As a society we've been taught to watch our portions and to eat slowly and if you over eat people will look at you funny and you will feel bad about yourself afterwards. As a pregnant woman I can tell you everything changes. Of course as per my last post there's always a few of those crazies who are still so worried about how they look in a bikini and that's obviously a deeper issue than I care to discuss. What I will talk about is the sudden delightful change of people praising you for your frightening appetite and the oober nurturing individuals around you cheering and praising you for out eating a 250lb man at any given time.
Another thing we all strive for in our lives is to keep active. Those that know me, know that I tend to keep pretty active with running, yoga and weights at the gym. Once summer hits, I bike anywhere and everywhere I can for no other reason that it makes me feel like a kid again because it's so fun! So it should be no surprise when I tell you I thought I'd still be doing all of the above but with less impact. Well I was wrong, I'm still active but I've had to listen to my body and let it tell me what it's okay with. Like it or not, you don't have as much balance, speed or oxygen to work with and the back pain also dictates your life to some point. But becoming completely inactive is my absolute nightmare and it messes with my mood and trust me you don't want to see me upset. I'll tell you all about my active adventures in this post as well.
First the food. Oh the food. As someone who loves food to all hell at all times, being pregnant is a dream come true for me. In my non pregnant state I eat a healthy and well balanced diet and make sure to control my portions and while I probably eat more junk food now, I still do stick to the healthy nutrient foods for the most part. The difference now is that the further along I get in my pregnancy with little Chili, the more ferocious my appetite gets. I remember when my portions increased a few months back I was a little scared to be frank. I would eat double what I was normally used to eating and not flinch and I was a bit confused. I admit I did send an email or two to a few friends who had gone through pregnancy before to see if my raging hunger was "normal" and once they confirmed that it only gets worse from here, I felt like I'd won the lottery!!! I'm not kidding, endless food = lotto win in my book. Luckily I've had no major food aversions other than the inability to touch or smell raw chicken but I can eat it just fine...along with anything else in my path at this point. So I figured I'd share some of my food parties here with you my readers. Warning: Read at your own discretion, while not all are insane moment of hunger, some may frighten you at times. Parental discretion is advised.
All meats are welcome - A few weeks ago I was famished so Val and I headed to Swiss Chalet as we were out and about. He really wanted to have a bit of ribs but didn't want to order them and I offered to order a half rack along with a quarter chicken, baked potato and a dinner role. Well he tried A rib bone and I ate everything else and still felt like I was starving. I'm talking I have not eaten in days starving!! So I ordered cheesecake and that too left me slightly more full but still hungry. I decided I'll just let that digest for a bit.
Sardines?! Yes Please!! - In our house, the minute the weather gets warm, we start having family over for some good old Portuguese Sardine BBQ's. This past weekend was no exception. We fired up the grill, made roasted pepper salad, sliced up some fresh baked corn bread and grilled up the sardines for a Mother's day bash. Now no BBQ is complete without BBQ's so Cheese, grilled Chorizo sausage and Corn Bread along with some delicious shrimp patties are a must have. I started my feast with 3 or four slices of the corn bread, possibly a lbs of cheese, two shrimp patties the size of my palm and a sausage. Luckily I had time to digest so the actual lunch was 3 sardines, 2 pcs of bread, and a massive serving of the roasted green pepper salad. Lucky for me, I actually crave vegetables and greens so it still keeps me balanced...well you know as in getting my vegi servings. Then I took a nap.
Cheeeeeeeeeeeese - I'm slightly lactose intolerant In fact my food sensitivity tests have shown that Milk is my enemy yet cheese and yogurt are just fine. Something about the consistency of the sugars and proteins? Regardless, the point I'm trying to make is that especially during pregnancy one needs to make sure to get a good supply of calcium which makes for strong bones for the baby. Milk is always the first thing people push you towards but being I can't handle a glass of milk never mind the required amount, I have chosen cheese as one way of in taking this required calcium. Well cheese and I have always had a very good relationship. What's changed now is that we can't seem to buy enough cheese. I go through a couple of lbs a week easily. I have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the snack in between. I might as well be bathing in at this point, the only thing that's stopped me is the smell...and the fact that it would be cheese wasted.
