Lots of women are concerned about weight gain during and after pregnancy. The body needs about 300 extra calories when you are pregnant, which isn’t really that much. I don’t think it’s the amount of calories that a pregnant body needs, but the quality of calories that a pregnant body needs. For instance, you can get an extra 300 calories eating a couple of brownies, or you can get an extra 300 calories eating an extra piece of protein and some fresh vegetables.
The Paleo diet refers back to Paleo times when human beings were hunter/gatherers and lived on diets of protein , vegetables and moderate amounts of seasonal fruit. Notice the absence of carbs? The body does need carbohydrates and although a lot of those are present in vegetables, the advent of bread became the main staple for carbohydrates post Paleo times. If we as humans, had just left it at that, bread, we probably would not have weight issues. But bread became crackers, chips, and all sorts of desserts.
So a pregnancy diet based on the Paleo diet is a good direction to go: lean meats like, fish (especially the fatty fishes, salmon mackerel, sardines), chicken and turkey; lots of fresh vegetables, some raw like in a salad and some steamed or baked; and a minimum amount of carbohydrate. I suggest staying away from processed carbs like chips and crackers and going for whole grain breads, nuts, whole grains like wild rice and of course yummy baked yams and sweet potatoes.
This kind of diet means actually cooking. The fast food/restaurant movement has really pulled us away from the kitchen. But the kitchen can be a great meeting place for family and friends and cooking is a way to make sure that you and your family stay healthy. Cooking can also be a time and place for prayer and gratitude. Offering small prayers of “thank-you” while you are washing, peeling and chopping food is nurturing to the Spirit.
I was very lucky in that I was taught to cook when I was a child in both my grandmother’s and my mother’s kitchen. So I feel very confident in that arena. Cooking is certainly more economical than eating out or getting take out. But it’s never too late to begin getting comfortable in the kitchen, and cooking your own food will certainly allow you and your family to eat in a healthier way. Time in the kitchen can be and should be shared with husbands and children who can help in the process of preparing and then sharing food. And there is nothing like a family sharing a meal they have prepared together to help create a strong sense of belonging.
So back to the diet. Here are some ideas for a healthy pregnancy paleo-type of diet and also some resources:
- Lean meats like fish (check to make sure it’s farm raised and/or avoid mercury containing fish, like tuna), chicken, turkey without skins. Bake, steam or broil.
- Veggies of all kinds! Some raw veggies everyday in a salad or as a snack. Keeping cut up, washed veggies in the fridge while you are pregnant is a good idea: celery, jicima, carrots, snap peas. Steam or sauté veggies and don’t over-cook them. Veggies can be sautéed in a little olive oil to being out flavor. Remember that sauté means to cook slowly over a very low heat…you don’t want to fry any food!
- Seasonal fruit. Apples in the fall and winter and berries in the summer is a good way to go. I love apples and often eat them with a little bit of almond butter and a hand full of raw almonds.
- Nuts and seeds. These are a good source of protein and calcium and make for a good snack. Pine nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds can be added to tossed salads. Try to get raw, not roasted!
- Good oils. Olive oil is best for cooking, but a tablespoon of Barlenes Flax seed oil can provide your body with good Omega 6 oils. Never cook with flax oil, (it should not be heated) but use it for salad dressing.
- Minimal Carbs: whole grain breads, whole grains, like rice are best. Avoid processed carbs like chips and crackers.
- Dairy: I am not big on dairy as many people are reactive to milk and milk products. That being said, if dairy feels good in your body, by all means go for the milk and cheese. You may even want to try goat cheese. Goat milk tastes a little gamey to me, but some people like it and it is a good source of protein. Yogurt is a good as long as you get the yogurt that is either non-sweetened or natural fruit sweetened. Avoid corn syrup!!!!
- Desserts: a LITTLE chocolate is good for the soul, but you may also want to try baked apples or baked pears with coconut milk and maple syrup. Or make your own oatmeal cookies, using honey as a substitute for sugar. Omit two tablespoons of liquid in the recipe if you are using honey and you will get the right consistency.
