Abdominal Discomfort: How to Eat When There’s No Room

Abdominal Discomfort: How to Eat When There’s No Room

August 1st, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

As your baby grows, the uterus will start to put more pressure on the organs in your abdomen, and this can lead to a great deal of discomfort. The pressure on your bladder will have you running for the bathroom regularly, while the baby pressing against your stomach can make it hard to eat.

Although that pressure might make it feel like there is just no room for food, you do still need to eat. Your body needs extra calories during pregnancy, not less, so skipping meals is never a good idea. When the pressure is at its worst, the last thing you want to do is to attempt to put food in your stomach, but for your health and your baby’s growth, you will have to find a way. Although there is no way to completely stop the feeling of pressure, there are ways to prevent eating from making it worse.

Split Up Your Meals

Instead of eating 3 meals a day, split them into 6 or even more. Eating much smaller portions will make it easier to get the food down, and your body will have time to digest before you attempt to eat more. Make sure that you are still getting all the required servings of each of the food groups, just split those portions into smaller ones.

Eating smaller meals will not only keep your stomach from feeling too stuffed, it will also help you to maintain steady levels of energy throughout the day. In fact, many dieticians recommend this method even when there isn’t a baby sitting on your stomach.

Balance What is on Your Plate

Make sure that you aren’t eating meals that are too heavy on the really filling foods like high-fiber choices. You do need that fiber, but you should break it up throughout the day. Breakfast is often a high-fiber meal, so try to take some of those foods out of your breakfast meal and move them to other parts of the day. Or, make breakfast two separate meals.

Choose Your Timing Wisely

You might feel a lot more pressure at certain times of the day. If you work a desk job, sitting for long periods can make the abdomen feel cramped. In the morning the pressure might be lessened since you have been lying down and the baby may have shifted away from the stomach. Take advantage of times when the pressure isn’t so bad to fit in a good meal. If you are feeling like you don’t want to eat, but know you should, try taking a short walk to see if it helps the pressure, If not, choose something that won’t be too heavy in your stomach. A smoothie is a great choice for nutrition that won’t leave you feeling super full. If you really can’t eat, at least have something nutritious to drink, such as milk or fruit juice to keep you going.

Towards the end of the pregnancy, when the baby is really taking up all of the available space in your abdomen, eating may become an even greater challenge. The good news is you are nearing the end. Soon you will have your abdomen back, albeit a little changed. After all the challenges of eating during pregnancy, from the nausea early on to the incredible pressure of a baby on your stomach, you can look forward to enjoying a meal again very soon!

Food Aversions in Pregnancy

Food Aversions in Pregnancy

July 30th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Many pregnant women will experience some sort of food aversion. Sometimes the aversion is so strong that the woman can not even stand the sight or smell of the food in question. Just like cravings, aversions generally occur in the first trimester, although the dislike of the food in question may continue well into the pregnancy, the response should become milder.

Aversions are normal, and generally can be blamed on the hormones that are running wild in a pregnant woman’s body, especially in that first trimester. While they are nothing to worry about, they do often cause pregnant women to miss out on foods that provide much-needed nutrition. If you are experiencing an aversion to a healthy food, or even an entire food group, you don’t have to choke it down. Just make sure you fill the nutritional gap in your diet with other healthy foods that supply the same nutrients.

Some of the most common food aversions are to foods like dairy, eggs, meat, and green vegetables. These are all important to a healthy and balanced pregnancy diet. Fortunately, with a little effort you can replace the nutrients found in these foods with other choices.

Skipping the Dairy Case

If it’s just milk you can’t stand, you have a number of other dairy choices to fill the void, such as cheese and yogurt. But if your aversion extends to all things made with milk, you will have to turn to some other foods to make up the difference. Hopefully you aren’t also turned off by leafy green vegetables such as spinach, as they are a great source of calcium. You can also choose calcium-fortified orange juice, and add a supplement just to be safe.

Temporarily Vegetarian

Meat is a very common culprit in food aversions, but it’s also an important source of protein and iron. If it’s just red meat, turn to poultry and fish. If you can’t bear those either, you can meet your needs by adding legumes, beans, and soy products to your diet. Again, an iron supplement might be a good idea, since it is such a vital nutrient during pregnancy. You might also find an aversion to eggs accompanies your dislike of meat, but if not, they are a great source of protein as well.

Turning Green

When those healthy green vegetables are the last thing you want to think about putting into your mouth, you are unfortunately missing out on a great source of nutrition. Make up for them by eating a wide variety of the fruits and veggies you can stomach. You can also try hiding the greens in other foods. Add finely chopped greens to pasta sauces or soups, and you probably won’t even realize they are there. If you can’t trick yourself, ask someone else to do it for you. If you don’t know where the offensive food is hidden, you might not be so bothered by it.

Food aversions can be annoying, especially when they involve foods you may have really enjoyed prior to your pregnancy. The good news is they will likely fade as the pregnancy progresses. As long as you make smart changes to your diet to replace the nutrients from the foods you can’t stand, your food aversions will remain just an annoyance and not a problem for your baby.

