Paleo, Pregnancy, and Pizza....ugh

[Ann.without.an.e]

So I am a diet nazi......normally.  In my non-pregnant state of being, that is.  I don't eat dairy, gluten, grains, legumes, and I limit sugar.  But now I am pregnant.  I can't stomach meat, eggs, or nuts at all.  I have a serious aversion to them.  I am queasy anyway and just the thought of a grassfed hamburger patty makes me want to barf.  Most veggies aren't working either.  While I normally eat mostly meat, veggies, and fruit, these are now the very things that make me sick.  I am craving grains.  In fact, after a week of feeling so bad and craving cheese pizza I finally ordered one.  I ate it and felt great - no nausea.  I even ate the leftovers for breakfast. :rolleyes:   What is a gluten free, grain free girl to do?  Pretty please....refrain from commenting on this post if you have never been pregnant or had food aversions and nausea during pregnancy.  

 

 

ETA - on the positive, I also have an aversion to anything chocolate.  My craving is more pizza and sandwiches, not sweets. 

[BarbecueMom]

So I am a diet nazi......normally. In my non-pregnant state of being, that is. I don't eat dairy, gluten, grains, legumes, and I limit sugar. But now I am pregnant. I can't stomach meat, eggs, or nuts at all. I have a serious aversion to them. I am queasy anyway and just the thought of a grassfed hamburger patty makes me want to barf. Most veggies aren't working either. While I normally eat mostly meat, veggies, and fruit, these are now the very things that make me sick. I am craving grains. In fact, after a week of feeling so bad and craving cheese pizza, I finally ordered one. I ate it and felt great - no nausea. I even ate the leftovers for breakfast. :rolleyes: What is a gluten free, grain free girl to do? And, please....refrain from commenting on this post if you have never been pregnant or had food aversions and nausea during pregnancy.

The only thing I could always eat during my last pregnancy was Glutino strawberry GF pop tarts. Not cheap, not healthy, definitely not no-grain or low-sugar, but I was struggling to gain weight. They were easy to eat in the middle of the night, which was the only time I could eat. I could to back to bed before getting nauseous.

 

I buy the big bags of precooked sausage patties at Costco, and those were mostly tolerable, too.

 

ETA about your ETA: I had a chocolate aversion too, which finally went away a couple weeks ago. DS is 4 months now.

[Ann.without.an.e]

BTDT.  You don't even want to know about the crap I ate while pregnant.  Pizza is health food in comparison.

 

 

 

Haha, this made me smile.  Thanks :)

[Alte Veste Academy]

Why did you go paleo? I eat this way because of autoimmune stuff, and I thought I read that autoimmune problems tend to go dormant in pregnancy. In your shoes, I would eat grains if they didn't make me feel ill, but continue to eat as healthfully as possible overall.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Why did you go paleo? I eat this way because of autoimmune stuff, and I thought I read that autoimmune problems tend to go dormant in pregnancy. In your shoes, I would eat grains if they didn't make me feel ill, but continue to eat as healthfully as possible overall.

 

 

 

I am paleo for auto immune reasons too.  I have Hashimoto's.  Do autoimmune issues really go dormant during pregnancy?  That would completely explain why (other than the nausea) I always feel better when I am pregnant.  Also, pizza would normally make me feel awful, not better.  Very interesting.

[dbmamaz]

I was not aware of my food issues when I started getting pregnant, but I did notice that I could handle foods I couldnt handle when I wasnt pregnant.  I eventually learned that, yes,  your immune system is dampened during pregnancy - so you dont reject the foreign body inside your own.  

 

I read a book about extreme pregnancy nausea, and that book was very big on eating whatever you WANT to eat.  Getting calories in you is very important, and if eating is hard, just go with the flow and eat whatever you can stomach.  

 

Hopefully the grains cravings will subside shortly.  If i was you, I'd TRY to still eat gluten-free grains.  But I crave pizza enough now (i'm allergic to wheat and dairy and also all the cheese subs which are horrid anyways), if I was pregnant and having nausea AND craving pizza - i'd eat it!