Okay, here are some of my favorite resources for cooking. Some of these are vegetarian cookbooks, not because I am a vegetarian, but because these cookbooks get really creative with vegetables and vegetables are loaded with good vitamins and minerals:
My favorite cookbook for veggies and also the best cookbook if you want to have a vegetarian pregnancy is :
- The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook by Cathe Olson
- Any of the Moosewood Cookbooksby Katzen
- Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon – what a great, educational and delicious cookbook!
- These are a good beginning. Please share your diet and healthy eating tips with us!
If you follow the thread on the Paleo posts, you will see that yes, a man did write a great deal of them. While the Paelo Pregnancy is a bit of a misnomer, the intent is to get women to look at getting the bulk of their nutritional requirements from lean protein and veggies. That being said, I agree with your doctor. Do your best to eat well and don’t stress if a Krispy Creme is what floats your boat one day. . .just don’t make a steady diet of that type of food.
I’m almost done with my first trimester and prior to getting pregnant I began Paleo. Well I got to say that I don’t know if those rules above about Paleo while pregnant was written by a man because the first 8 weeks of my pregnancy, I couldn’t stomach meats – any kind of meats, I couldn’t even smell it. In desperation I called my doctor, and he recommended not to stress and to listen to what my body was craving. So I did and was finally able to ea, but it was nothing under the Paleo ruling.
So either a man wrote the rules or there are pregnant women here not being completely honest. I have a friend that was all Paleo until she got pregnant and she ate Krispy Kreme doughnuts for two weeks straight!
The body is working overtime to create this little being, so it wants carbs quick! For weeks all I could stomach was a little rice and beans, applesauce and ginger ale. That was my entire diet for almost 3 weeks.
So I don’t think the rules above are a “one size fit all” type of deal. I know too many pregnant women with intense food aversions that even water is a problem to swallow.
First off, I would really research where the radiation would be highest due to Fukashima and where it is considered “safe,” and then I would research it some more. Find out what the Mommy Blogs in your country are saying about this. As far as hormone and antibiotic injections, this is problematic in my country too. That being said if you do not have access to organic meats, then minimize meat intake, but do get some. Fish right now, I would stay away from in your area, but do supplement with a good Fish Oil from either our company, Sound Formulas or Nordic Naturals. You especially need Omega 3’s during pregnancy. And once again, Mommy Blogs can be a great resource for you. Good wishes and good will! – Stephanie Raffelock
I have some concerns regarding consumption of meat due to hormone injections and antibiotics. I want to eat paleo, but I live in Japan and do not have access to organic meat. They do use less injections in their animals but there are still some. Also the meat may be contaminated with radiation due to the recent Fukashima events. Do you think the trade off of antibiotic hormone injected, possibly radiated, meat is worth it to eat paleo. Right now I am getting my main source of protein from lactose free protein shakes, but this is get very old, very fast.
Great link for smoothie recepies! Thank you for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for that. My son has a total aversion to eating fruit , so I made the fruit into smoothies for him and then he loves it! I also found some great smoothie recipe here and thought I’d share – lots of other great ideas there.
I love Mackarel, its healthy and slimming food. I have been looking for better ways to prepare this dish for a while. These days I make sure that the Fish that I buy is from sustainable fishing sources. Not mentioning Sushi made with raw fish.
Hey, The nice article sites just found your site on with yahoo helped me a lot! I really like the info, thank you.
Great article.
I have very mixed feeling about sushi. I too ate it during pregnancy. I probably ate it once a month or maybe twice a month. My son had some issues when he was younger and I was concerned if I had exposed him to mercury when he was inutero. We’ll never know but now I tell moms to be (if they ask) to skip it.
And to echo off dr. dean’s comment. I unfortunately had a tapeworm this year from sushi. It caused a great deal of pain and many issues. If I had that when I was pregnant I would have been in big trouble.
I think because of the economy the fishmongers are getting cheaper fish and I think that is a problem. just my 2 cents.
