Daniel, my husband, and I are doing the Whole30 diet in January...not because it is a new year's resolution, but because a local friend of mine is doing it at this time and running a support group for it and it happens to be in January. Also, I'm off right now for maternity leave in December, so I feel like I can shop and prep for it way better right now, than when I'm working. Obviously, while I'm doing the program, I'll be working, but at least I'll be prepared first :)
How will I do this diet? It is a very strict diet. Most of my food will be purchased from BJ's Wholesale and my local flea market that has an organic produce section. I will be cooking most of my food in cast iron skillets, in my dutch oven, crock pot, cookie sheet, and glass Pyrex casserole pans. I'll be preparing MOST of the food in 4+ servings - 2 for my husband and I to eat for dinner, and 2 servings to go in our lunch croc-pots for lunch the next day - especially because I work Tuesdays and Wednesdays and I'll need to have something ready made that I don't need to take time to prepare. (Samuel, the 3 year old, eats small portions of our food, and he'll still have cheese and other normal parts of his diet) I'll also be cooking/prepping all on Saturday and Sunday. I have a newborn and a high-needs 3 year old, so I need all the help my husband can offer. Monday-Wednesday dinners will be mostly croc-pot style meals, Thursday - Sunday will be quick and easy meals. I LOVE cooking (it's actually my job) and I have a wealth (literally) of organic, non-irradiated spices in my home that I've been purchasing for the last few years - so I might make something with something you don't have readily available. You will need a sharp knife, good cutting board, blender, food processor, spiralizer, and a mandolin would be helpful...I don't have one, but I wish I did :(
Why are we doing such a strict diet, for only 30 days? Daniel will be basically 100% Whole30. (Disclaimer: I won't be 100% into it. I will be keeping oats to help keep my breastmilk supply sustained. My infant is going to be about 7 weeks when we take the plunge and formula isn't an option.) The reasoning behind me selecting such a diet for us is pretty simple - we need, especially Daniel, to starve out the bad bacteria in the gut that gear towards craving sugar, train the brain and pancreas to not need or want an insulin spike with every meal. This is basically the only diet that does that, while keeping you full, and doesn't require crazy shakes, juicing, etc and maintains a high protein content. I want to eat well, I want Daniel and Samuel to eat well, and this seems to be the best of all the worlds :-P And thanks to the blogging health community, finding Whole30 compliant recipes is insanely easy...my mouth watered the whole time I was looking up recipes on Pinterest.
What is the Whole30 diet? It is basically whole foods, for 30 days. It is also no: grain, soy, dairy, legumes, additives (MSG, carageenan, etc.), refined and artificial sugars...its basically quality fats, proteins, veggies, and fruits. It is sorta like jumping in the deep end of the paleo diet...Paleo does do substitutions - like you can have almond flour bread, or food sweetened with maple syrup. Whole30 encourages you NOT to do those things...because you are training your body to not need or want those things in your foods and drinks anymore. Here are the official rules. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are allowed(they are technically veggies!), however...so I'm very thankful, as an English-Scotswoman...I know that I will not starve, because...potatoes. And it's only for 30 days ya'll...we've spent well over 30 years eating whatever junk we want...we can give...no, we can TREAT our body to the break of eating nutritiously for a solid month...we're stubborn adults...we.can.do.this.
So with Jesus, a little will-power, my more-than-capable cooking skills, and a pinch of luck, we will be spending our January transforming our health.
So, let's start with breakfast:
Breakfast cups: I'm going to mix spaghetti squash and a little shredded zucchini to make a crust in muffin cups. Eggs and proscuitto go into the muffin cups with some seasoning...and enjoy. The recipe calls for ground pork, and I'm picky with my meat quality...and will have a hard time finding good quality meat. My proscuitto is pork and sea salt. That's it. It's pretty cheap at the BJ's deli too. And seriously...who doesn't love proscuitto!? I'm going to put homemade ghee in the muffin cups and a little on the veggie shred before I put them in the pan, so the crusts are nice and buttery and crisp! I'm going to make 3 cups per person, per day - a total of 42 cups per week. (I'll be having oatmeal in addition to this)
Lunch - lunch will be leftovers from dinner. I'm going to make 4ish servings of dinner each night, and put 2 solid servings away before we even eat dinner. The lunches will go in our lunch crock-pots and be convenient for heating up lunch the next day. Our first lunch will be fiesta chicken salad.
