Food Glorious Food

Whispered

Like most of you I'm sure I've a very love hate relationship with food at the moment. I'm finding it incredibly hard to prepare any food at all, handling it makes me feel ill - on a bad day it's impossible for me to open the fridge. If I don't have to do too much preparation, I'm usually ok to eat the food. The "I need to eat NOW" urgency gets me as well.

So what do you find easy to prepare? What's your go-to snack? Any tips or suggestions for people?

I've been buying frozen mash - no peeling, mashing, messing about with butter (bleugh) and you still get nice fluffy mash. I throw in a half tin of beans and have a very easy dinner with relatively healthy ingredients in five minutes. If I'm feeling up to it I'll have a quorn sausage or an egg to up the protein.

It's really easy to use for a quick cottage pie too. I'd be lost without it to be honest.

Raw broccoli and Philadelphia cheese - really quick, really fresh and nicely crunchy. Lovely with some hazelnuts and baby leaf spinach thrown in if my stomach can handle it, or nice on a slice of bread.

Porridge - I add Linwoods flaxseed with nuts which makes it delicious and more nutrition added. With a spoon of honey it's lovely.

I know these are not the healthiest things I could be eating, but at the moment they are the healthiest things I can keep down. I need to up my protein I feel, but find protein food very very rich and heavy when I eat them so I'm struggling with that.

What have you been eating, do you find it hard to eat certain foods and what tricks or tips do you have for maximising the nutrition you get from the food you can eat.

Synyster Shadow

With my first I ate mash and veg all frozen and sour green apples (craving even when sick) I also loved banshee bones and meanies to snack on.. When sickness left I loved salty chips

On number 2 I could not touch veg until sickness passed but loved cereal.. Then when sickness left salty chips too..

Could not have fish with either and 7 weeks on still not tried..

Yesterday had a craving for sour green apples which freaked me out (need a break from pregnancy)

Synyster Shadow

Oh and welcome to the pregnancy forum..

Whispered

Thanks

Synyster Shadow wrote: »

With my first I ate mash and veg all frozen and sour green apples (craving even when sick) I also loved banshee bones and meanies to snack on.. When sickness left I loved salty chips

On number 2 I could not touch veg until sickness passed but loved cereal.. Then when sickness left salty chips too..

Could not have fish with either and 7 weeks on still not tried..

Yesterday had a craving for sour green apples which freaked me out (need a break from pregnancy)

Earlier on I was eating packets and packets of chipsticks. Cereal is a safe one for me too actually - that must be a common one. Green apples are nice at the time but I usually feel sick after eating them. I've been loving the sour apple chewits

Did you feel like you were missing out not being able to eat veg? I'm feeling pretty guilty about my diet - like I'm not eating all the nutrients I should be. It's so hard though!

I'd love to like salty chips again. Hopefully the sickness should be leaving soon (I'm 14 weeks) so I can get back to eating properly. It's costing a fortune to buy everything ready made.

You say you couldn't have fish for either - did that last your whole pregnancy? Does food aversion last for the whole thing :eek:

Isolt

I was the same early on with the need to eat salty crisps. When my morning sickness was really bad I could only really stomach hot lips and lucozade. I'd have probably died without them

I've noticed nausea returning the last few days (at 24 weeks) and I've read that it's not uncommon to have it return temporarily throughout pregnancy. All the foods that haunted me in the first trimester are back bothering me again! Boo.

Synyster Shadow

I couldn't eat garlic or fish with Jack the whole way through but after 16 weeks I ate everything elsr except spicy

With Lucy after 16 weeks I could eat veg but still no fish.. She loved spicy food and garlic..

They can differ alot or not at all but both times sickness left at 16 weeks with him its was 24-7 with her on and off all day

Loved fizzy water normal madee sicker

Cameoette

I don't think a single green leafy vegetable has passed my lips since becoming pregnant. Veg in general has been challenging, but I can stomach carrots, peas and sweetcorn now (I'm 29 weeks).

Cereal was and still is my best friend, all kinds, especially slightly sugary ones, or porridge with fruit, yoghurt and maple syrup. In the first trimester I found I could only stomach breakfast or brunchy foods- like french toast and berries and yoghurts...that kind of thing! For me, my food aversions have lasted the whole time. I love sour things right now, grapefruits, sour jellies, sour apples. PB on toast is the only nutty thing I like now, before I would be a big nut person. Fruit scones really helped me get through the first few months too.

Before pregnancy I was a demon for avocados and now the thoughts of them- argh!

I have stopped feeling guilty about my diet, I really beat myself up for ages about it, but it was pointless; I was buying in greens and they were just left sitting on my plate while I tried to force one mouthful into me! From what I've read, baby will take everything it needs from your reserves and it's you who will suffer more nutrition-wise so I'm looking forward to the return of the vegetable after I have the baby. Seen as the one healthy thing I can eat seems to be fruit I'm trying to make the most of that craving!