You get about 300mg of calcium from 1 cup of milk and 150mg from 1/2 cup of almonds. Calcium rich foods are salmon, orange juice, carrot juice, sardines, collards, chard and kale. Running a close second would be tahini, navy or pinto beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts and oranges.
You can get plenty of calcium without drinking a lot of milk. However if you are craving milk products and you are not lactose intolerant, I would rotate in some yogurt. Pregnancy is not time to be deprived of what your body may be telling you it wants. So tune in and you will know whether or not to have some yogurt or cheese along with those deep green leafy vegetables!
Too, calcium supplements such as calcium citrate (never calcium carbonate) will assure that you are getting your daily 1200mgs of calcium daily, but if you can eat well, you should be able to get most of the calcium, if not all from your diet.
Hope this helps and CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Hi–I just found out that I’m pregnant (just over four weeks) and have been loosely following Paleo for over a year now. I’ve been without dairy for many months (except some hard cheese every now & then on salads). Everyone always says you HAVE to drink so much milk during pregnancy, I’m wondering what your take is on this?? Thanks!
First, ask yourself what are you replacing by eating whole grains? Typically it’s vegetables.
For example, a 350 calorie meal without grains:
5 oz chicken breast = 150 cal
1/2 sweet potato = 100 cal
1/3 Avocado = 50 cal
1.5 Cups Broccoli = 50 cal
If you want a 350 cal meal with grains, a 1/2 cup of brown rice is 100 cal, so what are you going to cut so that you can eat your rice? Now expound this to a 2,200 calorie diet. How many vegetable/fruit calories are you going substitute out so that you can still include grains in your diet? Then compare the nutrient density of vegetables/fruits compared to whole grains, now you recognize how many nutrients you are throwing away because you can’t get off grains.
Lectins – Found in grains, bad for your body. They are actually mild poisons, the plants natural defense of trying not to be eaten. Causes inflammation and retards your GI tracts ability to repair itself.
Gluten – Found in grains, bad for your body. Causes inflammation in the GI tract and leaky gut.
Quinoa is ok except for the carb punch that it packs relative to vegetables and the presence of lectins, but it is more nutritionally dense than other grains.
I’m a big butter fan myself! When we talk about grains…what do you think of whole grains like brown and wild rice or rolled oats? See, I don’t think of whole grains as being in the same catagory as bread or crackers. You obviously know a lot about this type of diet and I am very curious (and open to learning) about your hit on the whole grains vs. processed grains. And too, where does that leave us with the seed grains like millet and quinoa? Thanks Rob.
Extra virgin, first press olive oil has a pretty low smoke point, possibly as low as 200-250 degrees F. So there is some sauté potential, but coconut oil and butter both have a smoke point closer to 350 degrees F as well as providing very potent vitamin delivering fats.
Grains are about as nutrient dense as ice cream, you would be nutritionally better off if you had a green leaf salad with a meat protein source and ice cream for desert compared to a sandwich with no desert.
Rob-
Maybe it’s a misnomer calling this Paleo. It’s just that Paleo best describes the type or base of diet that I think is most beneficial for everyone. We are way over-carbed in this country with cookies and crackers, bread etc, yet it’s difficult for a pregnant woman to do away with all grains. So really this diet is what I would call Paleo based…but not purist Paleo. Thanks for your comments. Do you think that olive oil heated slowly and on low flame as in “saute” makes the olive oil unstable? It sure works nicely drizzeled on veggies if you don’t want to actually heat it up.
One of the main ideas, if not THE main idea, behind the Paleo diet is to not eat grains. It is named the Paleo diet after the Paleolithic period, which predates the neolithic period, the neolithic period being the one in which grains were first introduced into our diet. So #6 needs to be erased if you are going to push this list as paleo.
Also, farm raised fish is gross (just do a google image search on that topic), olive oil isn’t very heat tolerant (real butter or coconut oil on low heat is better), but baked apples with coconut milk sounds really good.