Dinner:
Monday - Jan 2nd: Turkey, kale, and cauliflower soup. This recipe uses really basic ingredients. I hate prepping kale. BJ's has organic kale and spinach though, in a bag, already done, and I'll be using that instead of fresh kale. This will double as lunch the next day while I'm at work - I'll have my lunch crock and Daniel can heat this up at home in his lunch crock - easy dish clean up - no microwaves either!
Tuesday - Jan 3rd: hearty vegetable soup. I will top this with diced avocado and jalepeno coconut cream. I will not use rotel, but regular diced tomatoes and add extra peppers or buy green chiles alone.
Wednesday - Jan 4th: chicken tikka masala. I will serve this with zucchini latkes and roasted broccoli. Both will be made in advance, and my hubs will put the masala in the crock-pot after I'm at work, and bring me my completed meal at work.
Thursday - Jan 5th: Thai chicken with "spicy peanut" sauce. I generally have time to make dinner on Thursdays, so this will be made fresh!
Friday - Jan 6th: lemon rosemary chicken and potatoes. We host game night on Fridays, and I generally feed people! I wanted something very acceptable and this seems as such! I'll serve it with balsamic roasted carrots too.
Saturday - Jan 7th: egg roll in a bowl. (note: we may not have leftovers after Friday game night, and the fiesta chicken salad will likely be our lunch today!) Saturday is my prep day, so this should be easy and fast, and easy to reheat after church on Sunday for lunch. Just don't use liquid aminos, use coconut aminos instead. And I'll probably use ground beef instead of turkey...we like really beef and have a good source of it!
Sunday - Jan 8th: paleo balance bowl - a fresh light dinner for Sunday night!
All snacks will be nuts(almonds and cashews), fruit(apples and bananas and frozen fruits as smoothies), the fiesta chicken salad, and any leftovers we accrue.
I'm hoping for success in this...I really am! Should we like this menu, I'll just repeat it four times!
I'll be making my grocery list next week to know exactly of how much I need to get with this.
I hope you've enjoyed!
In health,
Becca H.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
The Womb Trilogy: Healthy Pregnancy
I just finished my blog post on fertility and if that is something you're struggling with, please go read it here. This blog post will focus on a healthy pregnancy.
I have been pregnant with two full term pregnancies and had one extremely early miscarriage. I'm speaking from personal experience and research and this is NOT intended to replace questions with your midwife or doctor - only to assist in your own research.
I conceived early February both time, 3 years apart. First child was a boy and second was a girl.
Starting weight with #1 was 147(a little too heavy for me, but I was really healthy!) and ended at 189. Came home from the hospital at 169 pounds. (pregnancy gain was 42 pounds, I was 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant when I delivered my son and 27 years old.)
Starting weight with #2 was 171 (way too heavy for my body type, but again, very healthy!) and ended at 200, and was back down to 176 after the birth. (pregnancy gain was 29 pounds, and I was 41 weeks and 3 days pregnant when I delivered my daughter, and 30 years old. (psst, my daughter was 2 pounds larger than my son also!))
I chose midwifery care for both pregnancies. Home births for low risk women have been proven SAFER than low risk women having hospital births. There's a lot of other reasons why, but I can tell you they are extremely educated, they devote an HOUR to your visit - really get to know you and your family situation, it was cheaper for me as a cash patient to hire them than choose a hospital birth, I also enjoy the midwifery approach to pregnancy - your body is amazing and your pregnancy is your's and your's alone...they truly nurture you into the happiest, healthiest pregnancy you are made to have. There are several different types of midwives - lay midwives, licensed midwives, and certified nurse midwives. I used licensed midwives - a mother-daughter team, and they are freaking awesome. If you are looking for a different approach to pregnancy and delivery than your OB will provide, look into the possibility of midwives in your area.
