Fifteen weeks: Kelly Economidis left a comment for me after my blog about morning sickness. She asked if I would please share what my diet was like to keep me so energetic during times of morning sickness, which I have done below. But let me preface it by stating that from week three to about week fourteen, I did not have that much energy. I had enough to get up early, take a brisk walk, get the kids of to school and then work until about 2:30. But from 2:30 onwards I was pretty wiped out and usually went to bed as early as 7:30 pm. The kids loved this as I let them tuck me in, read me a story and snuggle me to sleep. But they were relieved when things started to return back to normal!
Right now, at week fifteen, I'm not needing nearly as many small meals. And I'm back to feeling my energetic self. I'm usually up between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. and get to bed around 10 p.m. And I've added some low caffine chai with a bit of milk onto my routine, just because I'm hooked on it and for no other reason.
My diet was and still is based on a few guidelines:
- No caffine
- No alcohol
- High protein
- Very little sugar
- Only a tiny bit of dairy
- As much water as I could possibly tolerate, but not during meals. Water dilutes the digestive process.
- Lots of small high-protein meals / snacks
- Treats every now and again were very important for me - helped keep me on track.
- And plenty of tuning in to see what I was 'sick of' in any given moment (ie, a situation, a conversation, a phone call, an issue, a meal, a chore) with permission to exit out of anything in any given moment.
6:15 a.m. Go out for one-hour walk.
7:15 a.m. Herbal tea (I found mint very soothing to my stomach, and mixed it with my personal favourite - tulsi tea from Organic India. Tulsi has natural stress-relieving and healing properties. Ask your healthfood store to stock it.
7:30 a.m. Breakfast of organic toasted musli, with two tablespoons of LSA and plain organic yogurt. I take twice daily a pregnancy supplement (Natal Plus by Eagle), and Omega 3 fish oil supplement.
8:30 a.m. Herb tea
10:00 a.m. Rice cakes with organic unhulled tahini
11:30 a.m. Fresh squeezed juice of apple, carrot, beetroot and celery, combined with a teaspoon of barley greens (powder, you can get from the health food store).
12:30 a.m. Lunch of vegetable soup, or nori rolls (seaweed, brown rice and avocado)
2:00 p.m. Banana dipped in unhulled tahini. I took a second dose of black horehound if I needed it, but I rarely needed to.
3:00 p.m. Usually around this time I allowed myself a treat - a bit of organic dark chocolate, or a muffin or some home made banana bread.
4:30 p.m. Olives, a bit of sheeps cheese on crackers
6:00 p.m. Dinner of roast organic chicken, salad with lots of sprouts, mashed potatoes with the peel left on, roast beetroot.
7:30 p.m. Bedtime.
I'd also like to add that one time a week I see an acupuncturist (Japanese). This really helps keep me nourished on many levels.
What was my diet like before? Pretty much like this, except add coffee, beer, way too much dairy (cheese is my downfall) and a few too many skipped meals!!