I watched 2 joggers the other day at my favorite place to walk, Wonderland Lake, in North Boulder, pushing their kids in jogging strollers. I wondered to myself: How much extra effort is that, to push the weight of not only the baby, but the stroller? Granted, many people in Boulder don’t hesitate to maintain their regimen before, during and after pregnancy, but it really looked like alot of work. And just in the nick of time, I saw an article in a women’s magazine stating that pushing a jogging stroller offers additional fitness benefits because it works the cardiovascular system, strengthens several muscle groups (especially the pecs, tripceps, deltoids – arm and chest muscles; quads and hamstrings) and could even burn 20% more calories, especially when going up a hill.
After doing a little more snooping on the subject, I read that for those not ready to actually jog, beginning with brisk ‘fitness’ walking for about 10-30 minutes, and then jogging in short intervals for about 30 minutes (depending on one’s overall fitness) would be a great place to start the postpartum exercise program or routine. “Many women who try to resume jogging too early will experience the sensation that their bodies are looser (which it is) or that they have to work harder just to do any easy jog, or that they have lost a lot of strength (this is functional and temporary). This is because ligament laxity greatly reduces efficiency in movement.” (http://en.allexperts.com/q/ObGyn-Pregnancy-issues-1007/2009/3/postpartum-jogging.htm)
Thus, if ligaments aren’t strong enough to bear the increased strain, knee cartilage and the cartilage the covers the ends of your thigh and shin bones can bear the brunt of the impact.
So, the long and short of it is to consider cross training during this time with ‘fitness’ walking (with appropriate shoes), biking on a well-fitted bike (including saddle, pedals, and handle bars), and swimming (which is fantastic for full body exercise without impact).
Stephanie, your comment reminds me of an article I read years back in USA Today which talked about how conversation at mealtime actually helps kids communicate better with their families and the world around them by expanding their vocabularies and even helping them learn to read. Imagine how a child’s world can grow by helping in the preparation of a special family meal!
Historically, mealtime (in one way or another), has been one way to incorporate and teach ritual, culture, and cooking techniques. I grew up in a Jewish family in New York and I remember my grandmother, mother, and aunts literally taking over the kitchen at Thanksgiving and Passover: stuffing the turkey, making the giblets, preparing the gefilte fish. Not to mention taking down the fine china, wrapped in special, dust proof protective cases that the children were not allowed to touch. While I didn’t have a hand in preparing the holiday meals, I do remember watching and listening to the conversations related to meal planning and cooking, including oven temperature, how to properly slice the meat, the placement of the cooked dishes on the dining room table, and of course, the proper way to set the table, salad forks and all. Eventually, these holiday rituals made sense to me and I learned somewhat, why we used certain foods and how we prepared them.
I think that with or without kids, adults can ‘use’ meal time to their advantage by taking part in group meals – sharing in the shopping, preparation, etc. That’s what I like about ‘potlucks’, so popular in Boulder… each person makes their own dish (or based on a theme) that comes with their own personal intention, if you will.
Great article.
I have very mixed feeling about sushi. I too ate it during pregnancy. I probably ate it once a month or maybe twice a month. My son had some issues when he was younger and I was concerned if I had exposed him to mercury when he was inutero. We’ll never know but now I tell moms to be (if they ask) to skip it.
And to echo off dr. dean’s comment. I unfortunately had a tapeworm this year from sushi. It caused a great deal of pain and many issues. If I had that when I was pregnant I would have been in big trouble.
I think because of the economy the fishmongers are getting cheaper fish and I think that is a problem. just my 2 cents.
Family time in the kitchen and around the table is great bonding time and your list offers some great suggestions. My hopes and prayers are that we are returning to being a “slow-food” nation as opposed to “fast-food” one. So many of our health problems come from eating highly processed foods…and eating in stressful situations, like driving in your car, eating at your desk at work… Who can digest their food under these conditions? I would love to hear from any moms about how they create healthy food and family time in their kitchens and around their tables.
Speaking of books, Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair is a favorite of mine. In it, she talks about creating family time by sitting and eating together, as well as preparing meals for the benefit of moms (often left out of the bigger nutritional picture), alongside of kids and dads. How many of us juggle kids, husbands, and careers (at home or outside the home)? No wonder it’s hard to feed everyone!
