Why you should eat less sugar:
Cutting back sugar is good for your health and emotional well-being. All these tips are good for everyone, regardless of uterine status.
It’s easier to eat healthy and change habits when you are pregnant and “doing it for the baby.”
For ease of birth, keep in mind that excess sugar may beef up your baby.
What you eat in pregnancy is what the baby will want when it is born. Babies whose mothers eat fish like the taste of fish. Babies whose mothers eat a lot of sugar expect a lot of sugar.
How to crave sugar less:
- Get plenty of water! Lots and lots. A midwife I follow has all her clients drink half their body weight in ounces every day and swears it keeps her clients and babies healthy. She has amazing numbers, so something is working. I tried this and it seriously works. When I want that late afternoon treat (or at any time) I have a big glass of water or a can of my favorite LaCroix or a stevia-sweetened greens powder ‘shake’ first. Then I busy myself with something and see if I forget about the sugar.
- Eat more fat, healthy fats are delicious. (So are unhealthy fats, but let’s just let that go…)
- Get enough sleep!
- Eat more other foods, especially fresh veggies. Don’t leave room for desert.
- Try a magnesium supplement (this one is totally addicting to pregnant women) or eating more magnesium rich foods.
- Try a Vit. D supplement.
(Those ideas came from the awesome Birth Boot Camp manual for couples who take my childbirth classes in Bowie, MD.)
Tips for cutting back sugar:
- Get rid of the big offenders, one at a time if you have to: soda, fruit drinks, candy, sweet baked goods, ice cream.
- Get the sugar out of the kitchen: Don’t buy it if sugar is in the first 3 ingredients.
- Add less sugar to your baking/cooking.
- Don’t allow yourself to get overly hungry. You’re more likely to crave fast calories (sugar) when hungry and more likely to self-medicate when hangry.
- Don’t eat your sugar in stuff that doesn’t even taste like a treat (canned soups, hamburger buns, etc.)
- Savor what you do eat. According to science, the first three bites are when the endorphin rush kicks in. After that you’re just feeding the loop.
- Go low stress. You wont get such strong cravings when your hormones are already happy.
- Get the same serotonin boost with high quality carbs. Then you can avoid the blood sugar crash afterwards that often leads to more sugar.
- Try using cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and mint instead of sugar. For example, cinnamon and vanilla on your oatmeal. Mmm…And extra vanilla for the really tough mornings. Maybe that only works for teetotalers such as myself.
- Use fruit and cheese for dessert. They are also feel good foods.
Remember that you are feeding your mind and not your body when you crave sugar.
Remember, too, that you are pregnant. It’s fine to treat yourself now and again.
Here is a decent sugar link with an amusing gif from our friends across the pond.
Image credit: Michael Stern: Flickr/CC