Now, I'll break into what I did or didn't do while pregnant and break it into trimesters.
PRE-PREGNANCY:
You want to be on a good multivitamin (with FOLATE, not folic acid, read the very end of my fertility post for the article reasons why). A good prenatal/multivitamin BEFORE pregnancy has been shown to be beneficial to fertility and the baby's health...of course, I can't find that article now :-\ This is the prenatal that I used with baby #1, and this is the one with baby #2.
This is the omega supplement I used with baby #2. I don't need to mention the one I used with baby #1...it was okay, this one is much better.
And iodine. Pregnancy changes all the hormones in your body...it can wreck your thyroid...at least 1/3 of America's women is iodine deficient. Iodine is super important for breasts, brain, glands, etc. AND for your developing fetus. I take this all the time - pregnant or not. It is called iodoral, it is a 12.5 mg supplement. My chiro recommended it for basically all people to take. I take it while nursing too.
Eat lots of protein! A high protein diet is good for insulin levels, and it is good to help offset pre-eclampsia. In my fertility post, I also talk about the benefits of a high fat diet for hormone health. Eat quality fats!
I want this disclaimer put out - While medications make pregnancy tolerable for women when it might not ordinarily be, or even provide life saving measures, I want to encourage you NOT to use medications if at all possible. I have so many friends who are willing to take Zolfran instead of magnesium for nausea, or steroids for allergies, instead of an herbal allergy alternative. There are MANY natural options for a variety of ailments, you just have to educate yourself about them. I got pink eye while pregnant when out of town, as well as 2 ear infections. I didn't take antibiotics. I also had terrible allergies, as most of my county did this year, and took no meds - but used a neti pot. Many of these commonly prescribed meds can have severe consequences on the baby, as many aren't tested for safety or efficacy on the fetus or the pregnant mom. (Same goes for the "universally" recommended TDaP and Flu vaccines now offered to pregnant women). Some women NEED zolfran to keep ANY food down, and I'm not judging that decision...not at all. But I think many women are given these options before they've tried alternatives and many doctors are willing to write these prescriptions before trying to find the real cause of the problem. Even tylenol while pregnant is recommended by doctors, but has been proven unsafe. If you seek relief from pain - epsom salt baths, chiropractic care, and acupuncture are all better options! I never had so much pain in pregnancy that I needed pain killers...and I broke my ankle at work, 32 weeks pregnant, with #2!
Now, trimesters:
This is assuming you are already taking the prenatals, omegas, and iodine.
First Trimester:
You will be at the very least slightly nauseous and slightly more tired by the time you hit 6-8 weeks. With baby #1, I was EXHAUSTED and STARVING all the time. Baby #2, I had more nausea, but my energy levels were good and I had a fairly normal appetite.
B vitamins help with nausea. So does magnesium - which incidentally, helps with pregnancy constipation(very common). I took Natural Calm magnesium powder to help offset the nausea and it also helped with my constipation...I took .5 tablespoon every time I felt like I needed it. It didn't taste bad and almost immediately helped my stomach. Garden of Life just released a whole food magnesium powder - if I am blessed to carry another child (or more ;) ) I will likely use it if I have nausea like I did with Baby #2.
Try to get as much sleep as you can - sleep gets harder the more pregnant you get.
Take vit d! Vit D likely helps prevent gestational diabetes, it is important in uterine health and hormones too! I have used all the vit d options from garden of life - the chewable (tastes great!), the spray, and the capsules - they are all great, and I highly recommend! Try to get 5,000 ius daily and sunshine several times a week.
If you have the time and energy - stay active - moderate exercise is great! I worked my fairly physically intense job until 39w4d with baby #2 (even on the broken ankle) and I think it contributed greatly to my wonderful birth with my giant baby!