Time and again I’ve seen pre- and post- natal moms with young children and husbands lacking in the basics (protein, carbs and fats), as well as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants because they just don’t have the time or energy to prepare sufficient meals for themselves.
Probably the best way to solve this problem is to find foods that are safe for prenatal and nursing moms and are easy to prepare for young children. Barring any food sensitivities or digestive difficulties, nutrient dense foods like non-glutenous grains (such as quinoa, millet and rice), beans (chickpeas, pinto and lentils), veggies (specifically dark green leafies), fruits (including berries and summer fruits, like peaches, apricots and melons), nuts/seeds (almonds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame & sunflower seeds), sea vegetables, which very high in minerals (dulse, hiziki, arame, wakame), dairy products (yogurt, some cheeses, goat milk products), and fish/poultry (fresh, wild-caught salmon, and organic, free-range chicken and eggs) all contain above average levels of one or more key nutrients (protein, calcium, iron, folic acid, Vitamins A and C), AND they can also be used to feed the rest of the family.
Some suggestions:
1. With recipes like Potato, Cauliflower and Dulse Soup, extra cauliflower pieces can be steamed and pureed with a pinch of dulse for babies 6 months and up.
2. Cooked grains like quinoa can be either pureed with water or breast milk and served as cereal or even served as is with pureed cooked carrots for lunch/dinner.
3. Pumpkin seeds can also be toasted and ground into a fine powder and stirred into cereal or pureed vegetables.
4. To add fiber and as a nutritious egg replacer, grind 2 Tablespoons of flaxseeds into a fine meal, add 6 Tb. boiling water and let set for 15 minutes, then whisk with a fork. This will replace 2 eggs in a recipe.
5. Make squash-corn muffins to go with a soup and reserve some of the pureed squash for baby. Squash or backed sweet potato can also be pureed with cooked brown rice.
Omega 3 fat supplements can also safely be added to baby food. In addition to mom adding flaxseed oil to her own food, I’ve seen many babies grow accustomed to the flavor at a young age by receiving it through breast milk or even mixed into foods. The same goes for fish oils, which baby can also receive via breast milk or directly.
It seems that every day there is more and more information about the benefits of Omega-3 oils, EPA and DHA. So much of that information is about Omegas and pregnancy or post pregnancy. I think every pregnant woman should be taking Omega-3 supplements!
We all eat fats. They are in meat, fish, dairy, cooking oils, baked goods…just about everything except fruits and vegetables, or grains. In the diets of our population about sixty years ago the ratio of good fats to bad fats consumed was about 10 to 1. Today those numbers are reversed. We get bad fats from our love of “take out” instead of “cook in.” Many restaurants use lard or cheaper oils to cook. When you eat out or get “takeout” it may look like you are getting good food, but the truth is you don’t know what kind of oil your food is cooked in or even what kind of oil is on your salad dressing.
We have screwed up our diets so badly with an over indulgence in takeout food and fast food. We as a culture purchase boxes and bags of chips and crackers without reading about the bad fats that went into making those foods. Our pallets have become jaded, craving those bad fats with combinations of salt and sugar which make for a disastrous diet.
Some of the articles that I have read recently site studies: Copenhagen, Denmark did a study with DHA and infants born with immature immune system. The supplementation of fish oils at age 9 months helped to accelerate the maturation.
A study in the Netherlands showed that DHA declines during breast feeding. Isn’t this a good reason to supplement with Omega-3s? Especially when another study from Munich, Germany shows that DHA is vital for the proper development of an infant’s brain and retina? Mother’s DHA does effect the composition of her breast mild.
And at Cornell University in New York a study showed that low levels of DHA have recently been associated with depression. So if baby needs Omega-3’s for brain development and mommy needs Omega’s for her brain too, supplementation with good Omega-3’s is crucial for both.