[Soror]

Pregnancy totally changes things. I was/am grainfree/ gluten free  but during the first trimester of my 3rd pregnancy I ate Bob's Red Mill gf hot cereal nearly every day for b-fast. Usually that is something that would bonk me out but I felt great. Every pregnancy is different, some I found it totally easy to keep to my diet(w.o.e) and some my cravings and aversions were so strong. I kept gluten free but I ate varying amounts of grains and sugars depending on how I was feeling.

[brehon]

I am not (too) ashamed to admit that during most of one of my pregnancies I had such bad nausea for the entire pregnancy that nothing sounded appetizing. Nothing.

 

 

 

Except instant mashed potatoes. Yes, that's right; I probably single-handedly supported the boxed potato industry that year. It was so bad that my partner and my fire crew (so, five macho men) were buying AND fixing me mashed potatoes during my shifts at work.

 

(And they fixed them just to my hormonally challenged body's delight. Unlike a certain "d"h of my near and dear acquaintance who thought he should jazz them up with different herbs & spices. I've almost forgiven him for that. And it's been almost 4 years.)

 

So, all this in support of wild and wacky preggo cravings. Congratulations and good luck!!

[Plateau Mama]

I am paleo for auto immune reasons too.  I have Hashimoto's.  Do autoimmune issues really go dormant during pregnancy?  That would completely explain why (other than the nausea) I always feel better when I am pregnant.  Also, pizza would normally make me feel awful, not better.  Very interesting.

 autoimmune issues may go into remission when pg. I have(had?) Graves' disease. My first pregnancy I went into remission for about 4 months after I delivered. My 2nd I went into remission and it never returned (been 11.5 years).

 

I read a book about extreme pregnancy nausea, and that book was very big on eating whatever you WANT to eat.  Getting calories in you is very important, and if eating is hard, just go with the flow and eat whatever you can stomach.  

!

My 1st I could only keep chocolate cake down. Seriously, only chocolate cake. My Dr. said he didn't care what I ate as long as I ate and could keep it down.

[kewb]

When pregnant with my son I ate mashed potatoes, soup, and salad because I had aversions to just about everything.  I couldn't look at raw meat or smell it cooking.  And with my daughter all I wanted was garbage meat.  Sausage, keilbasa, hot dogs,  etc.  Guess which child loves all things meat and which one doesn't.

 

I am believer that if you are craving something your body needs it and to roll with it.  Clearly my dd needed nitrates and nitrites.

 

 

[LucyStoner]

My younger son is mainly made of Cherrios and gallons of that junky sweet "vitamin water" stuff. And no substitutes allowed. I just about cried when my husband brought home a box of hippie dippie organic O type oat cereal. I even had milk on my cereal and for an avowed milk hater, that is a big deal. When pregnant and dealing with nausea you eat whatever can stay down. I had hypermesis and was hurling up even plain water. I say cheese pizza sounds perfect.

[Heatherwith4]

I have always eaten what I could stand during the early parts of my pregnancies. I sometimes felt guilty about it, but I didn't really want to throw up all day or starve. :grouphug:

[Amy in TX]

With one of my pregnancies, throughout the first trimester, croissants were the only food I could even think about without gagging.  You eat what will stay down.  There's not much point in doing otherwise, right?  :)

 

 

[wapiti]

Count me in as a go-with-the-craving person.  All I will add is that, if I had to do it over again knowing what I know now, I would eat way more fat.

[Ann.without.an.e]

 autoimmune issues may go into remission when pg. I have(had?) Graves' disease. My first pregnancy I went into remission for about 4 months after I delivered. My 2nd I went into remission and it never returned (been 11.5 years).

My 1st I could only keep chocolate cake down. Seriously, only chocolate cake. My Dr. said he didn't care what I ate as long as I ate and could keep it down.

 

 

 

I never understood why I felt better when pregnant and for about 10-14 months after pregnancy.  This is really an "aha" moment for me.  Everyone always told me it was hormones, but I always start my monthly cycles back right away (by 6-8 weeks postpartum) even though baby is still nursing at night so I really didn't buy the hormones theory.  11.5 years and still in remission - wow, wouldn't that be a blessing!  

[VeganCupcake]

You don't even want to know what I've been eating this pregnancy. It feels physically impossible to ignore the aversions.

