My Thoughts on a Healthy Pregnancy
*Note - this post was written 4 years ago, but my advice remains the same today*
In one short month, we will meet our new little bella! As the day approaches, I have to say that this pregnancy has been pretty dreamy. I still have quite a bit of energy and have not met face to face with the swelling & stretch mark monster...yet. Now, I know there are those girls who despite their habits go on to be "all belly"....the Georgina Burns of the world, if you will.
I however, attribute my good little pregnancy on several key things and I thought today I'd give my 2 cents on the matter. I've had a couple of requests for a post like this so I hope you will find value in it ... I encourage your thoughts & questions so please drop me a comment at the end.
We've all been a bit brainwashed by the whole
'you're eating for two'
and
'this is your time to indulge'
ways of looking at pregnancy.
When I was pregnant with Chloe, I was still very active right up until the end, but my food intake was completely different a few years ago. I was eating a mostly vegetarian diet back then (made the switch to a vegan diet right after Chloe was born), but I didn't look at food through the lens I do now. And I did my share of indulging ;) My career at the time also had me on the road quite a bit and my food choices were always on the go and not the most nutritious.
Fast forward to the game changing moment of having my first child. What immediately struck me was the responsability I now had to this precious little girl to give her the best shot at this life. I buried my head in any sort of media that would educate me on the healthiest diets & ways of living that would give her the healthiest start. This led us to change to a plant based diet and we've kind of never looked back.
During my maternity leave, I decided to finally pursue my deep passion for health by becoming a personal trainer and studying to become a holistic nutritionist. I said goodbye to my 12 year run in the corporate world and knew that I was right where I needed to be.
As my interests will continue to expand into different certifications etc down the road, I have a burning desire to inspire & influence other mothers & ultimately the "systems" that will affect our kids' health as they grow up.
When we decided to start trying for babe #2, I can't say there was much trying involved at all. My health was in the best state I had ever been in and we conceived immediately. (I was almost a year getting pregnant with Chloe)
If you participated in my
at the start of the year, you kinda know what I'm all about.
{Example of one of the Challenges}
Through practicing the daily habits I shared with you - in my own life, my body was perfectly primed to have another baby.
I don't think enough focus is placed on how important this is when it comes to having a healthy pregnancy (& conceiving in general).
There is no better time to get your health on track then when you are planning to have a baby.
When I think about the key things I attribute my health to this pregnancy, it would be these 5:
As far as Supplements go, it's really important you are using a brand you know you can trust for putting the highest quality ingredients in.
or the image below to learn more about the supplements I use + recommend:
As you know, I'm a firm believer in a daily salad & smoothie cause they're the easiest ways to pack a ton of nutritional punch. Here are my favourite pregnancy recipes:
Pregnancy Recipes:
{each item below will link you up to the recipe}
Kale is the King of Greens: containing 45 different flavonoids and off the charts with VIT A,C & K. Everything else in this salad is so high in vitamins & minerals that your blood will be buzzing!
: I make grain based salad every week that contains quinoa for iron/protein, chopped sweet potatoes for Vit A,C & B6, Chickpeas for Protein & Folic, Soaked almonds for Calcium & Iron, Pumpkin Seeds for Zinc & Iron, Spinach for Folic Acid & Iron, Avocado for Good Fats, Folic & VitC, and serve it up with a little Braggs Soy Sauce & Turmeric. Nourishingly good!!
: Having this every morning on an empty stomach will take that pregnancy glow up a thousand notches!! A great & easy way to get your greens and vitamins/minerals in every day!
I have this every day after my workout or in the afternoon to curb cravings. Lots of calcium, iron & protein hitting the blender.
To growing healthy babes + healthy mamas...
xx