Healthy Snacks to Beat Afternoon Hunger

Healthy Snacks to Beat Afternoon Hunger

July 29th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

When afternoon hunger strikes and you are stuck at work, it can be all too easy to turn to a vending machine full of junk food. When you are pregnant, however, it becomes even more vital that you avoid the urge and turn to a healthy snack instead. If you plan ahead and have a convenient, delicious and nutrient-packed snack handy, you will find it much easier to skip the junk.

When you are planning for your afternoon snack at work, try to choose a snack that will keep you full until dinner. Include protein and fiber, and avoid snacks that provide only simple carbs. A snack high in sugar will not keep you feeling full for long, and may cause a crash that will contribute to that afternoon feeling of fatigue. So skip that tempting chocolate bar and go for one of these snack options instead. They will give you sustained energy that lasts for the rest of your work day, and won’t have you looking for another snack.

Fresh Fruits and Veggies

Snacks that include fruits and veggies are a great option. They are portable, healthy, and when combined with the right foods can provide the fiber and protein combination that will prevent you from being hungry again in an hour.

Try apple or pear slices with a cup of low fat vanilla yogurt for dipping. The yogurt will provide the protein, while apples and pears are high in fiber and lower in sugar than some other fruits. Many grocery stores sell pre-sliced apples which can be very convenient if you are short on time.

Pair celery sticks with peanut butter for a tasty, crunchy snack. The peanut butter provides both fiber and protein, a double benefit. You can also enjoy other fresh veggies such as carrots and broccoli along with your celery for more nutrition and more filling fiber.

Go Nuts

Instead of cheese and crackers, pair a few slices of cheese with a handful of nuts like almonds for a satisfying snack that will keep you going until dinner. A trail mix that combines dried fruits with nuts is another perfect afternoon snack. Make up a batch at home and then divide it into small plastic bags. They will be easy to grab on the go, and also make sure that you don’t overeat – this type of snack makes it all too easy to keep eating!

Use some caution when choosing nuts however, as some that have been salted may contain high levels of sodium.

Choose Whole Grains

A whole grain bagel, English muffin, or even toast topped with peanut or almond butter is another great afternoon snack choice. These foods aren’t just good for breakfast! Any of them will provide lots of fiber, and once again peanut butter comes to the rescue to add flavor and protein.

Another great snack mix idea: mix together a whole grain cereal like Cheerios with some raisins and low-salt pretzels for a delicious combination of flavors that will kill your afternoon hunger quickly.

Keep some of these snack options ready at your desk at all times. Those that don’t require refrigeration are easy to keep handy so you can reach for one even if hunger hits when you are too busy to leave your desk. Smart snacking will keep your body fueled throughout the day and avoid empty calories.

Tips for Happy Eating

Tips for Happy Eating

February 22nd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Mealtime should be one of joy and fun – not harping or frustration. To keep mealtimes happy, you should approach each with a sense of fun, not duty. Helping your baby reach his nutritional requirements should be fun – not work.

Prepare and Focus

Prepare all of the necessary items beforehand so that you can focus on your child exclusively during the meal. It’s distracting to be hopping up and down for a missing spoon or bib while trying to bond and enjoy your baby over a dish of applesauce.

Eat as a Family

Nothing will please your baby more than to eat with the family. Pull the high chair up to the table and have your child sit alongside his siblings or with just his parents as they eat each meal of the day. If you aren’t able to feed your baby while eating yourself, you can feed him before dinner and then allow him to sample mashed table foods or play with a cup of water during the actual meal – he’ll simply enjoy being around family. As he starts eating finger foods, eating with the family will become much easier, and it’s nice to have the routine already established.

Never Force

You should never force your children to eat anything. Provide only healthy options for snacks and meals and allow them to eat what they want, when they want. A snack should be small with larger servings of different foods at mealtimes, but grazing, or eating small meals frequently, is perfectly normal for children and many adults. Making food a battleground simply removes any pleasure from the meal all together. If your child is being obstinate about eating any food at all at mealtimes, allow him to go hungry until the next normal meal or snack and serve him a normal portion then. Unless there is a medial issue or he’s filling up on unhealthy snacks, he’ll eat when he’s hungry and forcing it won’t truly help matters.

Make Food Fun

To make mealtimes fun, you should focus on making food fun as well. Have your older toddler help in the kitchen. Older children can make entire dishes on their own and toddlers can help with stirring or adding ingredients. Letting your child help prepare the food makes it much more fun and interesting to eat. Arranging the food colorfully on the plate is also greatly entertaining for children – even adults love eating pancakes designed like smiling faces.

Pay Attention to Signals

Your nonverbal child will send you signals that he is filling up or is no longer interested in his meal. When he starts playing with his food or throwing it on the ground, he’s not hungry enough to eat it and you can remove a source of frustration by taking his plate and offering him a toy to play with instead. This allows him to stay at the table with the rest of the family, but you won’t have to scramble to clean up a huge mess at every meal.