Second Trimester:
Nausea should subside, energy should increase. You might be more prone to headaches - drink plenty of water and don't forget your morning vitamins!
I started taking cal-mag at night for pregnancy insomnia and the off-chance of leg cramps - it also helps with developing strong teeth and bones in the baby. It is important to continue this while nursing also(see my healthy delivery and post-partum blog post that is to come!).
If you have used antibiotics in the recent past, and haven't used good probiotics, you should consider these. You will be tested for group B strep at 36 weeks, and having good probiotic balance is key to testing negative - (which is what you want!). Good gut health is important in absorbing nutrients, it is critical in immune health too! I ate a lot of yogurt, and haven't been on antibiotics since 2007 and generally use antibiotic-free animal products.
Third Trimester:
Game time! You have 13 weeks-ish left to nourish this baby into good health! Keep taking your vitamins and eating well!
If you have an OB, you will be strongly urged to get a TDaP vaccine and a flu vaccine at 28 weeks or so. I cannot stress enough how much you should NOT get these vaccines! Nether have been proven safe or effective...and have been linked to an increase in fetal death....It is a NEW thing to promote these to pregnant women - like last 4-ish years...moms to kids in elementary school likely didn't get them...the whole "all moms get them and are fine" doesn't hold water and I know a lot of women who ended up very ill or had pregnancy complications, even lost their babies, due to one or both of these shots.
Around 34/35 weeks, an extra measure to prevent testing positive for GBS is the garlic clove!
Read that article! You do not want GBS because if you have it, that means you get IV antibiotics during labor, and that is not healthy for you or the baby! I talk about that in the next post - healthy delivery and post-partum.
At 35/36 weeks, I start taking vitamin k complex. I don't do the vitamin k shot, unless there was a severe emergency that warranted needing it. Neither of my babies have had it. BUT, I did take vit k complex the last month of pregnancy and into the first month or more of nursing. I wanted to provide optimal vit k for the baby in natural ways. I also do delayed cord clamping to help with risks associated with no vit k shot.
You may test anemic at this point in your pregnancy also. I used this iron every few days - I wasn't anemic, but I was on the low end of normal. It is best to make sure you take this WITH vit C and NOT with calcium. Calcium inhibits iron absorption, and vit c increases absorption! Eating grass-fed cow liver is an excellent way to get iron and vit a! If you put a few small chopped up pieces in your spaghetti sauce or chili, you won't know it's in there, and it'll be a nice little iron boost ;)
I think I covered the trimester information. Now, onto other pregnancy things that may creep up:
Stretch marks- I used a variety of creams and oils with Baby #1, and ended up COVERED in stretch marks. With Baby #2, I took vit c through the majority of the pregnancy, at least 1000mg (which is perfectly safe), and most of my stretch marks were minimal and healed very quickly. I also did dry brushing all of this pregnancy on my belly especially. Here's tips on how to do it. It helps circulation and I think the vit c and dry brushing greatly contributed to the reduction of the marks and them healing quicker. I do not think there is a magic cream - some are just lucky and some aren't.
Swelling - I took alfalfa capsules to help reduce swelling. If you buy these on your own, make sure they are organic as alfalfa is most often genetically modified and/or heavily sprayed.
I think that is all, folks - feel free to message me on facebook with questions or topics you think I should address and edit into this post!
In health,
Becca H.
I have been pregnant with two full term pregnancies and had one extremely early miscarriage. I'm speaking from personal experience and research and this is NOT intended to replace questions with your midwife or doctor - only to assist in your own research.
I conceived early February both time, 3 years apart. First child was a boy and second was a girl.
Starting weight with #1 was 147(a little too heavy for me, but I was really healthy!) and ended at 189. Came home from the hospital at 169 pounds. (pregnancy gain was 42 pounds, I was 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant when I delivered my son and 27 years old.)
Starting weight with #2 was 171 (way too heavy for my body type, but again, very healthy!) and ended at 200, and was back down to 176 after the birth. (pregnancy gain was 29 pounds, and I was 41 weeks and 3 days pregnant when I delivered my daughter, and 30 years old. (psst, my daughter was 2 pounds larger than my son also!))
