Pregnancy: What I've Been Eating {First and Second Trimester}

Pregnancy: What I’ve Been Eating {First and Second Trimester}

Posted on August 20, 2014 by Kelly

So, I know I said I wouldn’t be posting about pregnancy things on this blog, but I decided that this post was relevant to this blog since it is food related. Pretty much all other pregnancy related posts will still be over on Handprints and Pawprints.

I knew going into pregnancy that it comes with things like food aversions and cravings. But sometimes (well, often actually) knowing facts and experiencing them first hand are two very different things. Being a picky eater already definitely didn’t help things either.

The first trimester was definitely rough in the food department – as it seems like is expected. I didn’t have any morning sickness, but I did definitely have food aversions. To basically everything. During those first few weeks I ate a lot of carbs. (Even more than normal for me) Luckily my morning bagel with cream cheese breakfast was still ok (except for a couple of days where I pretty much had to force myself to eat the entire thing because I felt full after about 3 bites) but that was one of the few things. I ate a lot of boxed macaroni and cheese – the Back to Nature Original variety is my favorite, but for some reason the only place I can find it in Madison right now is at HyVee (which is not my normal store) so I have to stock up when I’m there! Other carbs that were/are a major part of my diet: Cheerios, saltine crackers, rice cakes, granola bars, french fries, and bread.

While my diet has been a good majority carbohydrates, it is getting better, and there are a few more nutritious things that have been added into the mix in the past few weeks. Soup – the grocery store near my work has different soups every day and I’m a particular fan of their tomato soups, and chicken noodle. (with a side of bread of course) Fruit has also been something that has been pretty solid. Apples and bananas in particular have been good, but really all fruit has been appealing the past couple of weeks. (I’m eating some cherries as I type this.) I’m also starting to get hungrier, so I’m trying to make better food choices, but also eat when I am hungry. Since that is more often, it means my diet is becoming more diverse again which is good.

Thing that I absolutely couldn’t handle eating much (if any) of: Chicken. That’s the big one. It’s not that I couldn’t eat any of it, but it is definitely was not usually my first choice. And even when I did eat a meal involving chicken, I usually couldn’t eat a lot of it. Since it is my main source of protein, I did try to still eat it when I could stomach it, but I also had been eating tofu and other dairy based protein as well. Luckily, that food aversion has gotten better in the past couple of weeks, and grilled chicken is coming back. Fried chicken though, is still iffy.

Things that I miss, and wish were pregnancy safe: Deli meat sandwiches. (I know, I could heat them up and eat them, but it just isn’t the same.) Soft cheeses. Ah man, living with an abundance of delicious, fresh, Wisconsin cheese is rough when I have to be particular about what I eat.

Things that surprisingly didn’t take to long for me to stop craving; Caffeinated beverages. Yes, I know these aren’t completely off limits, but I told myself I would stop drinking them through the first trimester, and that has continued. Occasionally I feel like I could use a boost by the caffeine, but I think I’ve gotten so used to not having my morning coffee that I don’t want to start again and then be hooked. I’m not saying I won’t have any throughout the entire pregnancy, but I’m doing ok at this point without it. (Don’t worry, chocolate candy is still on the table, so I’m not totally caffeine free.)