Diet

[AvaRose87]

Does anyone have any hard and fast rules with what I should be eating? I'm 8 weeks pregnant and I'm a bit clueless when it comes to eating the right thing... I'm taking pregnancy vitamins xx

At 8 weeks I was just trying to eat what I could stomach. try and get some fruit and veggies, protein and calcium in you. You may also have a craving for carbs - lots of people do. Just avoid the foods listed on the NHS website.

At 8 weeks I did a massive ocado shop and meal plan to fill my body with nutrients and all the vitamins in the world (except A). There was nothing but brown rice and vegetables as far as the eye could see.
At 8 weeks and 2 days I began throwing up and haven't stopped for 3 months. I live mostly off value cheese and grapes. There are lots of websites that have very detailed food plans for the first trimester (1 portion of fish, 4 portions of dairy etc) but tbh just eat more or less what you want and can physically swallow without gagging!!

Eat what feels right, try to keep it as healthy as possible (less fast food and ready meals, more vegetables and fruit and whole foods) but don't freak out if that's not what you want or if you just can't stomach it and eat cereal for dinner sometimes instead. Early on, it's just about eating what you can and getting through it. I personally have almost no appetite until 2nd tri. I eat what I want and don't overthink it.

You can find lists of foods you should avoid, mostly due to risk of contamination from food-borne illness. You can use these as a guideline, but again don't stress yourself out about it. If you have never gotten listeria from eating brie before now, it's very unlikely you will in pregnancy either. Just be mindful of where you buy things from, check the dates and be careful about storage. I've personally not avoided anything on the 'banned foods' list this pregnancy or my first one. I just ate them in moderation (only the occasional few bites of pate when I really wanted it, freshly purchased and used within date) and when I trusted the source (I eat steak rare, it's a good source of iron, but only from good restaurants we know and trust).

Mostly just listen to your body. If you suddenly need something, there's probably a reason and I would go with it.

Spa tone Spa Tone Spa Tone. Liquid iron supplement, get the one pre mixed in sachets with apple juice. They are fantastic. Totally natural so you only absorb what you need so also can't take too much ect.

It's proven the best iron supplement out there for anyone. Especially pregnant women. I've been taking it for years and just had another blood test (7 months pregnant here) and my iron levels were as good as a man's.

My friend also didn't need a blood transfusion when she had her son a month ago because her iron levels were so good (also on the spa tone every day for last 6months of pregnancy).

You can take it on top of your other vitamins no problems. Buy on Amazon subscribe and save so you get a monthly delivery. Don't work for them honest! Just such a fan for years but after myself and my friend actually being tested...well the proof was in the pudding. She was actually told her iron levels were the highest they'd ever seen (in a good way).

Iron, vitamin D and folic are the 3 you absolutely need to take. My mother is a nurse and she definitely suggested taking them separately instead of pregnacare so you get high doses of each at probably half the price

Protein is a big one but also calcium and other vitamins - so basically avoid the obvious nogos for pregnancy and if you fancy a treat then have one. I know my first pregnancy I ate Char Sui Pork Curry nearly twice a week and was fine.

Things bit different now since I have gastric sleeve so I need to speak to my dietician and weight management team for best way to do this.