Jerrica

Cameoette wrote: »

I don't think a single green leafy vegetable has passed my lips since becoming pregnant. Veg in general has been challenging, but I can stomach carrots, peas and sweetcorn now (I'm 29 weeks).

Cereal was and still is my best friend, all kinds, especially slightly sugary ones, or porridge with fruit, yoghurt and maple syrup. In the first trimester I found I could only stomach breakfast or brunchy foods- like french toast and berries and yoghurts...that kind of thing! For me, my food aversions have lasted the whole time. I love sour things right now, grapefruits, sour jellies, sour apples. PB on toast is the only nutty thing I like now, before I would be a big nut person. Fruit scones really helped me get through the first few months too.

Before pregnancy I was a demon for avocados and now the thoughts of them- argh!

We could actually be food preference twins The only thing we differ on is avocado, I still love the stuff, but I too have gone from being a very respectable veg eater to almost dry heaving if broccoli or something similar is put in front of me. I think it's the texture of it more than anything.

I'm getting a little better now though (34 weeks) as my stomach prefers to handle smaller meals and my carb heavy diet isn't sitting well with me anymore, so I'm tending towards eating salads. More often than not that translates to a fruit salad, but no harm in starting to get the dates and pineapple into me to ripen up the cervix

The one thing I haven't been able to stomach since Day 1 is beef. Oh God, even the thought of it

Cameoette

Jerrica wrote: »

We could actually be food preference twins The only thing we differ on is avocado, I still love the stuff, but I too have gone from being a very respectable veg eater to almost dry heaving if broccoli or something similar is put in front of me. I think it's the texture of it more than anything.

Yeah I think it's a texture thing too! Brrrr. I'm mad into the beef though, like steak- but only in the last few weeks.

Whispered: I'm so impressed with the broccoli with cream cheese and hazelnut snack. If I could eat that I would! It sounds like you're not doing too bad at all, sorry to hear you feel so sick over protein though..my friend said that she heard that protein was meant to help alleviate the worst of morning sickness, but I think it really depends on the person- for me it was sugar!

You know, I don't think I've ever met anyone who had a balanced diet when they were pregnant. In an ideal world we'd be eating all the right things a la the 'first 1000 days' campaign but when the reality is keeping my carbs down to give me enough energy to get through the day, versus hurling my salad everywhere, I just have to go with what the body is telling me to do

Whispered

Cameoette wrote: »

I have stopped feeling guilty about my diet, I really beat myself up for ages about it, but it was pointless; I was buying in greens and they were just left sitting on my plate while I tried to force one mouthful into me! From what I've read, baby will take everything it needs from your reserves and it's you who will suffer more nutrition-wise so I'm looking forward to the return of the vegetable after I have the baby. Seen as the one healthy thing I can eat seems to be fruit I'm trying to make the most of that craving!

That's it - the amount of wasted food I "should" be eating while I'm sending my husband down to the shops for crisps or donuts is crazy. There is no point, so I started with the ready meals and stuff. Less waste now, but still not much improvement in the diet

Cameoette wrote: »

Whispered: I'm so impressed with the broccoli with cream cheese and hazelnut snack. If I could eat that I would! It sounds like you're not doing too bad at all, sorry to hear you feel so sick over protein though..my friend said that she heard that protein was meant to help alleviate the worst of morning sickness, but I think it really depends on the person- for me it was sugar!

You know, I don't think I've ever met anyone who had a balanced diet when they were pregnant. In an ideal world we'd be eating all the right things a la the 'first 1000 days' campaign but when the reality is keeping my carbs down to give me enough energy to get through the day, versus hurling my salad everywhere, I just have to go with what the body is telling me to do

Sugar - yes! And sour things. In the coombe they are doing a nutritional study for the first 1000 days so I was asked to fill in my food diary for the previous 4 day. It was awful haha.

Sweet_pea

I had terrible morning sickness right the way through my pregnancy (including puking all through the labor!). My diet became very carb heavy as a result. Lots of mashed potatoes (can't bear to even look at them now!) And toast.

I can verify that the baby will get what it needs as have a very strong, healthy five month old in front of me but I have to say the bad diet has definitely taken a toll on my own body. I'm only just getting back to my normal healthy diet in the last couple of months but in all it was prob a whole year of very little veg / very carb heavy. I did take pregnancy vitiams which may at least have helped iron levels.

