Once you get pregnant, you often start paying more attention to food, but what should you be doing while you are preparing for pregnancy?

I’m not a strong believer in getting caught up in all the little details of how many grams of this and that you need.  I did that for a while and it was a huge pain and took the fun out of eating for me. Eating needs to be fun!

Of course, if you have reason to believe that you have specific deficiencies or needs, you increase those nutrients and I can help you figure out how.

As a general rule, it is important to start shifting your foods to whole and fresh as much as possible.

Here are a few reasons why, and below I’ll share my #1 favorite way to make it happen!

Reason #1: Did you know that your baby pulls from your nutrient stores? This means that even if you get hit by morning sickness once you’re pregnant, your baby will get nutrients based on what you were eating prior to conception.

Bonus: Getting these habits in place now eases so much stress because you won’t have to think so hard about food once you’re pregnant.  That’s a good thing because you’ll have plenty on your mind already.

Reason #2: There are a lot of chemicals and additives in processed foods, and the best way to avoid them is by shifting towards fresh fruits and veggies, grains, hormone free dairy and meat and healthy fat (yes, I said healthy fat!). MSG, which hides in just about everything, and aspartame are two additives that have been linked to infertility, among many other things.  Let’s get those out and get you healthy!

Reason #3: Ditch the added sugar.  If you have a package of food sitting around (hey, if you’ve got a loaf of bread from the store, check that too!), take a look at the label – I’ll bet that sugar is one of the ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, anything ending is -ose).  Sugar can wreck havoc on your hormones and as may be quite obvious, hormones play a pretty important role in getting pregnant and maintaining a healthy pregnancy.

Okay, so maybe you’re thinking that you’d love to eat mostly whole, fresh foods but you’re stumped as to how.  There are only so many hours in a day.  I totally get it.  In fact, this feeling of overwhelm kept me from eating the way I wanted to be for years!

So what was one of my first steps? SMOOTHIES!

I love smoothies for a few reasons, but mainly because you can pack a lot of awesomeness into one meal and it just takes a few minutes.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more smoothie recipes for you because you’ve asked for them and because it’s the perfect season for them.

Here’s the one I made this morning. Clocking in at about 500 calories, it’s a full meal in and of itself and a perfect way to get a good chunk of calories for the mamas-to-be and nursing mamas.

You may be wondering why I used green powder instead of fresh greens, and I’ll tell you – simplicity. Sometimes it’s just easier to throw a scoop of powder into my blender and I know I want to be getting my greens!

What are your favorite ways to incorporate whole, fresh foods into your daily routine? Tweet this! Where do you feel most stuck?  Let me know in the comments below!

Peace, Love, and Wellness,