[cjzimmer1]

I've never been gluten free but I cook 90% from scratch.  However, when I'm pregnant I just can't stomach much and for the first 16-20 weeks I pretty much live on processed food, think ramen noodles, Banquet frozen dinners (those $1.00 a meal trays but I usually can't get the veggies down, just the instant potatoes and the meat products), oh and Mcdonald's french fries.  The more sodium laden something is the higher the chance I will be able to keep it down.  I drink pickle juice (but throw away the pickles because they don't work for me).  SO yeah, it's embarrassing how bad my diet is but I figure it's better than being hospitalized for dehydration and excessive vomitting so that's the way it is.  All 6 of mine have been born healthy and have suffered no ill effects from my poor diet.  Just eat what stays down and helps you to function, don't worry about it's nutritional value.  It doesn't matter how healthy something is, if it won't stay in your stomach it isn't doing you any good.

[Ausmumof3]

I don't even want to think about how many packets of burgerings I ate during pregnancy.

 

I did find sunshine, fresh air and frequent snacks helped with the nausea...

[dbmamaz]

btw, my husband swears pickle juice is a great sub for gatoraide?

[MedicMom]

I am diabetic and stay away from sugar as a rule.

Both pregnancies I had hyperemesis to the point of multiple hospitalizations. I started vomiting before the pregnancy tests were positive(which is why my husband now freaks out whenever I come down with the flu). My food aversions were to the point I could not think about food without vomiting.

 

Like I said, sugar and artificial flavor usually make me quite ill, but both pregnancies the only thing I wanted and could keep down was Dunkin donuts blue raspberry coolatta.

Fortunately I live in an area where there are a lot of 24 hour DD stores.

[GSOchristie]

Well, as someone who suffers from nausea from 5 weeks until delivery, I fully endorse eating whatever you want.  Diet rules and restrictions be damned during pregnancy!  

[littlebug42]

I agree with everyone else.  Eat what you need to eat.  With Sweet-pea, I craved watermelon, fresh peaches and cottage cheese.  You would not believe the crazy amount of fruit I ate that summer. 

 

On the other hand, my hyperemesis pregnancy, the only thing I could keep down for most of the whole pregnancy was bacon cheeseburgers from Steak and Shake.  You do what you have to do. 

[Plateau Mama]

On the other hand, my hyperemesis pregnancy, the only thing I could keep down for most of the whole pregnancy was bacon cheeseburgers from Steak and Shake. You do what you have to do.

All 3 of mine I had severe nausea. With my daughter, like I said, I could only keep down chocolate cake. My 2nd was Egg McMuffins and Mexican. The morning after going to the ER to be rehydrated my FIL found a MCD's and bought me 5 egg McMuffins. I was glad they were only $1 at the time. ;-). I can't remember what I craved for the third.

[Ann.without.an.e]

Ya'll make me feel more sane.  I have always had terrible, all day "morning" sickness with my pregnancies but I don't think I have ever had quite this many aversions.  In fact, while I am plenty sick, I am pretty sure I was much sicker with my other babies but with less aversions.  Mexican, hamburger, meat, eggs.....just those words make me want to barf.  I think my husband thinks I've lost my mind, lol.

[fraidycat]

My pregnant, paleo, sugar-free friend survived on crackers and Coke for the first few months of her pregnancy. :) The pop helped to relieve her nausea.

 

Both of my pregnancies were the all day, every day nausea for the first 5-6 months. Talking without gagging was a feat.

 

When I was pregnant with DS, the worst thing to make me nauseous was...WATER!! And for a few years after. I can drink it fine now, but for a few years I could only take tiny sips at a time.

[dbmamaz]

My first pregnancy i was living on a commune - long story.  But i was feeling so sick, i would just sit around in the lounge of the dining hall - until it was time for a meal to be served, then I would book out of there - it was so gross!  Then I would work up an appetite, walk in the kitchen, and the smell of the compost bucket would send me running.  Then one time I was finally feeling like I really could eat, and the dinner cook yelled at me to get out of the kitchen - i cried and cried!  I lost weight the first trimester, even tho I did not start out overweight.  It was horrid.

