Pregnancy does a lot to a woman’s body. Aside from growing a whole other human person, pregnant women experience nausea, swollen feet, dizzy spells, round-ligament pain, rapid nail and hair growth, etc. This list barely scrapes the surface! For me, something that I am always surprised by are cravings and/or aversions. I had very few craving with my first pregnancy (lemons, to be exact) and the second is turning out to be similar. However, I’ve had aversions in both pregnancies so far with my second having the worst. Because of this, I very cautiously tailor my weekly pregnancy grocery list to suit my needs (and the needs of the little person I am growing).
One of my favorite pregnancy books so far has been Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols. I actually read it before we conceived and began following the book months in advance. (To be fair, I’ve always been more drawn to “real” food. We did not have to change much once becoming pregnant.) I highly recommend Nichols’ book to anyone who is interested in optimal pregnancy nutrition.
With all of my aversions, few cravings, and optimal nutrition in mind, here are ten items that make my weekly pregnancy grocery list:
My Weekly Pregnancy Grocery List
1. Pasture-Raised Organic Eggs
Eggs are truly a pregnancy superfood that are loaded with essential nutrients and healthy fats. Why pasture-raised and organic? There’s lots of evidence to suggest that these eggs may contain less traces of Salmonella and are more nutrient dense than conventional alternatives.
However, to be fair, I believe that eating eggs in general is the good part here. It’s nearly impossible to have a conversation about food quality without recognizing the issues of food disparities in our society and culture. The price of eggs, in general, have become a running joke in America recently given the price increase we’re seeing in grocery stores.
Pasture-raised or not, eggs make my list. I aim to eat at least two a day. Also, here is a funny cartoon from the New Yorker I saw a few months back that made me laugh:
2. Fermented Sauerkraut or Kombucha
I stock up on one of these each week. I know these probably seem like weird ones to see on my list, but fermented sauerkraut and kombucha are two favorites of mine. I’ve been eating/drinking both for a while now because of the gut benefits (they’re packed with natural probiotics!) but they also contains lots of vitamins and minerals (the sauerkraut, specifically). Plus, the sauerkraut helps satisfy that stereotypical salty pickle craving women get during pregnancy, and the kombucha is a nice change up from boring old water.
Bubbies is my absolute favorite for sauerkraut. (Also, Bubbies pickles are 😍) Regarding the kombucha, I love GT’s.
(Disclaimer: I know there is controversy surrounding fermented foods and pregnancy, especially kombucha. My doctor said it was fine for me to consume as long as I don’t over indulge because of potential excess caffeine intake. Kombucha is fermented tea. Additionally, I know kombucha may contain trace amounts of alcohol due to the fermentation process. Again, talk to your doctor! Apparently the general rule of thumb is that if you consumed kombucha prior to pregnancy, you’re good. But again, call your doc.)
3. Grass-Fed Beef
So, unfortunately chicken is offender #1 in terms of my aversions. I have eaten it precisely two times in the last two and a half months. This baby is not a fan. Because of this, I’ve turned to beef for most of my animal protein needs. I’ve always loved red meat and I tolerate it well either whole or ground during this pregnancy. Actually, I had a beef aversion during my last pregnancy so it’s interesting how it switched around this time! We like to grill steaks pretty often or make something cozy like chili.
Before anyone comes for me with the anti-red meat arguments, there is a lot of conflicting evidence about the “dangers” of red meat. Courtney Swan over at Realfoodology has some awesome podcast episodes on this subject.
4. Organic Whole Milk
As with eggs, there’s lots of evidence to suggest that organic dairy has more health benefits than conventional options. But again, I am not a believer in the all-or-nothing approach. The point here is that whole milk makes my list.
Not only do I just prefer whole milk in general (how people even drink skim is beyond my comprehension), but it’s loaded with proteins and calcium. Also, out of my very few cravings, ice cold milk has been one of them! I have a glass (or two, honestly) of milk a day.
