Healthy Snacks - Angleton,TX

Hi T.-

When I was pregnant peanut butter was always the best thing to fill me up. I ate peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter on crackers, on celery, toasted bagel, peanut butter flavored granola bars, etc.

Good Luck!
K.

My youngest child has juvenile diabetes (newly diagnoses at 7)so I have to look for different foods and have to have snacks on me all the time. There is a Lite bread where 2 slices has only 1 carb unit( that is 15 total carbs (sugar)). There is a low sugar preserves by Smuckers (it has no artificial sweeteners) and then we use Almond butter instead of peanut butter cause I don't think peanuts are actually good for you. And the almond butter is a milder taste. Anyway this sandwich is filling and is a total of less than 2 carb units. You have fruit, fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids with little sugar comparably. You may also be needing more protein and/or essential fatty acids total. So try: boiled egg whites, sardines, foil packaged salmon, almonds, walnut, pecans, avacado, ground flax seed powder sprinkled on your salads or in sandwiches( I grind my own with a coffee been grinder and keep in glass in frig)(the whole seeds mess with my teeth), most of these travel well without the need for cooling. They contain protein and/or EFAs that help satisfaction and cut cravings for the bad stuff. I do my own trail mix. Also unsulfured dried apricots are THE best source of bioassimilatable iron that you can eat. They are brown to black and fuzzy, they can stay in a ziplock in your purse and be good. Eat 2-3 a day.
You should also consider buying a vegetable juice machine. My favorites are the Juiceman by Jay Kordich and the one by Jack Lelane. Both are on TV and online. Jay Kordich offers better explanations about picking produce and more recipes for different reasons. It is about nutrition and not taste necessarily. We always feel great when we juice daily. We do carrot/apple/parsley/beet/celery. We call it our big nasty. You have to work up to it starting with the very sweet carrot/apple and then slowly day by day add the others as your taste buds and brain accomidate the changes. Juices do not travel well as the nutrients are lost if you do not drink soon after making. You can't gain weight on juicing and eating the items above. It simply won't happen. At most I have 3 avacados a week, usually only 2.
By the way I was 60 lbs overweight when I got pregnant with my oldest. During the pregnancy I lost 30 lbs and was not hungry and felt great eating the above. My OB/GYN was very happy and said that weight gain during pregnancy is really unnecessary although common. There is no danger in weight loss as long as nutritional needs are met. I never had nausea. Our house does not do artificial sweeteners, boxed and bagged foods, useless breads, margerines, nor do I own a microwave. I believe these things are bad for you. I work full time and did throughout the entirety of both pregnancies and felt great.
Good Luck,

You should look into "Belly Bars". These are great nutritional bars for pregnancy. I take at least two with me everywhere I go. They come in great flavors and you can buy them at HEB, Babies r Us...I'm not sure where else you can get them.

Good luck with the pregnancy!

I agree with those who say to add an egg to your breakfast. You can crack an egg into a little pyrex custard cup with a little salt and pepper and then microwave it so you don't even have to actually cook. It takes less than a minute, and you might want to turn it halfway through. Put it on your toast and it won't take much more prep or eating time so you don't have to add more than just a minute or two to your morning routine.

I love great value brand honey pretzel twists. They are the perfect salty-sweet snack and are low fat and relatively low cal and the fiber helps keep your hunger satisfied longer than pure carb snacks. I understand your desire to maintain a healthy weight, your body supposedly only needs more calories than normal only when you are nursing and then it is an additional 500 calories. Some people respond better to protein, try having an egg with your toast instead of your yogurt, it may last longer.

As suggested, eggs are great. If you do not have time to cook them in the morning. Boil up a bunch and shell them. Keep them in a ziplock. You can slice them and eat them on toast with cheese tomato and lettuce for a great breakfast sandwich.

You could also just eat a good Turkey sandwich for breakfast with V8 low sodium juice. That used to keep me going for about 4 good hours in the morning.

