Healthy Habits - Pregnancy and Nutrition During the Holidays

 The holidays are getting closer and if you are pregnant this year, you have even more cause to celebrate! Just what is the trick to savoring the holidays while “eating for two”? Pregnancy Nutritionist, McKenzie Caldwell, is here to share her tips on how to stay healthy, eat well, and get the proper vitamins to help you flourish during the most wonderful time of the year. 

What is an intuitive relationship with food and how can people build that?

An intuitive relationship with food is one that involves tuning out external diet rules, and instead listening to inner signals of hunger, fullness and cravings to guide eating. When given the chance to be trusted, our bodies are very wise, and can help us eat the right amount and mix of foods that’s right for us. I help my clients achieve an intuitive relationship with food and their bodies by improving body image and letting go of the pursuit of weight loss. We focus instead on using mindful eating strategies to notice how different foods and eating patterns make them feel, and add in nutrient dense foods according to evidence-based nutrition science.

How can moms-to-be reduce stress, especially going into a busy holiday season?

There are a lot of ways moms-to-be can reduce stress around the holidays, but on the nutrition front, I always encourage pregnant parents to ensure they are eating consistent, well-rounded meals and snacks, and drinking plenty of fluids. Taking a few moments to plan your meals can really help you make sure your fridge and pantry are well-stocked! Once we’ve met those basic needs, adding in some low-impact movement, like cozy yoga or a walk around the neighborhood to look at decorations, can be a really great way to relieve stress. When you feel better physically, it’s going to make a busy holiday season much easier to navigate. 

How can moms-to-be make sure they're "eating for two" in a healthy way that provides the nutrients they need?

Listening to your hunger and fullness cues, and adding in nutrient dense foods to your meals and snacks will help you get not only the right amount of food for your pregnant body, but most of the micronutrients you need, too. To fill in the gaps, a high quality prenatal vitamin like GLOW Prenatal from Eu Natural is essential. Many of our vitamin and mineral needs in pregnancy, like B vitamins, iron, and choline, are difficult to meet from food alone, especially when dealing with first trimester nausea and food aversions. I love that Eu Natural focuses on high quality ingredients, and includes ginger for digestion in their signature prenatal vitamin blend.

What are some safety/health issues that pregnant women often overlook?

The two big safety issues that I feel many pregnant folks overlook are supplement quality and endocrine disrupting chemicals. Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate the supplement industry, so it’s crucial to choose a prenatal vitamin or any other dietary supplement that is third-party tested for quality and purity. That’s one additional reason (beyond their star-quality ingredient list) that I trust Eu Natural’s GLOW Prenatal vitamin for all of my pregnant clients.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, are impossible to avoid in this day and age - they’re found in many places in our environment including in the air, water, and soil. Exposure to high levels of EDCs can cause developmental issues for a growing fetus, so reducing your exposure to EDCs in pregnancy is crucial. The biggest exposures tend to happen in workplaces where strong chemicals are being used daily, like in nail salons, factories, construction, or auto shops. Those working in these settings should ask their employer for proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Outside of the workplace, I encourage my clients to slowly make a couple small changes to reduce their exposure to EDCs, while remembering that it’s impossible to completely avoid them. Some examples of these small changes include vacuuming your home, refraining from putting plastic in the microwave, switching to cookware that does not contain a non-stick coating, and choosing fragrance free and phthalate free body care products.

McKenzie Caldwell is a registered dietitian nutritionist specializing in fertility and prenatal nutrition. She helps individuals in all bodies ditch perfectionism around food and their bodies so they can live fully nourished through fertility, pregnancy and beyond. She is passionate about reproductive justice, weight inclusive health care, and evidence-based nutrition. McKenzie received her BS in Nutritional Sciences from Cornell University and completed the Master of Public Health/Registered Dietitian program at UNC Chapel Hill. She now resides in Charlotte, NC with her dog Charlie, and provides virtual nutrition coaching & online programs to individuals and couples across the US through her private practice, Feed Your Zest Nutrition & Wellness.