I've been pretty quiet for the past couple of months. I apologize for my lack of posting, but we have some very exciting news to share. I am currently 14.5 weeks pregnant!! My hubby and I are so excited and look forward to having a little one running around the house in January! This is our first child, so our families are so excited and have been so supportive. We couldn't be more blessed or thankful for wonderful friends and family.
I wanted to share with all of you the many road blocks I have encountered eating Paleo while struggling through my first trimester of pregnancy. I will openly say that I have drank chocolate milk, had Goldfish crackers, consumed ice cream and even. . . dare I say. . . . ate gluten. I know, a true sin in the world of Paleo. I thought the earth would break open and a force would cast me into the deep hell of gluten, sugar and dairy. What actually happened was way less severe. A minor tummy ache and a sugar rush, but I managed to cope with these side effects. These side effects were way better than not eating anything at all. A funny thing happens in pregnancy, all those wonderfully delicious and healthy foods that you just couldn't imagine living without pre-pregnancy, become disgusting to the very sensitive nose of a pregnant chick. My morning omelet left me dry heaving in the kitchen and those yummy vinegar cucumbers I love so much made my stomach turnover. It was INCREDIBLY frustrating. Not only was I nauseous from the smells of typical Paleo food, I was exhausted. Instead of not eating anything, I would snack on very bland food for the energy that I so desperately needed. I made sure to eat fruit and try to put veggies on my plate for dinner and lunch. I ate bland oatmeal for breakfast with lots of berries. I also whipped up some green shakes to sneak in more veggies with some fruit. I bought some almond milk to increase my calcium intake as well. This combination of foods seemed to do the trick.
Now that I am out of my first trimester, I am slowly adding in more meats and veggies. Protein is very important in the second trimester, as the baby is developing. I was worried about not eating enough protein. This weekend, the hubby and I went out to breakfast and I ordered some scrambled eggs. The smell and the taste of those eggs were wonderful! I was so excited that my body was able to handle those little golden nuggets of nutrition. I will be making my very delicious egg muffin recipe tonight, so I can enjoy my morning eggs. (here is the link to that recipe http://thepaleothlete.blogspot.com/2013/09/breakfast-egg-muffins.html ) I couldn't be more excited!
My first trimester also left me unable to run. Due to a minor complication (I won't bore you with the details) my doctor did not want me running. This was a huge blow to me. Running is such an integral part of who I am. I couldn't imagine not running or, more importantly, being told I CAN'T run. My doc did give me the clearance to keep doing my weekly yoga sessions and I could use the elliptical. I guess being on a machine was better than not getting in any cardio at all. I suffered through those elliptical workouts, but I just made sure to envision myself running with my dog, Obi Wan, in the near future. Luckily, I now have the clearance to go out and run. I didn't ask the doctor how far I could run, since I didn't want to be limited. :) But, my pregnancy body is way different than my non-pregnancy body. I slogged through 4 miles and it took every bit of strength to keep moving. I was tired, out of breath and slow. I made sure to stay within a very leisurely exertion zone, since you don't want your body temperature to rise too drastically. When I got home, I felt INCREDIBLE! I was so happy to be able to run after 7 weeks. Even though I'm slower and more out of breath than I ever have been, I am back to running. It makes me feel good that I am doing something healthy for not only me, but also my baby.
If you are currently pregnant and Paleo food is not agreeing with your body, don't sweat it! The most important thing, is that you are getting the appropriate amount of NUTRITION for you and your baby. The nausea and morning sickness will eventually subside and you will be back to eating eggs before you know it! :)
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