My Food Freedom During Pregnancy

After completing several (five? six?) Whole30s, I had really hit a rhythm in my Food Freedom. I felt incredibly comfortable with my “diet.” I was able to choose to indulge in treats without feeling guilty and punishing myself. I generally stuck to a paleo diet and mainly ate foods that made me feel my best. I enjoyed Whole30 recipes much of the time, even when I wasn’t doing the program. 

Then I got pregnant. 

I was actually at the tail end of a Whole30 when I found out I was expecting, and I felt pretty good, so I continued on with my Whole30. I started getting cocky, thinking that I would continue to eat the same way throughout my pregnancy and give my baby only the most nutritious foods (with some paleo treats mixed in, because it’s not Whole365). Was I in for an ego adjustment. 

When I was around 8 weeks pregnant, the nausea hit. I was nauseous around the clock. I could no longer look at cooked vegetables, meat, or fish. I no longer had the energy to spend hours in the kitchen making meals for the week. My diet quickly transformed into that of a six-year-old, eating several boxes of chickpea pasta with ghee and gluten and dairy free macaroni and cheese. And forget about my diligent exercise routine—I collapsed onto the couch as soon as I got home from work and was in bed by 8 pm, even on the weekends. 

I began feeling bad about my diet, knowing that all of the refined carbs were not the best building blocks for my growing baby. I also didn’t feel well—suddenly eating such a carb-heavy diet made me feel heavy and bloated, yet it was all I could stomach. 

Thankfully, after two weeks, my nausea all but disappeared (yes, I know I am very lucky!). However, my body was still very different, and changing all the time. I did not return to my pre-pregnancy version of Food Freedom, because my body was not in its pre-pregnancy state. But a little trial and error has helped me to find a new version of Food Freedom. I’ve found that I LOVE raw produce right now, so I’m eating lots of salads and fresh fruit, and I even went through an interesting raw bell pepper phase. I have accepted the fact that my low-carb pre-pregnancy diet is not going to work for me right now, and baby needs carbs for brain development, so I’m incorporating more of them in my diet than I previously had. I’ve hit a stride where I feel healthy, satisfied, and confident that I am feeding my body and my baby exactly what we need. 

I know that my second trimester Food Freedom will almost definitely look different from my third trimester Food Freedom, and will perhaps even evolve week to week, and that’s completely fine. While pregnancy has really thrown my Food Freedom for a loop, it has helped me to grow in my Food Freedom by learning to be more flexible and adaptive, shifting gears when life circumstances change. 

Just as everyone’s pregnancy is different, Food Freedom during pregnancy (and beyond) is highly individual. I hope that sharing my pregnancy Food Freedom journey (thus far!) will help you consider how you can adapt your own Food Freedom in this special time.