Hi T. - I had the same problem, and my doc recommended that I not eat fruit in the morning, but have a high protein breakfast with some fat in it. Fruit doesn't stay with you very long, and it can also be a contributing factor to gestational diabetes, so be careful how much you eat during the rest of the day. What worked for me was a bagel with crunchy peanut butter on it, but make sure it's a high fiber (whole wheat) bagel, not a plain one, and check the sugar content on the PB. You could also try a high protein smoothie, if you like that sort of thing. Eventhough you're not trying to lose weight, Slim Fast has a "High Protein" version of it's powdered shake mix which you can use to make a great, inexpensive smoothie at home. I use 1 cup of skim milk, one scoop of vanilla slim fast mix, 1/4 cup of nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt, and a handful of no sugar added frozen berries, and blend it all in a blender. If you use frozen fruit, you don't need ice, and the smoothie won't be watered down. It's less than 300 calories, makes you feel full because it's mostly liquid, and gives you about 20 grams of protein, which should stave off the hunger for several hours. Hope that helps.

It sounds like you need some good protein snacks after your mostly carb & fiber breakfast. Most protein snacks sound fattening, but you need lots of protein during pregnancy & these healthy sources are fine in moderation. A handful of nuts, especially almonds, would be a good snack, especially with a handful of berries or a banana. Peanut butter filled pretzels are so good, or a peanut butter sandwich on that high fiber bread. A granola bar with nuts and seeds.

Here are a few things that would need to stay cool, but could just be thrown into an insulated bag/cooler: cheese cubes or string cheese are a good source of protein and calcium, a boiled egg, a carton of skim milk or soy milk can be pretty filling between meals.

Good for you on eating with good nutrition in mind. I always start that way with my pregnancies, but when the puking begins, I just have to eat whatever I can stomach. Hahaha!!

Blessings,
C.

Wow T., you are doing an amazing job taking good care of yourself and your baby! Have you used Soy Protein Powder? I enjoy making smoothies from frozen fruits and juices and a banana which makes the smoothie have a good thick texture of a milkshake. Just buzz all that up with a scoop of protien powder. You could easily drink in the car. Also sunflower seeds are easy to carry in your purse or car. I used a pill bottle and carried one in my purse and in my car for quick & easy snacking. Try dipping a banana in sunflower seeds. If you do develop morning sickness, try alfalfa tablets from the health food store. They are a great source of vitamins which combat nausea. HTH

delay eating breakfast as long as you can to make it last until lunch. also - peanut butter on whole wheat toast w/ just a bit of jelly and a glass of low fat milk is a very nice filling breakfast. bananas are nice filling snacks too.

Hey T., what I used to do when I was pregnant to make those urges go away was when I woke up at night to pee (I'm sure you do it often too) I would eat a banana or drink a glass of milk. That usually got rid of the awful hunger pains in the morning. I also ate those 100 calorie bars, just threw them in my purse and ate them throughout the day. Hope this helps.

I agree with the protein suggestion. You may want to add an egg, peanut butter or cottage cheese to your breakfast. You could also put 2 Tbsps of peanut butter in a plastic container or ziplock bag to dip your fruit in.

Personally I love fruit mixed into cottage cheese for breakfast or a morning snack!

Motts has no sugar added cups of applesauce with no added preservatives. They come in multiple flavors me and my son love these!

I love Special K cereal and meal replacement bars! (and of course Special K cereal is great too!)

It's great that you are trying to keep the wight gain to a minimum, but remember your baby needs you to gain weight so don't over do it!

Good luck!

Try to avoid foods that are processed (pre-made), made with white flour and made with high fructrose corn syrup.

You want food made with whole wheat flour/breads. These will sustain you longer than white flour. Of course, our taste buds have been trained towards wanting the sweet, white flour combinations. But that is why you're hungry after an hour...

Check out your yogurt. See if it has corn syrup instead of sugar. Switch to one with sugar if it does. Consider oatmeal instead of yugurt. Although, you want real oatmeal, not that quick packaged stuff. With a little brown sugar, it takes 2 minutes to cook and will be more filling. Throw a little *black strap* molasses on for a source of iron. (I think there is more than one kind of molasses, so read your labels).

