This is for all the pregnant moms out there! I am going to be sharing diet and supplement tips for an optimal pregnancy.
For Nausea
During the first couple of months, nausea can get the best of you. A dietary tip to help battle this is drinking ginger tea with lemon throughout the day. I actually added some apple cider vinegar to the mix and this helped as well. Taking 25mg of Vitamin B6 three times a day can also help prevent nausea; it is in a commonly prescribed anti-nausea medication called diclegis. Just adding in a dose of Vitamin B6 before bedtime helped reduce my morning sickness.
It’s a known tip that eating a couple of crackers right when you wake up can help with morning sickness. However, recent studies show having some protein is a better option. Try drinking a morning shake (UltraMeal Advanced Protein) or get in at least 10-20 grams of protein for breakfast. When you go too long without eating, nausea can be a problem, so keep healthy protein snacks with you at all times.
For Constipation
With the increase in hormones, constipation is a common problem during pregnancy. Taking magnesium nightly can help you fall asleep and keep your bowels regular. Try 200-400mg of Magnesium glycinate nightly or Magnesium CALM powder. As a side note, this can also help with those painful leg cramps! In addition, take a daily probiotic with at least 20-30 billion CFUs and keep rotating brands every bottle. This will keep your microbiome diverse for normal digestion. They say your gut health affects how the baby’s digestion will be.
Make it a goal to get 25-35 grams of fiber per day. Here are some foods with fiber:
1/2 cup black beans: 10 g
4 oz pistachios: 6.5 g
1 pear, unpeeled: 7 g
1 oz almonds: 3.5 g
1 cup raspberries: 8 g
½ medium avocado: 5 g
3 cups popcorn: 3.6 g
For ‘Pregnancy Brain’
Omega 3’s fatty acids are important for baby’s brain function as well as mommy’s. Take a supplement with at least 500mg of DHA in it. An optimal Omega 3 EPA/DHA dosage is 2,000-3,000mg total daily. To help get to this amount you can add healthy fats in your diet such as coconut oil, olive oil, fish, walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds. Whenever I added a tablespoon of MCT coconut oil to my shakes in the morning, I felt an immediate brain boost!
For Fatigue
You should already be taking a prenatal with some B vitamins in it. I would take an extra B complex with methylated B vitamins like EastWest® Boost. This will help give you energy, especially during the first trimester when fatigue is most common. Your OB/GYN will check your iron or ferritin level. If it is low, they may want you to add an extra iron supplement. I recommend taking Iron glycinate (Reacted Iron) with some Vitamin C to help with absorption.
Eat a well balanced diet, high in protein and low sugar. And as I mentioned earlier, make sure you eat something with protein every 3-4 hours to maintain a normal blood-sugar level. Overall your daily intake of protein should equal 70 grams a day. Lastly, try drinking some electrolyte water throughout the day.
I hope you find these tips helpful to get you through some of the most common pregnancy symptoms!
