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First trimester food blahs

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Hoping all you kind and creative CHers will be able to help me out!

So I'm a food lover who is now 6 weeks pregnant and suddenly I can't seem to eat everything I'm used to cooking (and buying), need to change things around all of a sudden. From loving spicy Indian, Asian food I'm leaning towards simpler things, like really light and simple pastas (not creamy - shudder....not intensely tomatoey - shudder), casseroles etc. And of course being pregnant I am eating for two and want to get the right nutrients in...

Other than myself I cook for a food lover husband, so we are both in need of some mutually appreciated new options....!

Any suggestions would be welcome - light, healthy, not very spicy options for us....looking forward to reading some of your ideas :-)

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  1. Congratulations Moily!!! I currently 17 weeks pregnant, and remember the T1 food aversions. nothing seemed appetizing to me at all. I can say that it should get better by the time T2 comes around.

    food that i liked alot were soup (pho was great), crackers, carbs (pastas, potatoes, etc), chips (dill is my fave), nothing too spicy or weird textures though. don't forget to stay well hydrated - i really enjoy carbonated spring water with lime or lemon juice in it.

    Don't feel too bad right now about your poor diet. The books that I've read indicate that the baby isn't going to starve, and will get its proper nutrients. Eat what will go down (and stay down).

    1. It will get a little better once you get to the second trimester -- right now, just do the best you can, eating what you can tolerate, and *trying* to get enough of a balanced diet. Talk to your OB or the nurses in his/her practice -- they'll help you sort out what nutrients you need at each stage.

      My first trimester wasn't horrible, as I was nauseous a lot, but not ill...so saltines and lemonade worked well for me to keep the nausea at a workable level. (do make sure you eat before you take those damned prenatal vitamins...taking one of those on an empty stomach was the only time I was violently ill!) I found that eggs in any form could be trusted to not bother my stomach, so I ate a LOT of eggs with my OB's blessing. He told me flat out that while not everyone can tolerate them, they are very easily digestible, readily available protein.

      And relax -- your body will tell you what it needs -- I never had any fits where I had to have xxx or I was going to have a fit...but there were some days that lots of veggies sounded good, and days when I couldn't get enough pasta and other carbs.

      and congratulations. ;)

      1. I LIVED on my homemade not too spicy gazpacho soup for weeks. I found the tomato base very soothing to my tummy and the small diced veggies light and nutritious. Made it by the quart and had it on hand at all times. It does get better in about 6 weeks so good luck and hang in there.

        1. I agree with all the other posters: just eat what seems good to you. As far as your hubby goes, you may have to tell him he's on his own until your stomach comes back on line. Don't sweat too much about getting the "perfectly balanced" diet right now. It will get better in a few more weeks. I found plain boring carbs to be very soothing with my first, also nice hearty but not spicy soups were great for the midafternoon hungries.

          1. I believe that during the first trimester I ate cole slaw and cinnamon donuts. Child is now a thriving 25-year old who eats neither of those things. Eat what you can. The second trimester is SOOO much better.

            2 Replies
            1. re: smtucker

              You'll notice that the first thing all of we been-there done-that parents are telling you is to relax...this too shall pass. Being pregnant for me made almost everything smell disgusting, and particularly during the first trimester, I lived on iced tea and dry cereal straight from the box. My absolute favorite thing during both pregnancies were fruit and juice popsicles, Dole and Edy's both make good ones, and there are a couple of health-food-store brands if you want to be super-vigilant...I found that cold foods tasted better to me and offended my nose much less than hot ones. Oddly, I don't like cold food as a rule, only when, um, knocked up. Of course, just wait...during the second trimester you'll get the I-must-have-all-the-milk-I-can-drink and oranges-I-must-have-oranges cravings kicking in. It can be really alarming for a formerly rational grown woman to suddenly realize that she is about to rip the orange out of the hands of an elderly woman on a park bench because it just smells sooooo good.

              1. re: tonifi

                oh yes -- a BIG glass filled to the top with crushed ice, then filled with fresh orange juice. Like a drug.

                By my 3rd trimester, I was the pasta BEAST -- with red sauce. Even the little Sicilian lady who ran my favorite lunch counter commented that *she* didn't know how I could eat that much red sauce and not have an upset stomach. She did tell me that it's a Sicilian old wives' tale that eating red sauce during your pregnancy would make your baby have hair -- sure enough, he was born with a MOP of long brown hair -- so much you can see it on my old-style ultrasounds.