How many more calories do you need during pregnancy?
Most women are excited about being pregnant and FINALLY being able to EAT........ So most women take advantage of this time and EAT FOR 2! Check out what your pregnancy diet should really look like.
The American Pregnancy Association recommends an extra 300 calories a day. I read an article the other day that said that non-pregnant women should eat 2100 calories a day and pregnant women should eat 2500 calories a day. I think that is hard to say because everybody's body and energy needs are different but I think one thing must be cleared up.
For me, I did not focus on eating EXTRA CALORIES during my pregnancy. I really think that is for those women who eat 2-3 times a day and barely get 1200 calories in. If you eat every 2-3 hours an optimal meal full of protein, healthy carbs, and vegetables, you are sure to get in enough calories to support your pregnancy.
When you start thinking of eating more calories and eating for 2, you always end up eating way more than you should, and you even give yourself a really great excuse. Then you regret it when towards the end of your pregnancy you have gained so much weight that you are so uncomfortable. You also regret it when you have 40lbs to lose post-partum......now that sucks!
Im telling you my friend, I did not focus or think of eating extra calories. I just ate every 2-3 hours a healthy meal. I never had any cravings, I ate super healthy my entire pregnancy and I felt amazing, had tons of energy and only gained 20lbs. My baby was super healthy and still is, I breastfed him for 1 year. And the first time I weighed myself post-partum, I was 3lbs below pre-pregnancy! I owe it all to my OPTIMAL PREGNANCY DIET and MY AWESOME PREGNANCY WORKOUTS.
Here is a SAMPLE of my PREGNANCY DIET:
Breakfast: Bowl of oatmeal & 3-4 egg whites
Mid-Morning Snack: Veggie egg white omelet with avocado and Ezekiel toast or Prego Protein Muffins
Lunch: Chicken Chili with brown rice and roasted vegetables
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Fruit & Cashews or left overs from lunch or last nights dinner
Dinner: Greek Tilapia with Quinoa and Veggies
There were a few times that I would wake up super late at night and couldn't fall back asleep, this was probably the worst thing I did, I would have a warm glass of half milk half water with 1/4 tsp organic unsweetened cocoa powder with a dash of brown sugar and 1 piece of Ezekiel toast. Sometimes I would have a Prego Protein Muffin with my warm milk. For some reason, I would fall right back asleep!
The trick to a great Pregnancy Diet is having lots of healthy options available and making sure that you cook and cook enough food to always have left overs. I always made sure I took food and snacks with me when I was on the run. I would throw some turkey meatballs in a baggie or take a fruit and some nuts or muffins, etc. But I NEVER left the house without food in my purse.
This helped me not have to stop for "bad" food and also kept my energy level high and my blood sugar stable so that I never felt sick. So stock up on some healthy foods and get to cookin' sista and I promise you will have a successful and super fit pregnancy!
Stay tuned for my Prego Protein Muffin Recipe next week.
Need help with your Pregnancy Workouts, check this out, I can help you! You can be a Super Fit Prego if you have awesome workouts and a good pregnancy diet, and of course, commitment. Click on the following link to check out my Pregnancy Workouts.
Check me out on CBS Channel 4 Talking about Pregnancy Nutrition and Pregnancy Workouts