The pregnancy food awards

The time has come to honor the foods that have made Baby K possible. I'd first like to say that all the foods I've ingested during this time, with few exceptions, have played a huge role in everything from my mood (chocolate=good, veggies=bad) to my waistline (veggies=good, chocolate=bad), and I appreciate everyone's efforts. Without further ado, let's honor the standouts (both good and bad):

MVP: Cheese
My first, and finest, award goes to cheese. It's not that I've craved cheese 100% of the time, but it's unique in that it could get me to eat certain foods, or eat at all, when I otherwise wouldn't have been able to stomach anything. The most notable performances have been grilled-cheese sandwiches on whole wheat (calcium, protein, iron, whole grains, a hearty snack or filling lunch), macaroni and cheese (calcium, protein, something in my stomach when nothing else would work so Baby could live to the next meal and hopefully I'd be feeling better enough by then to eat something healthier), leftover tacos (calcium, protein, iron, veggie matter, the ability to get me to stop crying because almost everything sounded disgusting except pot roast and that wasn't possible because I needed to eat within 15 minutes), pasta-with-sauce-and-cheese (calcium, protein, omega-3s, veggie matter, a healthy meal I wouldn't have wanted otherwise) and of course pizza (calcium, protein, some veggie matter, a food that never made me sick and always made me feel much better). Well done, Cheese.

---left to go make a grilled-cheese sandwich, I'm not kidding---

Best all-around food: Cereal
When you want to eat healthfully but don't have the time, stomach or energy to prepare a meal, where do you turn? To the well-stocked pantry. In fact, Baby K probably owes 30% of her body weight to some type of Cheerios. I'm now down to about two bowls a day, but I will never forget cereal's enduring contributions.

Most likely to succeed: Ice cream
I believe ice cream is one of the only foods I didn't turn my nose up at during pregnancy. Believe it or not, chocolate was one of the first to go (don't worry, it's back now and better than ever) and even cookies couldn't always hold my interest. Ice cream, however, was met with enthusiasm whenever it was offered, unless I was trying to "cut back." It also never made me gag, which is more than I can say even for lightly buttered toast and water.

Least likely to succeed: Pork
This award is based on foods I liked before pregnancy (so shellfish and broccoli were not even in the running). I tried to eat pork, I really did. And I had some success. But of all the foods I ate, this is the one that stood out as the one with the greatest chance of being passed over to Matt ("What's wrong with it?" "It's too pork-y") while I grabbed yet another cereal bowl.

Strangest craving: Green onions
Mmmm.... I liked green onions before I was pregnant, but more as an afterthought than anything else. For a few weeks midway through, however, I could barely get enough. Not something I generally eat alone, I was adding it to lots of salads, including potato salad and egg salad. Yum.

Strangest food combination: Garlic-flavored pineapple
I really didn't try out many strange combinations to speak of until a few weeks ago when I was slicing fresh pineapple on a cutting board I'd previously used to slice garlic and had only quickly rinsed (oops). My mistake turned out to be a delicious treat, but probably only for me. Fortunately I realized what I'd done within a minute or two--I was sampling as I cut--and switched cutting boards before anyone noticed. Still, you should try it sometime.

Best nausea relief: Fruit juice and Pizza Hut breadsticks
This award is shared. Fruit juice was invaluable because of its accessibility and ability to swiftly whisk nausea away, much to my relief both morning and night. Pizza Hut breadsticks, however, had a much longer-lasting effect, relieving nausea for up to two hours at a time (compared with fruit juice's 5-10 minutes). Although rarely indulged in, they were probably the only food that could make me forget for a few minutes that I was pregnant.

Most gaggable: Bananas
Although I eat one just about every day, it's always a surprise to see how far I can get before I gag. No other food comes close, not even pork (although I'm sure the sample size has something to do with it). Yet how can I pass up a food as cheap and nutritious as a banana? So I'll continue to eat, and gag.

Biggest fast-food craving: Wendy's hamburgers
I think the fact that it only costs about $.79, and can be complimented by a baked potato and/or side salad for only $1.09 each contributed to this craving. A big, fairly healthy lunch for less than it would cost to make it myself (probably--I never really did the math but rationalized it in this manner anyway). Plus, hamburgers allowed me to indulge in my 2nd-biggest craving: ketchup.

Most craveable: Pizza
You've never seen me eat Domino's pizza so fast before. There's nothing more wonderful to a pregnant woman than truly indulging a craving. Pizza has given me so much joy. Thank you, Pizza.

And there you have it! This pregnancy's food awards. A standing ovation, please. Encore on pizza!

Growl, munch, growl

As I was about halfway through a cup of strawberry-kiwi yogurt a few minutes ago, the strangest thing happened. My stomach growled. And I don't mean it complained a little bit--this was a regular roar. I think it woke the cats up.

And then it hit me--wait a second, I'm sitting here EATING for goodness sake, and my stomach is telling me I'm hungry! What in the world??? This would never happen pre-pregnancy.

It has actually happened before during my pregnancy when I was eating carrot sticks, but I really didn't think yogurt would let me down.

Baby Girl must be enjoying 3rd breakfast along with me. Fortunately, it's almost time for lunch.

P.S.--No, not all my posts will be about food, but I guarantee this won't be the last one.
P.P.S.--I've just finished the yogurt. My stomach is still begging for more.

Cravings: then and now

People have been asking if I have any cravings. Yes, a a matter of fact, I do! Cookies, cake, chocolate, candy, ice cream, pizza, movie-theater popcorn and other tastes from life's most tempting delicacies.

And we've all heard it before--when you're pregnant, follow your cravings! They will tell you what the baby needs for healthy growth! If you crave it, you should eat it--your baby needs you to!

Even better, I wasn't gaining any weight for a while--and I'm supposed to gain weight! Baby Girl needs me to be nicely padded, with plenty stored up for long, snackless work meetings, nights, and the days ahead when my stomach will be squished to the size of an m&m (how convenient!). So really, these are the ideal foods for me to be eating for maximum weight gain! How perfect! This baby and I are going to get along great.

But then, the coincidence hit me like a ton of salad. Maybe this is too perfect. After all, what are the chances that my favorite foods are also the exact ones Baby Girl needs for optimum growth?

Before I did too much damage, the rationale side of me kicked in, much to my dismay.

Sadly, I've slowly come to the realization that these cravings aren't sparked by my pregnancy. They might be some of the baby's favorite foods as well as mine, but they're not providing the essential cancer-preventing, health-strengthening trace minerals I hoped for one ecstatic moment they were. I don't crave them for any good reason. They're simply woven into my psyche and habits. They're who I am, pregnant or not.

In short, I can't blame these on the baby, no matter how hard I try. And believe me, I tried.