Vegetables....oh how I've missed you.

Yesterday my father in law called.  He asked how I've been feeling and I told him, "I feel really good now.  The nausea is gone and my energy is back."  He went on to describe, as he has many times, how he turns into such a baby when he feels sick.  Laying on the couch all day....you know, the typical "man sick".  He complimented me and said he's amazed with how I even get through that stage.  It's very kind of him.

It is a hard stage and I'm so, so sorry for those women who suffer with nausea their whole pregnancy.  When mine subsided and I started to feel normal-ish, one of the things I welcomed back the most was feeling HUNGRY.  That growly tummy, have to eat something quick feeling.  Or feeling THIRSTY.  Like you just want to drink a big, tall glass of water.  I missed those feelings.  I ate and I drank but only because I knew I should.  I ate what I tolerated which was anything not cooked by me, cheese, potatoes, sometimes fruit, a little meat but definitely not sugary foods and definitely not fresh vegetables.  I remember buying several boxes of crackers, because I had heard that other pregnant women tolerated these well.  I brought them home, excited to have something simple that I could snack on.  But then I opened them and could only eat the unflavored melba toasts.  The types with flavors totally turned me off.  Bland foods all the way baby!

So when these little beauties started ripening in my garden, I was grateful that the timing coincided with my fading nausea:

I try extra hard to eat well when I'm pregnant.  I am so mindful that whatever I do with my body effects both me and my baby.  Her little body is growing and developing inside me at such a rapid rate and I know that having lots of good nutrients will help in that development.  It helps that sugary foods don't really appeal to me much during pregnancy.

One of the main reasons I like to eat well, not just during pregnancy but for life, is because of the strong connection I have noticed between what I eat and how I feel.  After having Riley, I had some baby blues for awhile.  I had a strong impression that if I ate better, I would start to feel better.  That's when I really got into veggie sandwiches (whole grain toast with mustard and topped with avocado, tomato, cucumber, spinach and s&p.  So yummy.  And I feel so good after I eat things like this.  Some days I'll notice I feel kind of sluggish and down, then I'll eat something live and fresh and within a short period of time I feel so much better. I honestly believe that if I didn't eat well and exercise regularly I would struggle with depression.  The connection between physical health and emotional health is so, so powerful! (Which is not to say that the cure for depression is that simple.  For many people, it is more complex.)

Don't get me wrong, I do eat treats sometimes too...like at Calaway Park last Saturday when Adam's company rented out the park and we could eat for free from all the vendors (mini donuts, popcorn, ice cream etc).  It was fun but I feel like my body is only today recovering from that.  In general, I like to eat well.  Good food tastes good, makes you feel good, nourishes you in so many unseen ways and doesn't leave you with a nasty guilty hangover.