I chose midwifery care for both pregnancies. Home births for low risk women have been proven SAFER than low risk women having hospital births. There's a lot of other reasons why, but I can tell you they are extremely educated, they devote an HOUR to your visit - really get to know you and your family situation, it was cheaper for me as a cash patient to hire them than choose a hospital birth, I also enjoy the midwifery approach to pregnancy - your body is amazing and your pregnancy is your's and your's alone...they truly nurture you into the happiest, healthiest pregnancy you are made to have. There are several different types of midwives - lay midwives, licensed midwives, and certified nurse midwives. I used licensed midwives - a mother-daughter team, and they are freaking awesome. If you are looking for a different approach to pregnancy and delivery than your OB will provide, look into the possibility of midwives in your area.
Now, I'll break into what I did or didn't do while pregnant and break it into trimesters.
PRE-PREGNANCY:
You want to be on a good multivitamin (with FOLATE, not folic acid, read the very end of my fertility post for the article reasons why). A good prenatal/multivitamin BEFORE pregnancy has been shown to be beneficial to fertility and the baby's health...of course, I can't find that article now :-\ This is the prenatal that I used with baby #1, and this is the one with baby #2.
This is the omega supplement I used with baby #2. I don't need to mention the one I used with baby #1...it was okay, this one is much better.
And iodine. Pregnancy changes all the hormones in your body...it can wreck your thyroid...at least 1/3 of America's women is iodine deficient. Iodine is super important for breasts, brain, glands, etc. AND for your developing fetus. I take this all the time - pregnant or not. It is called iodoral, it is a 12.5 mg supplement. My chiro recommended it for basically all people to take. I take it while nursing too.
Eat lots of protein! A high protein diet is good for insulin levels, and it is good to help offset pre-eclampsia. In my fertility post, I also talk about the benefits of a high fat diet for hormone health. Eat quality fats!
I want this disclaimer put out - While medications make pregnancy tolerable for women when it might not ordinarily be, or even provide life saving measures, I want to encourage you NOT to use medications if at all possible. I have so many friends who are willing to take Zolfran instead of magnesium for nausea, or steroids for allergies, instead of an herbal allergy alternative. There are MANY natural options for a variety of ailments, you just have to educate yourself about them. I got pink eye while pregnant when out of town, as well as 2 ear infections. I didn't take antibiotics. I also had terrible allergies, as most of my county did this year, and took no meds - but used a neti pot. Many of these commonly prescribed meds can have severe consequences on the baby, as many aren't tested for safety or efficacy on the fetus or the pregnant mom. (Same goes for the "universally" recommended TDaP and Flu vaccines now offered to pregnant women). Some women NEED zolfran to keep ANY food down, and I'm not judging that decision...not at all. But I think many women are given these options before they've tried alternatives and many doctors are willing to write these prescriptions before trying to find the real cause of the problem. Even tylenol while pregnant is recommended by doctors, but has been proven unsafe. If you seek relief from pain - epsom salt baths, chiropractic care, and acupuncture are all better options! I never had so much pain in pregnancy that I needed pain killers...and I broke my ankle at work, 32 weeks pregnant, with #2!
Now, trimesters:
This is assuming you are already taking the prenatals, omegas, and iodine.
First Trimester:
You will be at the very least slightly nauseous and slightly more tired by the time you hit 6-8 weeks. With baby #1, I was EXHAUSTED and STARVING all the time. Baby #2, I had more nausea, but my energy levels were good and I had a fairly normal appetite.
B vitamins help with nausea. So does magnesium - which incidentally, helps with pregnancy constipation(very common). I took Natural Calm magnesium powder to help offset the nausea and it also helped with my constipation...I took .5 tablespoon every time I felt like I needed it. It didn't taste bad and almost immediately helped my stomach. Garden of Life just released a whole food magnesium powder - if I am blessed to carry another child (or more ;) ) I will likely use it if I have nausea like I did with Baby #2.