Milk before bed also seems to help my pregnancy insomnia. (Thank you, Heidi Murkoff, for the suggestion in your podcast episode on pregnancy and sleep!) Call me a big baby, but milk puts me out like a newborn.
5. Full-Fat Organic Cheese
Whether it be cheddar or gouda or some other fun cheese that the local cheese monger is selling that week, I always have cheese on hand. I am not a huge fan of any low-fat dairy and the nutritional benefits seem to be greater in full-fat options. Not to mention, there are a few studies out there now that support the claim that full-fat dairy is optimal for fertility as opposed to low-fat options. (Here are a few studies and a relevant article: article, study one, study two).
I like cheese and crackers as a snack. It’s really that simple. Cheese is s great source of calcium, it satisfies savory cravings for me, and when paired with crackers it makes for a rather complete snack especially when also paired with nuts. (Also, my favorite are any kind of multigrain crackers!)
6. Tart Cherry Juice
In addition to my milk before bed, I try to drink a tart cherry juice mocktail during the day either with lunch or (preferably) with dinner. Not only does it feel good to have a fun little drink to break up up the monotony of plain old water, but tart cherry juice has proven sleep benefits. Apparently cherries have high levels of naturally-occurring melatonin. (Pistachios, also, apparently have very high levels!)
It’s not suggested that pregnant women pop melatonin supplements, so I prefer to opt for a natural remedy. Unfortunately I am one of many pregnant women who suffer with insomnia so any relief is great. (Even if it’s just a placebo, I’ll take it!)
7. Greens
I like to stock up on various different kinds of greens each week. Some weeks I am more interested in kale (especially if I want to make my creamy sausage and kale soup), some weeks it’s spinach or collards, etc. Arugula is pretty much a staple in our house so that’s always on hand. I really like topping sandwiches with arugula instead of lettuce because it has more flavor and I also love arugula and ginger salads with avocado.
Greens have awesome levels of folate and folate is an essential pregnancy nutrient that helps the developing brains and spines of babies.
8. Peppermint Tea
When I first became pregnant, even before the positive test, I started to really crave peppermint tea. Just plain old peppermint tea. To be clear, I never have craved anything minty and I am a firm believer that food should never be minty. (Mint chocolate chip cookies? Sacrilege.)
However, here I am very pregnant and still loving my peppermint tea! I limit my coffee intake now to only one 6-ounce(ish) cup per day but I do still love hot drinks and the tea works great. I think early in my pregnancy the peppermint helped with nausea, and now it’s just soothing and cozy. I go through a box of tea every two or three weeks. I also notice that now around cold and flu season it helps with some mild congestion.
9. Bananas
Without going into too much detail, I had a minor medical scare in my second trimester that was apparently possibly brought on by very low levels of potassium. Since then, I make it a priority to eat a banana a day. Bananas are very high in potassium and rather filling. There are other great sources of potassium, too, such as potatoes, mushrooms, cooked broccoli, etc., but these other foods can’t really be eaten on-the-go.
To avoid a glucose spike, I usually eat a banana with a protein-rich breakfast.
10. Something Fun
So far my list looks like a crunchy mama’s dream. However, make no mistake, I really enjoy food for pleasure. I won’t lie: my main priority while pregnant has been eating as healthily as possible. I have read Nichols’ book a few times now, as well as other various sources such as What to Expect, blog posts by Mama Natural, etc.
With all of that said, though, I am a normal human who really likes French fries and ice cream and potato chips… The list goes on. So, every week I make it a point to buy something “fun” that I just want to eat for the sake of enjoying it. This last week I was obsessed with the the Christmas Cap’n Crunch cereal, and last week I was all about that English toffee from Trader Joe’s 😍.
Like I said a few times already in this post, I am not a huge fan of the all-or-nothing approach. I like to abide by the 80/20-90/10 rule and I’m comfortable with that.
Leave a Reply