 

Luckily my other pregnancies were relatively easy, food-wise.

[mommymonster]

I had morning sickness for eight months with my oldest. The only thing I could eat was cheese pizza and Ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips. 

 

And I so feel your pain on the eggs... when I was first pregnant with the oldest, my husband woke up early on a Saturday morning and made eggs with toast. As I dashed to the toilet, I bellowed, "Are you freaking trying to kill me!?!?!" I then went outside to do my morning vomiting because the smell was so bad in the house. He still gets twitchy making eggs...

[brehon]

I had morning sickness for eight months with my oldest. The only thing I could eat was cheese pizza and Ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips. 

 

And I so feel your pain on the eggs... when I was first pregnant with the oldest, my husband woke up early on a Saturday morning and made eggs with toast. As I dashed to the toilet, I bellowed, "Are you freaking trying to kill me!?!?!" I then went outside to do my morning vomiting because the smell was so bad in the house. He still gets twitchy making eggs...

 

Lol.  Isn't it funny about our dh's and how they act during pregnancies.  As I said before I've almost forgiven mine for messing with my instant mashed potatoes.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

This thread reminds me of that Friends episode where vegetarian Phoebe is pregnant and is craving meat, so she and Joey make a deal that she'll eat meat and he won't--but then he does anyway :lol: With my oldest, just about all I could eat for months was Burger King hamburgers. Boy was I glad when that phase was over! And with #2, I was so sick and exhausted that I could only eat takeout food. I couldn't stand to be near food long enough to cook it, and if I could manage to cook something quickly, I was so disgusted by it that I couldn't even look at it. I'd have to leave the room while the others ate. We spent SO much money on food! That whole pregnancy was so awful that it's one of the things that keeps me from desperately wanting another baby.

 

I agree that you should eat what you're craving as long as it doesn't make you feel bad in other ways. 

 

:grouphug:

 

The morning after going to the ER to be rehydrated my FIL found a MCD's and bought me 5 egg McMuffins.

 

Oh, this is so sweet! It made me  :crying: .

 

[shukriyya]

I lived on Carr's Water Crackers, grapes and pineapple during my first trimester. We were living in HI at the time, very off the grid, in a one room cabin. Mosquitoes galore, kitchen outdoors. Dh had cooked himself up some curried fish. I think every first trimester mama can imagine the reaction my pregnant self had to the smell of curried, fried fish w/onions  :willy_nilly:  Anyway dh's options were to eat outside and get bitten up by the swarms of mosquitoes or eat inside accompanied by the guttural sounds of my dry heaving in relation to the odors permeating the cabin. Can you guess which one he chose? 10 points if you guessed the latter :lol:

[Ann.without.an.e]

My pregnant, paleo, sugar-free friend survived on crackers and Coke for the first few months of her pregnancy. :) The pop helped to relieve her nausea.

 

Both of my pregnancies were the all day, every day nausea for the first 5-6 months. Talking without gagging was a feat.

 

When I was pregnant with DS, the worst thing to make me nauseous was...WATER!! And for a few years after. I can drink it fine now, but for a few years I could only take tiny sips at a time.

 

 

 

I am struggling with water too, but I don't like coke or any carbonated drinks.  I have been living on sweet tea (made with a little less sugar than typical southern sweet tea).  

[Ann.without.an.e]

I had morning sickness for eight months with my oldest. The only thing I could eat was cheese pizza and Ruffles cheddar and sour cream chips. 

 

And I so feel your pain on the eggs... when I was first pregnant with the oldest, my husband woke up early on a Saturday morning and made eggs with toast. As I dashed to the toilet, I bellowed, "Are you freaking trying to kill me!?!?!" I then went outside to do my morning vomiting because the smell was so bad in the house. He still gets twitchy making eggs...

 

 

 

Cheese pizza is about all that settles okay with me right now.  I think I could eat non-meaty Italian and be fine.  I was sick with my other pregnancies and I always had things that settled better with me than others, but never had so many aversions.  It is so bizarre.  I live in a GF household and I keep sneaking in cheese pizza.  I am literally torturing my kid who has to eat paleo for health purposes :(  He is going to hate me before this is over.  ugh