I have no answer for this as I know it's so easy for me to say try and eat more healthy as you'll regret it on the other side. But I also remember being so sick that I would puke at the thought of food and if I found something that would stay down than I would eat it.

j@utis

Whispered wrote: »

<...>
I've been buying frozen mash - no peeling, mashing, messing about with butter (bleugh) and you still get nice fluffy mash. <...>

Bleugh for butter?! :eek: Are you f*g serious?! there's no meal that can't be improved with a pat of butter. I eat butter on its own. Food of gods

I've never got sick since beginning of my pregnancy but my appetite comes and goes: I'm either ravenous or eat just because I know I have to. More the first one though, hence +12kg.
I have an aversion to two food stuffs: chocolate and nuts. I used to love good dark chocolate before getting pregnant but now it just doesn't taste nice at all. I started eating nuts again only a couple weeks ago (I'm 33wks tomorrow).

Overall my diet is very good. I eat very little of junk and this only comes in form of ice-cream (about a tub per week). I'm eating loads of veg, red meats, full fat dairy, loads of fruit (even too much of this tree candy!). I've been watching my calorie intake and macros on cronometer.com for a while now and even with my good diet (in my opinion) I'm still struggling to get all the vitamins and minerals required. Iron & calcium intake is very hard to get up to 100% of DV from the diet alone. I don't even want to know what living on potato mash alone does to your body. I don't want to see my hair or teeth falling out, no but thanks!

I know baby should take whatever it needs from my body but my health is very very very important to me and I'm doing my best to take care of it. After all my baby needs happy and healthy mommy

Whispered

I like the taste of butter, I don't mind buttering bread, but melting it makes me heave.

j@utis wrote: »

Overall my diet is very good. I eat very little of junk and this only comes in form of ice-cream (about a tub per week). I'm eating loads of veg, red meats, full fat dairy, loads of fruit (even too much of this tree candy!). I've been watching my calorie intake and macros on cronometer.com for a while now and even with my good diet (in my opinion) I'm still struggling to get all the vitamins and minerals required. Iron & calcium intake is very hard to get up to 100% of DV from the diet alone. I don't even want to know what living on potato mash alone does to your body. I don't want to see my hair or teeth falling out, no but thanks!

See even reading about icecream, red meat, and full fat dairy makes me feel sick! Your diet does sound pretty good though.

I do feel there is a lot of pressure on people to eat the "right things", I know I feel guilty about not being able to eat certain foods. Even though I know I can't help it at the moment.

Isolt

I've been craving chicken wings and ice cream ALL day. It won't go away!

Cameoette

oh man chicken wings. There's a restaurant near my mam's house that deep fries them and rolls them in Frank's hot sauce. I tried to recreate them at home with disgusting results. Ended up going to the restaurant and getting them last week, good times.

Whispered, just seen you're 14 weeks. Just to give you a bit of hope, my diet is less insane now at 29 weeks than it was in the 1st and 2nd trimester! Regarding getting enough protein, how are you with cold meats or do they make you sick too? When I was a bit iffy about meat (especially cooked with dinner) I used to go to m&s and get their 3 for €8 deli meat things, just cause I really like them, and some days it was the only way to get the protein in. My iron is at 11 which midwives seem happy enough with. Nut butters if you can stomach them might be good on something plain like crackers?

Isolt: hot lips and lucozade are a combo I would find tough to resist right now!

Whispered

I'm vegetarian Cameoette and the idea of eating meat would make me sick. I'm doing ok with legumes, whole grains, nuts and meat substitutes. Eggs are a tough one, if I don't cook it I can eat it. Anything that feels oily or rich is tough too, so cheese is out unless it's in a dish or again served to me (I can't cut it off a block).

I got my bloods done on thursday so it will be interesting to see what they have to say.

That's a great idea about M&S, they have a nice selection and for me it's a treat so that might make me more likely to eat stuff. Thanks for the tip!

One really handy recipe I use when feeling sick is a quorn cottage pie. Because you don't have to do much bar assemble the raw ingredients and bake there is very little prep so I can eat it. I'm slowly getting my appetite back. I managed to eat peas yesterday woooo \o/

Isolt - chicken wings and ice cream together?

Isolt

Whispered wrote: »

Isolt - chicken wings and ice cream together?

Spicy chicken wings with blue cheese dip (pasteurized) and a huuuge icy drink. And then ice cream after.

comongethappy

I've gone off chocolate, only a small piece now and then. I hate strong smells of onion and garlic, but if I don't smell it too strongly I can eat it. I love fruit, and my strong craving at the moment is still lemonade or anything lemon /lime. Does no favours for my reflux though, and I had to cut down from the litre a day I was consuming as my weight started to jump!

Whispered

oooooooooh lemons and limes are so great. Oranges too.

EDIT: D'ya know what I've been doing and it's a great help I find. When I'm feeling good at home I'm meal planning and doing up a shopping list on the PC. Then dividing the list by aisle so it means when I go into the supermarket and the wave of nausea hits me (as it usually does when faced with food choices) I can just run through grabbing things from the list and not having to think about what dish I'm using them in. I've never been an organised shopper - but it helps!