!)
- Spinach: I love mixing freshly washed spinach into my morning omelettes and into green smoothies for the kids and I. So fresh and yummy! You guys also have seen me fill up with spinach on my favorite egg sandwiches (english muffin, farm fresh eggs, laughing cow cheese, and spinach- so easy, filling, and delicious!)
Micronutrients
Now, we know that prenatal vitamins and iron-fortified cereal have major health benefits for mama and baby, but I want all of my bases to be covered for total body health for myself and our sweet babe. Here are a few ways I make sure I’m getting sufficient micronutrients every day:
- Carrots and Spinach (Vitamins A and K)
- Eggs: so many omelettes! (Vitamins A and B12)
- Greek Yogurt with berries (Vitamin B12 and Calcium)
- Chicken Breast (Vitamin B12)
- Freshly squeezed orange juice (Vitamin C)
What’s on your pregnancy grocery list? I would love to add a few yummy nutrient-packed ingredients to my cart this week! Below are some things we typically pick up each week. XOXO
Fruits & Veggies
- apples
- bananas
- avocados
- peaches
- spinach
- tomatoes
- berries
- broccoli
- sweet potatoes
Proteins
- eggs
- cheese
- organic chicken
- wild salmon
- lean beef
- lean ground turkey
- orgain protein shakes
Other
- oats
- bread (we love Dave’s Killer bread)
- quinoa
- rice
- cereal
- almond milk
- nuts and nut butters (almonds, peanuts)
- cottage cheese
- yogurt
- yasso ice cream because DUH 😉