Eggs, Eggs, Eggs! You might be hungry because your body needs protein... Its building a whole new organ (placenta) and doubling its blood supply. Of course, I'd be very careful about transporting & packing egg-based foods for later.. Eggs go bad so quick--You don't need food poisoning and morning sickness!!

Cheese (not processed american) and whole wheat crackers. Cottage cheese and bananas/fruit. My allergist and OB advised that I should avoid peanut butter while pregnant because they aren't sure when the peanut allergy might develop in children and one thought is that eating peanuts while preggers contributes to it. Go for almonds instead (which by the way, almonds are a supper food and supplies a number of essentials for pregnancy). You can also find almond butter instead of peanut butter if you're craving a PB&J.

Be careful about your salt in take...

Here's a website that discusses various super foods for pregnancy. Hope it helps! http://www.centerforwomenshealth.com/pregnancy.htm

Ok the best advice I can give after going through the exact same thing is EAT! Eat what you want when you want!! There is a reason your body is craving certain things and always listen to your body, there is a reason!! I did the same thing but finally I ended up saying screw it and ate what I wanted , when I wanted and was perfectly healthy with a perfectly healthy little girl! I gained 39 lbs while pregnant and honestly lost it all in the hospital. I asked my doctor during pregnancy how much weight I should gain. This is what she said and it is SOOOOO true! "30 lbs is my weight and anything over is your weight!" Meaning, during deliivery all the baby, fluid everything during it weighs 30 lbs, and anything left was mine to lose. So don't listen to books and friends or whomever else....if you craving salt, there'sa reason you are, if your craving weird thing...eat them, just fulfill the void because believe me....it will go a way! I went through stages were at first I was starving like you and then i went like 3 months were i wasn't hungry at all, but still ate! Good luck, just listen to your body, please!!!

Though you are getting lots of filling fiber, it sounds like you could use some more protein. It helps you feel fuller longer too. Try the new South Beach Living high protein bars. They have 10 grams of protein and are fairly high in fiber too. Or put peanut butter on your toast, eat a hard boiled egg with breakfast(since they can be made ahead of time), or if your doctor says it is okay, try having a small protein shake with breakfast (some docs say certain protein shakes shouldn't be consumed while pregnant-but I forget the reasoning).
Hope this helps some! Good Luck!

Congratulations on your pregnancy! What an exciting time!
I became pregnant after almost giving up all hopes of being blessed. I was 37 and already overweight and worried about complications and especially weight gain that could put my baby and myself at risk. That having been said, I ate 5 meals a day. A good healthy breakfast, limiting my bread intake to one slice of wheat toast a day, one tortilla a week. (egg whites, bacon/eggs, oatmeal, whole grain cereals.) 2-3 hrs later, I had a turkey roll(turkey lunchmeat wrapped around lettuce) and an apple sauce or yogurt, for lunch usually chicken breast, brn rice, veggies,(i only ate fast food lunch 1x per week) then an afternoon snack, fruit,jello, apple sauce, graham crackers, then a healthy dinner. I had to add a snack or milk w/ sugar free carnation protein shake just before bed time as my baby girl got bigger inside of me. Too many hours between dinner and breakfast was making her a lazy baby in the womb. I was 242 when I got pregnant and delivered her at 245 lbs. Walked out of the hospital at 216, healthier than I'd been in years! My goal was never to lose weight, but the constant eating kept me energized and made for a healthy pregnancy. I always kept snacks in my purse for when those ravenous moments would hit me. Hope these ideas help. Good Luck, I'm sure you're gonna do great!

during my first pregnancy i drank a slim fast chocolate drink whenever i got really hungry at an odd time and/or in the car. they are portable and have lots of good vitamins and nutrients in them and usually just one will fill you up for a couple hours =)
just don't forget that if you are eating healthy snacks, there really shouldn't be a limit to how much you consume! your body and your baby needs lots of calories, and it takes a lot of fruit and veges to make you feel full! you should eat a big breakfast if you can, even if you have to get up a little earlier. try to eat from at least 3 food groups (bread, meat, fruit for example). protein and carbs will last the longest to make you feel full longer.
hope this helps! and congrats =)

