Need Serious Healthy Eating Help!

[mkyerby16]

So I'm stopping bcp in a few days and hubby and I will be TTC #1! I'm super excited, but I need to get real about my life. I eat pretty horribly and my diet probably isn't best for a baby growing inside of me. I intended to start sooner, but it just never seems to happen, I don't know why eating healthy is so dang hard for me. Well I know part of it is my schedule (I work midnights, but only on the weekends, so during the week I switch back to a normal person life), part of it is the fact that my DH is a firefighter and is gone for 24 whole hours every 3rd day, so I'm eating alone all day all the time, and I hate most "healthy" foods and get sick if I force myself to eat them. I eat many foods that kids would like, don't know why my appetite never "matured". My DH enjoys cooking so honestly he does most of it and when he's gone I'm not going to go cook dinner for just me. Grabbing food out of a pouch or box is just so much easier and I guess I'm really lazy.

I'm honestly not overweight at all (not saying I'm fit by any means), as I don't eat that much, but what I do eat is crap. I normally don't really eat breakfast; if I do it's cereal, a banana, pancakes & bacon, or something in a pouch like a Nutrigrain bar or Belvita biscuits. For lunch my go to's are: a grilled cheese (my fav), Spaghetti-o's, chicken nuggets, Easy Mac, or a Lean Pocket with either Triscuits & cheese, Cheez-Its, Sunchips, and sometimes I will do grapes which I'm trying to do more often instead of junk food. Dinners aren't so bad when the hubby is home (they're not all great, but they are more rounded than the rest of my diet and I do need to add more veggies) common meals are spaghetti with ground turkey, tacos & guacamole, grilled chicken or some other meat with green beans or broccoli and rice, etc. But if DH isn't home it's usually a Lean Cuisine in the microwave. Then when I'm at work on the weekends and working nights it's a whole different story, I eat dinner before I leave then I only eat packaged food at work (granola bars, cereal bars, fruit snacks, Belvita, Nature Valley bars, protein bars).

I can't eat any fish/seafood even though I like it I seem to have become allergic... well intolerant I guess with stomach issues, I HATE yogurt I've tried it many times but can't make myself like it, pretty much the only fruits I like are grapes, bananas, and apples. Strawberries and pineapple are ok I've found out. As far as veggies I don't really "like" any of them, I can eat salad if it has yummy dressing and cheese, carrots, green beans, broccoli and even zucchini are okay though.

Any advice/ meal plans to try? Please don't yell at me for eating so badly!

 

[jaspie]

Hello! How exciting you'll be ttc so soon! I often BBC Good Food website. There are lots of easy to make quick healthy meals on there and often have weekly meal plans. Go to this page, theres links to a balanced diet for women and a balanced diet for pregnancy

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/balanced-diet

If you like zucchini get a cheese grater and grate them on the largest setting to make zucchini spaghetti, you can have it with loads of different sauces and toppings. Anything that'd go with pasta really. I used this recipe tonight, the avocado makes it taste creamy: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodand...rgette-noodles-with-minted-avocado-sauce.html

Also, fresh and dried herbs and spices are your friend! Fresh herbs with salad, spices on meat and stir frys. They really do make an otherwise boring meal really tasty.

 

[spicyorange]

If you like the food your hubby makes can he make you some portions to put in the freezer and heat up when he is away, sounds like you are eating a lot of processed foods which sent good for you.
Runs like spag bol and lasagne have veg in and pretty much anything you do like can go in but it's mostly hidden if you chop it small. Vitamin supplements don't do the same job so it's really good to try and get a natural source of vitamins in your diet.

 

[Leggiero]

Some great tips and links here! Juicing is also a great way to take in nutrients from fruits and vegetables you might not normally eat. You'd be shocked how delicious things like beets and raw ginger can taste when they're blended with a batch of juicy apples. And most fruits and veggies will retain their vitamin and mineral content in liquid form, so you won't be missing out on nutrition in spite of not ingesting them whole.

Since you already like cereal, you may want to find some that is fortified with extra vitamins and/or contains at least 7 - 10 grams of fibre per serving.

Your diet is probably not as unhealthy as you think, and eating for convenience does not always mean you're harming your health! Lots of easy snacks can be quick, delicious, and good for you. Nuts, for example, will provide important fatty acids that you need in order to absorb the vitamins in your food. Even ice cream, if you choose wisely, can contain more calcium per serving than a cup of milk! Small changes can go a long way, so don't be too hard on yourself. Good luck!