The week I found out I was pregnant in Feb 09 I was over-joyed, scared, curious, anxious and friggen hungry! Wow what a surge of "feelings" to experience all at once. As a
predominately "
rawFoodist" or what I like to call "High-Raw"advocate, I was
experiencing some interesting cravings already.
"
Gimmie the Mexican Food!" my body demanded.
After giving in a few times to my inner Mexican demands at a local Organic Mexican
restaurant, I thought why the heck am I craving this stuff I rarely eat anymore? Tons of Cheese,
re fried beans and soft warm tortillas? My mother along with many others suggested that I must have a nutritional need that my body is trying to make up for since I am now building a baby. The fact I need more "building blocks" makes total sense to me however blocks from processed dairy, canned beans and the oh so sinful soft melt-in-your-mouth tortilla? really? I wasn't going to argue but I was not going to just eat whatever.
My school of thought about your average super market's
pasteurized dairy products is that dairy is highly mucus forming (especially cow) and that it digests slow in the body, makes one sleepy and of course leaches calcium from the bones.
Hmm....my body knows better than this right?
With a mouth stuffed with the most delicious veggie and cheese burrito I could reach, I thought to myself...there has got to be more to these cravings! If I keep going at this rate I am going to have
corners on my butt and it won't be due to "healthy pregnancy weight gain".
After a few weeks or so I began experiencing morning sickness. Oh
goodie! My
morning sickness took place most of the day at odd times. I was told that morning sickness was the body's
natural way of wanting to cleanse the liver for the baby and that I should drink 1 liter of room temp water with lemon to aid this "flush" first thing in the morning. I was also instructed by experienced moms, close friends and my partner
Dahveed to eat little bites of food all day and even in the middle of the night to rid the morning sickness. I force-snacked myself only few times and that wasn't working for me. Fact was, I could not stand the thought of food most of the day, so I just ate lighter. What was even more confusing is that the thought of anything green like salad, most vegetables made me even sicker. But greens are building blocks of life!
Knowing the vital
nutritional value of fresh fruits and vegetables it was hard for me to pass up my normal raw food cuisine and reach for the only thing I could stand to put in my mouth and that was a sprouted bread : Ezekiel toast with tomato, avocado and sometimes a few slices of raw goat cheese. Finally! Something I could eat! And I felt great with my decision.
I continued this way of eating for sum weeks and felt good as long as I didn't over do the cheese or the bread. If I overate the cheese and bead I wouldn't poo for 3 days and I would have mucus in my eyes
referred to as "
sleepie".
Sleepie in the eye is a sign your body is trying to get
something out of the system.
I also enjoyed fresh raw vegetable soups made from blended tomatoes, avocado, onion, pink salt,
spirulina for protein and other various spices. I usually had red raspberry leaf tea in the mornings, or a fresh fruit smoothie with fresh OJ or almond milk as the base. This routine seem to really work for me. I very rarely ate "
Mexican" food and if I did, I would make it at home or have lot sof veggies added and toss the tortilla and rice. I was feeling better about the type of foods I was feeding my unborn child.
As the pregnancy progressed I felt better emotionally and physically. My morning sickness went away and so did my cravings for
Mexican flavors. I came to realize that my cravings were not
dietary calls for help, it was simply my system calling out for help with coping with the shift to pregnancy. Pregnancy can be a lot for women to adjust to and prepare for. I notice a pattern in my food cravings and it flares the most when I am "stresses" or feeling as tho I have a lot on my mind and need the comforts. This would explain the insane dash to the
Mexican restaurant only 2 weeks pregnant.
Instead of reaching for processed, dry and
greasy foods I try to make my own soups, lucious salads of fresh fruit smoothies. To relieve tension I try to go for a walk, yoga, or dance. What has been successful for me so far is to have back up plans for when those feelings or emotions arise and have foods ready for an easy transition.
Here are a few tips1. I keep the fridge stocked with fresh foods you can easily dive into such as ripe juicy fruits, avocados and tomatoes.2. Have a nice rich salad dressing already made to satisfy the need for something more substantial like a hemp seed ranch dressing.3. Have sweet little snacks pre-made so you don't need to wait an hour to have what you are craving at the time it is needed. Make raw macaroons, Date and pecan balls or raw chocolate truffles. Recipes can be found on line.In
conclusion: I realize it is my soul
responsibility to eat like I give a damn. All women who are carrying babies are responsible for feeding their babies high quality foods so that they too can then live better lives through proper
nutrition and healthy eating habits. New-Trition needs to be taught to our children through our practices. This is a matter of choosing the best foods available to you that will insure a healthy prenancy, give you more energy and make childbirth much easier on the body.
If mother's are going to consistantly eat junk all through their pregnancy and expect to feel better, we are fooling ourselves. We must choose pure, clean foods, move our bodies and prepare for
giving birth to the next generation who will learn from our example.
What an amazing gift!