T., It sounds like you have done a great job on your weight loss & are very active. As for the hunger, you may not be getting enough protiens, and essentials which keeps you full longer than starchy foods.If you continue with such a limited intake you may compromise the health of your baby. I dont want to sound like a sales person , but the right supplements can really help. I have my business listed on Mama Source . The product is called chews4health ( www.chews4health2.com ). They are new to the market & Dr. formulated as well as Dr. recommended. They are loaded with all you ,and your baby need. Best of all they are a whole food , all natural chewable. They actually give you a fullness too! They are convienent to use , and very very inexpensive I am a Mother of 3 adult children & have 10 Grandchildren. They are the greatest blessings I have ever recieved. If I can help you in any way please contact me through email or my phone is on my website.
Stay healthy & God bless C.

One of my favorite breakfast meals when I was pregnant was a whole wheat english muffin with a cooked egg and cheese. I would also add in an apple, peach or plum. It was great, it only took me about 2 minutes to fix it and then I was out the door. It was easy to eat in the car and it filled me up for hours.

Carnation instant breakfast, they have several flavors. The milk is good for you & Baby & fills your tummy. I had a bottle with a lid and I would make it the night before so all you have to do is grab and go. I had horrible hunger pains. You might get morning sickness which I think is directly caused by hunger. If you eat a little bit it goes away.

Hi T.,

You need to have food high in protein. Have an egg or add some cheese to your high fiber toast or add a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese to your fruit. Protein lasts longer. Try having little high protein snacks every couple of hours if you are hungry. You can also have carrot sticks or other veggies that you like. Eating this way even helps to manage weight so you don't gain too much and it is healthier because you are sure to have enough calories for you and your baby.

It seems like you need a bit more protein in the morning. I would start adding a protein to your toast. Hummus is great. A slice of melted cheese would be good. A scrambled egg with half a cheese slice in a pita pocket is great. If there are no food allergies in your family, put peanut butter on the toast. If there are concerns, you can substitute with tahini. A protein shake is great to make in the morning. You can take it with you and drink it on the way to work and they are quick to make.

Congrats...here are some suggestions that I can recall. I used to bring Trix crackers with slices of cheese (great source of calcium and protein)as well as peanut butter to work for nutritious snacks. You can also bring boiled eggs. A friend mentioned to me at one point that a pregnancy took as much energy as five men doing manual labor!!!!

Hey, what about string cheese or the other pre packed cheese snacks like Laughing Cow (yummy w/ celery) or the colbyjack squares (they call them something clever that i can't think of right now...) that come packaged individually. Also, hummus with veggies is a yummy and substantive snack if you like hummus. you can make your own or buy small ready-made packs (usually by the feta at the grocery store).

I too, ate a lot of peanut butter, almonds, pecans etc.

Good luck! It will be worth all the trouble when you are able to lose the baby weight quickly after the baby is born! I wasn't so careful with my first and I'm still dreaming about my size 8s!

I truly applaud your efforts for trying to be healthy, but please get enough calories. Pregnancy does strange things to your body...I was vegetarian when I became pregnant and had to give it up because my DS wanted meat! In fact, veggies made me nauseous. Had I counted my calories when I was pregnant, some days I know I ate 4000 and I only gained 30 pounds during my pregnancy (and weighed less 2 months after than before I became pregnant). I guess I'm saying "listen to your body". Be sure you take in enough for your baby.

When I was pregnant, I was often nauseous and the doctor told me it was because I was not getting enough protein. He suggested when I started feeling hungry to have a turkey or ham sandwich. This helped curb the hunger, and the nausea. So, you might just try a sandwich mid-morning.

I found myself starving all of the time when I was pregnant! I always tried to add in more protein because it seemed to fill me up a little bit more. One thing I ate were those little individually wrapped cheese slices or string cheese. (You can get those in reduced-fat!) I would eat some wheat crackers with them, like wheat thins (also available in reduced fat!) The cheese is okay be out of the fridge for a little while, as long as its not in direct sunlight or anything. Or you can get an insulated lunch bag/box and just put an ice pack in it to keep things cool. Just make sure you take in lots of fiber and water if you things like cheese because it can constipate you! (I found this out the hard way and learned a lesson about drinking more water! lol)