Finishing out the last week of my second trimester and it’s always such a surprise when I reach that third trimester mark! Things start to get real! I have been feeling really good (besides for injuring something near my tail bone last weekend, which is better now)! I’ve been working out consistently and strengthening my body which feels so good! Actually making myself do it is tough but I am always so glad I did afterwards. I am loving Ali’s pregnancy workout which is broken down into trimesters and weeks. I think I’ll try to do a separate post on that too. I still have the sciatic pain the day after sex, which is annoying but could be so much worse. Exercising has really helped with a varicose vein I developed as well. Yeah you read that correctly, women with normal BMI get them too, who knew! I also think drinking celery juice has helped improve the vein too, although it could just be the extra hydration in general that’s helping. Still have the stubborn hormonal eczema on my face but it is soooo much better since I’ve been using Yay For Earth face lotion!
Almost all of my food aversions have subsided but there are definitely still some things I still can’t touch. For those of you interested I’ll include a list below of what I’ve been eating lately to fuel this pregnancy! The main thing I’ve been focusing on is eating a variety of the most nutrient dense foods like greens, legumes and beans, onions, mushrooms, fruit and good fats like nuts, seeds and avocado. Although I’ve been eating really well I still feel like I have gained a lot more weight than my previous pregnancies. It’s not good to compare, (let’s be real I can’t help myself) but I am making an effort to focus on optimal nutrition and staying active instead of the “weight”. As a side note, in general, it’s good to keep somewhat of a log of how much weight you are gaining during pregnancy (which my midwives have me do) so that you aren’t gaining an unhealthy amount of weight. I know I am healthy and that’s what matters most! I answered some of your questions on pregnancy on Instagram this past week too and saved them in highlights if you want to check them out!
BREAKFAST – I’ve been starting every morning with a cup of echinacea and elderberry tea. My husband has been really worn down and dealing with a lot of stress at work and he had what seemed like the flu followed by a few weeks of a head cold. Thankfully, I have been able to stay healthy and this tea definitely helps! I also eat a breakfast cookie with my tea. If we don’t have any of those made I’ll make steel cut oats the night before and have that with some fruit and seeds. I’m usually hungry within an hour of eating that so I’ll have some fruit or sometimes avocado toast on whole spelt or einkorn bread topped with hemp seeds and arugula. I’ve been out of the habit of having the celery juice daily but I’d like to get back into it!
LUNCH – Lately it’s been leftovers instead of salads. Since the temperatures are dropping, I’ve been making lots of warming dinners like soups, stews, vegan chili, and curries which make great leftovers!
SNACKS – Kind of whatever is in the house. Cashew butter out of the jar, lupini beans, fruit, my kid’s leftovers, etc. At some point in the day I have hot cacao (just almond milk & raw cacao powder) either mid day or as a nightcap or both.
DINNER – If you’ve been keeping up with my Insta Stories you’ve probably seen what I’ve been making for dinner lately. This past week I made black bean and sweet potato bowls, celery root and sun choke soup, kale and white bean soup, smoky squash and bean chili, a brussels sprout mushroom tomato soup and vegan pizza with butternut squash, chard pesto and radicchio. On the menu so far for this next week is coconut pho, brussels sprout and white bean tacos, and pad thai. Basically lots of plants and warming foods! I haven’t been craving meat at all lately.
