Nutritionist

[MallysMama]

I was just wondering if anyone has seen a nutritionist while being pregnant....and what suggestions they gave you for your diet? With my daughter, I wasn't very healthy and didn't have much energy. Now we're talking of trying for a second baby (since our daughter turns two soon)....and I'm not wanting to feel that way again while pregnant. Any ideas of good foods to eat while pregnant and celiac?

[Melzo]

My very good friend is a nutritionist and she stated that the most important things you can do while pregnant is to drink plenty of water and eat naturally - meaning eat lots of fruits, veggies, and good old meat. Stay away from the high in sugar and salt munchies.

I can tell you - for the last two weeks I have been eating a lot of garbage (cookies, chips) - I can absolutely tell! I feel awful. Just tired, irritable, you know? I need to go back to eating the good stuff because I felt a whole lot better (and had less chance of being glutened as well!).

I guess, just keep it simple and healthy - well rounded meals. Your baby (and you!) need all the nutrients from all the food groups. Keep in mind that you need to increase your calories by 300 - that is also very important. If you don't take in enough calories, you could feel run down, etc...

I wish you luck on trying for your second!! So very exciting!!!

[harrisonsmom]

I agree with that post! I too have a good friend who's a registered dietician and she stresses good nutrition in natural foods and plenty fo water. She herself is due to have a baby in august but is not celiac disease. SHe even had to come to me for info on celiac disease bc it is so unknown even in the nutritionist and medical world. I suggest you eat as healthy as you would not pregnant! When preg u really need few extra calories, it all depends on what you and your oB agree on, often it's only about 400 extra calories and you actually need mroe after the baby is born and you're bfing. If u are trying to conceive,t here are different theories on how foods affect your fertility and indeed a gluten free diet is a tried and true method to gettin pregnant, which u should be anyway!

WHen u do conceive, have some gluten-free crackers (Ener-G makes a good one) on hand to ward off nausea and make sure you stay hydrated and fed to ward off the morning sickness. Just a little snack in between meals is good (and by snack I mean fruit, veggies, good grains, yogurt, etc, not cakes and cookies--gluten-free or not!) No one fully digests Gluten, whether or not they have celiac disease and as a whole america consumse far too much Gluten in our diets, especially bad, refined forms of it. So just eat healthy and remember u are NOT eating for two, you are merely helping nourish your baby. Your baby will get its nourishment, even if that means sapping it from you (hence the extremem exhaustion during pregnancy!) so eat well or your baby will suck up all your nourishment befor eyou can use it!

My very good friend is a nutritionist and she stated that the most important things you can do while pregnant is to drink plenty of water and eat naturally - meaning eat lots of fruits, veggies, and good old meat. Stay away from the high in sugar and salt munchies.

I can tell you - for the last two weeks I have been eating a lot of garbage (cookies, chips) - I can absolutely tell! I feel awful. Just tired, irritable, you know? I need to go back to eating the good stuff because I felt a whole lot better (and had less chance of being glutened as well!).

I guess, just keep it simple and healthy - well rounded meals. Your baby (and you!) need all the nutrients from all the food groups. Keep in mind that you need to increase your calories by 300 - that is also very important. If you don't take in enough calories, you could feel run down, etc...

I wish you luck on trying for your second!! So very exciting!!!

[BRUMI1968]

I'm not a nutritionist, but have seen one, though not while pregnant. Anyway, I thought I would mention the one thing I'm sure is very good for gals who are preggers: dark leafy greens. For example, kale, beet greens, chard, spinach. These are all high in folate, which you need to get ready to have the baby, and which many celiacs are deficient in. Despite the fact that often we think raw foods are healthier than cooked, these foods contain oxalates, which are decreased when cooked, which is good. Oxalates can, though don't usually, contribute to gallstones and the like.

Anyway, I eat a ton of sauteed greens -- they are in season right now so it is easy.

I chop them up and wash them.

Then sautee some leek or shallot in some olive oil

Once those are soft, I add the greens

I toss them about in the hot pan (very hot pan by this point) for only about two minutes

Then you can squeeze some lemon on them.

Salt/pepper.

Yum.

(I actually eat this for breakfast with poached eggs, but I'm unclear if eggs are particularly good for pregnant women.)

[MallysMama]

Thanks you three for your suggestions! I'm not very good at eating healthy to begin with - so it's always a challenge to do better when pregnant. (I've always said that I can deal with not having flour - it's the sugar I'd really miss!) I have been making sure I take a prenatal vitamin everyday though...so the days I don't do so well on nutrition are at least backed up by those vitamins. I guess I need to go stock up more on fruits and veggies... do canned peaches count? frozen corn? Thanks for the dark greens suggestion - however I about gagged just thinking of those you listed... I'm a really picky eater - still haven't "grown up", I guess, when it comes to some foods! haha! Thanks though!!

[lindalee]

I'm not a nutritionist, but have seen one, though not while pregnant. Anyway, I thought I would mention the one thing I'm sure is very good for gals who are preggers: dark leafy greens. For example, kale, beet greens, chard, spinach. These are all high in folate, which you need to get ready to have the baby, and which many celiacs are deficient in. Despite the fact that often we think raw foods are healthier than cooked, these foods contain oxalates, which are decreased when cooked, which is good. Oxalates can, though don't usually, contribute to gallstones and the like.

Anyway, I eat a ton of sauteed greens -- they are in season right now so it is easy.

I chop them up and wash them.

Then sautee some leek or shallot in some olive oil

Once those are soft, I add the greens

I toss them about in the hot pan (very hot pan by this point) for only about two minutes

Then you can squeeze some lemon on them.

Salt/pepper.

Yum.

(I actually eat this for breakfast with poached eggs, but I'm unclear if eggs are particularly good for pregnant women.)

I am going to fix this looks yummy! LL