Make It Count!!

Readers, I feel badly that I have not posted recently; however, I will not apologize as some things do tend to fall by the way side for a time when one discovers she is expecting. :) About a week after my last post, my husband and I found out that I was pregnant! Between the subsequent holidays and the ever-continuing life adjustments, the frequency of my blogging has not been where I would like it to be. Nevertheless, I am going to do my best to continue writing as it is a creative outlet I truly enjoy.

Unsurprisingly, this blog does stem from a train of thought that has been and is at the forefront of my mind since I learned my body was no longer my own. Proper nutrition during pregnancy is of utmost importance - duh! A brand new life is being formed within the confines of your body, and he/she needs certain, varied, and plentiful nutrients to develop well.

As I read various paraphernalia specifically relating to diet and nutrition during pregnancy, the authors are so kind as to encourage expectant mothers to eat small meals 5-6x per day (to prevent sour stomach, gas, and bloat among other things) and to mix up the foods in their diets so as to insure their bodies are receiving the building blocks of life, vital to their newborn. Moreover, in almost all cases, the writers also contest that such habits are important to continue even after giving birth to promote overall good health. They could not be more right-on!

The key to having a good diet is simply to make it count! Your body craves a proper balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and other nutrients to function at its best. You won't achieve this balance by eating crap. You have to make every bite count! Not all foods are created equal. One cup of Fruit Loops does not have the same nutritional value or sustaining power as does one cup of oatmeal with brown sugar. An apple with peanut butter does not pack the same punch as four Oreos. It's not rocket science.

I realize that some people abhor the idea of feasting on fruits and veggies and cringe at the idea of taking a more healthy approach to eating (i.e. "dieting). But, simple choices made repeatedly go a long way. Instead of Fruit Loops, opt for oatmeal. Instead of six slices of roast beef on your sandwich with a bag of potato chips, go with four slices of turkey breast and an apple. Each decision when it comes to food can be one more nail in the coffin (to put it bluntly) or one for the beautiful structure you are working to sustain.

You have one life to live and one body to do it in. Why not give it your best shot? Now that is not to say, life must be all celery sticks and no creme brule. There is a time and place for every food item; after all, food exists so that it can be enjoyed! You just need to keep everything in balance; this is the key.

I am entering my second trimester and have noticed that in this last week I am seemingly more hungry than before. In my case, this is expected and normal. But rather than gorging myself on unsatisfying and nutritionally deficient junk food, I am going to continue to attempt to make food choices that truly count and afford both my growing baby and I the best nutrition possible. I can't do much for my baby right now other than take the very best care of myself, and that primarily revolves around what I eat. Therefore, it is imperative that I make every bite count! You should, too!

Last Week In Review

This past week treated me pretty well in almost all areas. Key word in that sentence, however, is almost. Interestingly enough, the one area that would have been graded with a "Needs for Improvement" mark was my diet. I arrived at Saturday realizing that in the four days prior, dinner consisted of either restaurant or take-out food. By then, my body was screaming at me to get back to my more healthier ways.

Whenever I go out, I do my best to "behave," knowing that restaurant fare has a lot of extras attached to it even if you opt for the "guiltless" or grilled options. I try to portion control as helpings are often too big to justify consuming in one sitting, and I am unafraid to substitute vegetables for french fries or a baked potato in the place of mashed. Not always though, mind you. I enjoy french fries as much as the next person; I just don't always have a hankering for them. So when I don't, I pass. When I do, I gobble them up! :)

What bothered me about my lack of home cooked foods was not so much in the potential calorie or fat content, it was that I knew my body was not getting the best nutritional value from the foods I had chosen to eat. I was not agonizing over this turn of events; simpley, i was eager to regain control of what I was putting in my mouth. So, Saturday night I broke the evil spell I was under and made burritos with ground turkey (instead of beef), saffron rice, red & green peppers, chick peas, re-fried beans, onions, and shredded cheese. They were delicious!

Yesterday, I was still bent on continuing with my healthy food rampage, which was quickly confronted with a potential upset. We were invited over to our pastor's house to fellowship with some old friends and fellow church members, and the meal option of choice was...pizza! Now, pizza is certainly not a terrible food choice. It was just not what I was hoping for. However, upon arrival, I breathed a sigh of relief when among the pepperoni, cheese, and sausage, there was a salad pizza. I had never tried salad pizza; it was pretty good and chocked full of greens. I was a happy camper.

The week will continue with more conscious effort (a little goes a long way). I have determined the "menu" for Jon and I for the next few days. I'll be using 2 recipes from Rocco Dispirito's book, Now Eat This! - a Philly cheese steak recipe for tonight and turkey bolognese over noodles for Wednesday. I'm excited! And I highly recommend this cookbook. It slashes the usual calorie and fat content associated with some of "America's favorite comfort foods" and presents them with an easy to make recipe. I've had good success with any of the recipes I have tried from here.

In terms of exercise this week, I logged 4 sessions of Zumba, 3 20-minute ones and one 45-minute. I love the fact that I can do a simple 20-minute dance workout, work up a good sweat, and just get my body moving without having to spend a ridiculous amount of time. It's like my Wii Balance Board tells me often enough on Wii Fit Plus, "...even 5 minutes a day can make a difference." I am thankful for expedient workouts.

In the fashion realm, I scored off the charts this week. My mother-in-law and I went to Dress Barn Saturday armed with a coupon to save 25% off on items already reduced at least 50% or more. We are bargain shoppers, so there was little discussion when this invitation to savings arrived in the mail. We spent an hour or so looking through all of the racks of discounted merchandise. I was having a little trouble finding anything that was really striking me until I decided to put on a brave face and try some things that had caught my eye but was uncertain how they would look on me. I grabbed about 6 items and headed for the dressing room. I ended up buying 3 things.

My mother-in-law chose two simple but pretty tops for work. Here's where it gets good.  Before we had even applied the extra 25%, we had already saved over $104 on the 6 items we were buying. The coupon knocked off another $17 off the price dropping our total to $52.50 and a grand total savings of $121. We left Dress Barn beaming!! How 'bout them apples!?

So like I said, this past week ended very well for me, and I have high hopes for this one. For now, I'm off to do some yoga. Best of luck to you in the week ahead and feel free to share any recent highlights from the various areas of your life! I'd love to hear about 'em!