Our culture of bad fats does not help matters any. But a diet that utilizes fresh vegetables, fruit, whole grains and fish (such as salmon) twice a week, IN ADDITION to Omega-3 supplementation provides mom and baby with good health during and after pregnancy. Always look for Omega-3 oils that are certified “no heavy metals, no PCB’s.”
I read an article in “Healthy Day” this morning called “How much Fish to Eat While Pregnant?” The article was a debate on the pros, and cons of consumption and mercury exposure. It seems that everyone agrees that moms, whether pregnant or postnatal, need the Omega 3’s that are found in fatty fish like salmon . This article says that other than fish, “there are no other ways to get Omega-3’s.” Not true. One can supplement with Fish Oils! Now the same concern about fish oils and mercury exists, however many companies, including Sound Formulas, certifies “no heavy metals or PCB’s” on the label. That means you can get Omega-3’s and not worry about getting mercury as well!
I have also had some interesting conversations with the fish guys at Whole Foods who, at least where I live, are able to tell you where the fish came from, whether or not it is wild or farm raised and they seem to know which fishes are have the potential of being higher in mercury. I think some fish during pregnancy is important, even if you are supplementing with Omega-3 vitamins, you just need to know the source of the fish. Some fish means 2 X’s per week and then supplement with Omega-3 oils.
Fish which tend to be the highest in mercury, according to the FDA are: shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish. (I think tuna may be up there too.)
Bottom line: Omega-3’s from fish or from supplementation are uniquely important for the brain development in babies and important for moms in supporting a balanced mood.
Hi Cheryl,
Hope you don’t mind that Stephanie asked me to reply
First sushi: I have mixed feelings about eating raw fish during pregnancy. The obvious advantage is that the fish is a great source of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids. Because of mercury exposure, it is best to not eat fish more than 2-3x per week. Then there is the potential of intestinal parasites. One of the main reasons our Japanese friends learned to eat sushi with wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and ginger, besides enhancing flavor and adding other health benefits, is to help kill off the bacteria and other potential parasites in the raw fish. The herbs and spices used in most older cultures have both taste and health advantages. Our friends South of the Border use hot peppers, garlic and onions to enhance taste and to kill off parasites. In Italy they use basil and oregano as well as garlic and onions. The East Indians use hot curries for the same reasons. So if one is going to eat sushi using the condiments that come with them is highly recommended.
The quality of the sushi is also very important…where the fish comes from, how far it is served from the sea from which the fish was taken from, etc. I love the taste of sushi and do eat it. However, I always follow the meal with either oregano or undecylenic acid gelcaps to make sure the bacteria is killed off. Guess I’ve looked at way too many stool parasites tests to feel totally safe about eating raw fish without that added protection.
Raw eggs: I do not recommend eating raw eggs at all…pregnant or not. Too risky and there are studies showing that cooked eggs are almost twice as digestible as raw eggs. Many women in their first trimester have trouble with morning sickness anyway…so eating slimy raw eggs, I imagine, would put most pregnant women over the proverbial edge! A middle ground would be a medium boiled egg where the yolks and whites are not cooked all the way through but they have still been exposed to boiling water (3 minutes at sea level and 6 minutes above 5200 ft elevation).
You are very correct that getting raw and lightly steamed vetetables are very important for the health of baby and mother.
Thanks for contributing Cheryl. Stephanie and I so appreciate and enjoy your great blog at wellpostpartum.com
Dr. Dean Raffelock
Great article and site! Thank you, Stephanie.
I like to see when women take in a majority of food raw. Vegetable smoothies, with the pulp blended in, are wonderful additions and make you feel great.
I’ve heard that pregnant women should not eat some soft cheeses or sprouted beans, due to a slight risk of bacteria contamination. What do you think?
A friend (an attorney who researched this question well) decided to eat sushi during pregnancy- she was craving it! Can you say a little about raw foods or cravings? Personally, I take raw eggs and dairy but I’m not sure if it’s safe enough to do so during pregnancy.
Dr. Mercola has a long article on raw eggs and says they are safe during pregnancy, but I’m not convinced yet! http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/11/13/eggs-part-two.aspx
Keep up the good work!