Green smoothies - I've always loved smoothies of all kinds. They are a great snack, a great way to get your fibre protein, calcium, fruits, veggies and all the vitamins that you'd want. With the farmers market back in full force and the garden on it's way I have found the green smoothies to be a great way for me to get a delicious part of my breakfast in smoothie form that's nutritious and sorry for the TMI but it prevents one from suffering from one of the most commonly talked about pregnancy problems, constipation. I always say, a tbsp of flax seed a day keeps the clogging away. Val is also liking them, working on the love, so it's something I will continue to use to get my little Chili is serving of goodness on a daily basis as well :)
Mother's day feast - As yo may have gathered by now, I'm a foodie. A big time foodie with a real passion for the traditional foods of all cultures including my own. Persian. Growing up in Iran, one of my favourite breakfast foods was Kaleh Pache, a traditional lambs head and hoof stew. Yes I said breakfast..don't knock it till you've tried it. It's fairy rare to find here in Canada but lucky for me a new restaurant has opened near our house that serves it. There was no question as to where I would take my mom for brunch then! We started off with two roasted eggplant dishes between my parent, Val and I but soon in became apparent that I was dominating those items and everyone delighted by my appetite praised as I devoured. Then came the main Meal, so picture this massive bowl of soup filled with meat and a hearty broth and bread which I ate faster than anyone could say boo. Originally my mom asked if I wanted to share to which my response was a puzzled "is that a joke?" look which made everyone laugh because well, clearly sharing is not my thing at this point. My dad puts it this way "if you want to starve, share with Tash. By the time you pick your piece of bread, she'll be licking the plate clean". I can't say he's not right. So as I looked up from my bowl after making sure there wasn't even a drop of broth left in my bowl, I realized I was a mile ahead of everyone else at the table. So I did what any responsible prego would do. I assisted others with finishing their food! How kind of me right?! Needless to say I think I'm pretty much a source of amusement in the same way as a freak show performer. AWESOME! In case you're wondering, yes I did have dinner, Oxtail and rice and peas. No I had not skipped breakfast that's just silly.
Now that I've divulged my happy food secrets, let talk activity. Clearly with the food consumption on upward trend it's important to keep active and not just to avoid having your joints give up on you but because it helps you with the changes your body goes through with belly expanding, breaths shortening, hips opening etc. I have found pre-natal yoga to be extremely helpful. It helps with pain relief, breathing and eventually surviving labour by easing pain with movement and positions. It also helps to be around other pregnant women going through similar experiences because lets face it being pregnant can get pretty lonely unless you're out there able to relate to others and see that you're not alone. Some of you may be surprised to realize I'm a bit of a "hippie". All about feel good vibes, energy, saving the earth, eating organic, avoiding chemicals and GMO products and sharing my feelings. Ahh yesss I know there are some of you who may gasp at the realization that I am all about sharing my feelings and feeling all Zen and all that good stuff. It keeps me balanced. I am a Cancer after all. So needless to say all of this has become even more crucial during this time in our lives. Also not being able to run, another balancing method, I've had to find other alternatives to keep me sane as my body changes. So here are the moment that I thought would be fun to share:
Cry Baby - My first day of prenatal yoga I had no idea what to expect. I'd been told many different things and was curious to see what it would be like for me. At the beginning of class, we were asked to share what feeling consumed us. I blurted out that I was overwhelmed and amazed by the amount of unconditional love I felt for this little being that I had in my belly. There was a pause, then there were tear filled eyes around the room followed by offers for tissue..lol. Apparently I make mama's cry. It was nice.
I Can Do it!! - As I said I ran prior to pregnancy. I loved it, in moderation, because it was a way for me to balance my mind. I've tried running while pregnant and my body just wont allow it. Walking it is then. My dear friend and running buddy has been an awesome support by joining me at High Park on the weekends for a brisk walk that seems to be getting slower every week. She's been training for a half marathon, SO PROUD, and uses this time as her "off day" or "cross training day. A few weeks ago we did 8-10 km and it felt great while we were doing it but my back made me pay for my deeds. It turns out I can't just do things the way I want any more...hmm who knew!
Beat me again - Telling you I'm a runner and for some of you knowing I've ran a few races including a half marathon, may have led you to believe I'm a good runner. Well I'm not. I'll be 100% honest about that. In fact my track record as a runner includes being beat by children under the age of 10, blind runners with a guide runner, amputees, seniors and possibly snails. But I enjoy it so I keep going. As a walker though, I'm a pretty fast walker that's just my normal walk mode. But as always, pregnancy changes things. The other day, I went for a walk with Val to the farmer's market. Val is a comfortable stroller kinda guy who tends to scold me for being in a rush all the time when we go for walks. On this particular day, he turned to realize I was a good 20 ft behind him because my walk has slowed down to a crazy slow wobble. In fact, there was this old dude with a cane that passed me and I could have sworn to give me a smug look to boot. Sneaky old bastard!!
That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned and I shall tell you more about the glories of having a growing little munchkin in your belly and all the funny things that go with it.
