Healthy eating bingo
I don't like vegetables. Apparently people exist that do like vegetables... but I am not one of them. I eat them anyway, because you are supposed to, but I'm always shy of the recommended daily amounts. Shy by about 75% of whatever the servings are that you ought to have. I thought it was more... but then I found out that corn is a grain and not a vegetable. And my sad heart died a little.
Anyway. Part of being pregnant means thinking about things like nutrition and vitamins and what your little growing bundle needs to be healthy and happy in there, and beyond. I really didn't take this super seriously at first, because, well, I didn't really want to. I figured I was doing well enoughish and that we could just call it good. I was staying away from the real bad stuff, drugs, alcohol, the tasty cheeses and the raw fish, so wasn't that close enough?
Our birthing class instructor really pounded it into us that we should be more mindful of what we eat. Not even just in pregnancy, but in general. We were supposed to have X amount of protein, X amount of vegetables and X amount of fruit every day (I use 'X' here because I don't remember the actual amount. Let's go ahead and blame that on mom-brain, shall we?) "Also, eat broccoli," she said. "It makes the skin very pliable. Helps you bounce back more quickly."
There is not a single vegetable that I hate more than broccoli.
But I also hated the idea of, you know, un-pliable skin.
So I decided to make myself a little chart. Because I'm type A enough that I like charts. I like check boxes. I like star stickers. And lists. But not vegetables.
I put 2 boxes for protein, 2 boxes for vegetables and 2 boxes for fruit every day and smacked that thing onto the fridge. Every day before dinner time I would attempt to have those boxes filled. I would write what I had so I didn't cheat, and I would give myself a little parade every day that I managed it.
And for the next 4 months, I played my bingo, ate my appropriate items, and felt like a champion for checking boxes and eating broccoli nearly every day.
Here's what I learned:
- That thing that people say about being able to overcome your tastes? Like eating something until you eventually do like it? Apparently that takes more than 4 months. Because broccoli and I are still enemies despite my very best efforts.
- Smoothies are my best friends. I started out blending frozen spinach in with my juice and frozen berries. That worked pretty well, provided I got the spinach into small enough pieces that it didn't feel strange coming through a straw. Sometimes I put broccoli in the smoothie for the day if I couldn't manage to stomach it any other way. Warning-- you can definitely taste the broccoli. And it is still gross. A good alternative I've discovered recently is cauliflower. I taste the cauliflower a lot less and the texture is pretty blendable. Kale is another great choice that everyone seems to like, though I haven't ever personally tried it.
- Frozen berries microwaved with some granola on top is practically like dessert. And a great way to chase the broccoli taste out of your mouth
- The smaller your stomach gets, the more of a bummer it is to fill it with things like broccoli. Snack often, and respect the re-flux timer that inevitably gets shorter the more pregnant you get. Toward the end there if I ate too much at lunch, I would still feel it when I went to bed. But don't worry- that particular symptom dissipates VERY quickly after birth. Haven't had it since the little one arrived.
Anyway. Part of being pregnant means thinking about things like nutrition and vitamins and what your little growing bundle needs to be healthy and happy in there, and beyond. I really didn't take this super seriously at first, because, well, I didn't really want to. I figured I was doing well enoughish and that we could just call it good. I was staying away from the real bad stuff, drugs, alcohol, the tasty cheeses and the raw fish, so wasn't that close enough?
Our birthing class instructor really pounded it into us that we should be more mindful of what we eat. Not even just in pregnancy, but in general. We were supposed to have X amount of protein, X amount of vegetables and X amount of fruit every day (I use 'X' here because I don't remember the actual amount. Let's go ahead and blame that on mom-brain, shall we?) "Also, eat broccoli," she said. "It makes the skin very pliable. Helps you bounce back more quickly."
There is not a single vegetable that I hate more than broccoli.
But I also hated the idea of, you know, un-pliable skin.
So I decided to make myself a little chart. Because I'm type A enough that I like charts. I like check boxes. I like star stickers. And lists. But not vegetables.
I put 2 boxes for protein, 2 boxes for vegetables and 2 boxes for fruit every day and smacked that thing onto the fridge. Every day before dinner time I would attempt to have those boxes filled. I would write what I had so I didn't cheat, and I would give myself a little parade every day that I managed it.
And for the next 4 months, I played my bingo, ate my appropriate items, and felt like a champion for checking boxes and eating broccoli nearly every day.
Here's what I learned:
- That thing that people say about being able to overcome your tastes? Like eating something until you eventually do like it? Apparently that takes more than 4 months. Because broccoli and I are still enemies despite my very best efforts.
- Smoothies are my best friends. I started out blending frozen spinach in with my juice and frozen berries. That worked pretty well, provided I got the spinach into small enough pieces that it didn't feel strange coming through a straw. Sometimes I put broccoli in the smoothie for the day if I couldn't manage to stomach it any other way. Warning-- you can definitely taste the broccoli. And it is still gross. A good alternative I've discovered recently is cauliflower. I taste the cauliflower a lot less and the texture is pretty blendable. Kale is another great choice that everyone seems to like, though I haven't ever personally tried it.
- Frozen berries microwaved with some granola on top is practically like dessert. And a great way to chase the broccoli taste out of your mouth
- The smaller your stomach gets, the more of a bummer it is to fill it with things like broccoli. Snack often, and respect the re-flux timer that inevitably gets shorter the more pregnant you get. Toward the end there if I ate too much at lunch, I would still feel it when I went to bed. But don't worry- that particular symptom dissipates VERY quickly after birth. Haven't had it since the little one arrived.