Try to get as much sleep as you can - sleep gets harder the more pregnant you get.
Take vit d! Vit D likely helps prevent gestational diabetes, it is important in uterine health and hormones too! I have used all the vit d options from garden of life - the chewable (tastes great!), the spray, and the capsules - they are all great, and I highly recommend! Try to get 5,000 ius daily and sunshine several times a week.
If you have the time and energy - stay active - moderate exercise is great! I worked my fairly physically intense job until 39w4d with baby #2 (even on the broken ankle) and I think it contributed greatly to my wonderful birth with my giant baby!
Second Trimester:
Nausea should subside, energy should increase. You might be more prone to headaches - drink plenty of water and don't forget your morning vitamins!
I started taking cal-mag at night for pregnancy insomnia and the off-chance of leg cramps - it also helps with developing strong teeth and bones in the baby. It is important to continue this while nursing also(see my healthy delivery and post-partum blog post that is to come!).
If you have used antibiotics in the recent past, and haven't used good probiotics, you should consider these. You will be tested for group B strep at 36 weeks, and having good probiotic balance is key to testing negative - (which is what you want!). Good gut health is important in absorbing nutrients, it is critical in immune health too! I ate a lot of yogurt, and haven't been on antibiotics since 2007 and generally use antibiotic-free animal products.
Third Trimester:
Game time! You have 13 weeks-ish left to nourish this baby into good health! Keep taking your vitamins and eating well!
If you have an OB, you will be strongly urged to get a TDaP vaccine and a flu vaccine at 28 weeks or so. I cannot stress enough how much you should NOT get these vaccines! Nether have been proven safe or effective...and have been linked to an increase in fetal death....It is a NEW thing to promote these to pregnant women - like last 4-ish years...moms to kids in elementary school likely didn't get them...the whole "all moms get them and are fine" doesn't hold water and I know a lot of women who ended up very ill or had pregnancy complications, even lost their babies, due to one or both of these shots.
Around 34/35 weeks, an extra measure to prevent testing positive for GBS is the garlic clove!
Read that article! You do not want GBS because if you have it, that means you get IV antibiotics during labor, and that is not healthy for you or the baby! I talk about that in the next post - healthy delivery and post-partum.
At 35/36 weeks, I start taking vitamin k complex. I don't do the vitamin k shot, unless there was a severe emergency that warranted needing it. Neither of my babies have had it. BUT, I did take vit k complex the last month of pregnancy and into the first month or more of nursing. I wanted to provide optimal vit k for the baby in natural ways. I also do delayed cord clamping to help with risks associated with no vit k shot.
You may test anemic at this point in your pregnancy also. I used this iron every few days - I wasn't anemic, but I was on the low end of normal. It is best to make sure you take this WITH vit C and NOT with calcium. Calcium inhibits iron absorption, and vit c increases absorption! Eating grass-fed cow liver is an excellent way to get iron and vit a! If you put a few small chopped up pieces in your spaghetti sauce or chili, you won't know it's in there, and it'll be a nice little iron boost ;)
I think I covered the trimester information. Now, onto other pregnancy things that may creep up:
Stretch marks- I used a variety of creams and oils with Baby #1, and ended up COVERED in stretch marks. With Baby #2, I took vit c through the majority of the pregnancy, at least 1000mg (which is perfectly safe), and most of my stretch marks were minimal and healed very quickly. I also did dry brushing all of this pregnancy on my belly especially. Here's tips on how to do it. It helps circulation and I think the vit c and dry brushing greatly contributed to the reduction of the marks and them healing quicker. I do not think there is a magic cream - some are just lucky and some aren't.
Swelling - I took alfalfa capsules to help reduce swelling. If you buy these on your own, make sure they are organic as alfalfa is most often genetically modified and/or heavily sprayed.
I think that is all, folks - feel free to message me on facebook with questions or topics you think I should address and edit into this post!
In health,
Becca H.
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