NOURISH | Mindful Eating for Pregnancy | NAB Communities

*The following is an excerpt about mindful eating for expecting mothers from Sacred Pregnancy by?natural family living advocate Anni Daulter.*

?From the spiritual (how to visualize your perfect birth) to the practical (a large section on birthing options), this pregnancy journal is a spiritual adviser and supportive doula all in one.?
?Fit Pregnancy magazine

WEEK 12

Your Body

Your belly bump is showing, you are hungry all the time, and your hormones are still a little out of sorts. Good foods to feed your body and jumpstart your mindful eating practice include whole, fresh, organic foods that have been minimally processed, such as salads, whole-grain breads, and soups. Herbal teas, veggie- and fruit-packed smoothies, organic proteins, and of course supergreens like kale are always excellent baby-growing foods. A well-nourished mama is a well-fed baby!

Your Baby

Your baby at twelve weeks is hungry too, as she is working hard to grow and gain weight and her umbilical cord is fully formed now. Remember that everything you eat, your baby eats too, so bringing mindful eating and healthy foods into your kitchen is an essential part of creating a strong and vibrant baby. Your little sweetie looks like a baby now, and with a fully developed brain, is starting to act like one too with early stages of yawning and sucking starting to kick in.

Your Spirit

The first trimester is completed after this week?congratulations! In celebration of the tail end of the first three months and hopefully the end of any nausea, rejuvenate your body and mind and spirit with a trip to your favorite restaurant for a lovely meal to sooth your soul. Food memories are strong in life, and it?s a good practice to notice them and honor them. Some foods are comforting, some bring back amazing memories of your own mother or father in the kitchen cooking for you, and some may have heavy strings attached if you have struggled with eating to meet emotional needs. This is a great time to look deeply into what food traditions were passed down to you so that you may make conscious adjustments if needed.

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The practice of mindful eating stretches far beyond your pregnancy and hopefully started way before. It is the spiritual practice of conscious cooking and eating, when intention is put into your cooking. Knowing where your food was sourced from is a priority. If you are not a ?foodie,? it can be overwhelming, but just keep it simple and delicious. If you get into a meditative practice that includes bringing awareness to the kitchen, like saying a verse or a mantra before cooking, this will become second nature when you begin that very critical road of preparing solid foods for your baby.

Reflections:

What has your relationship with food been like throughout your life, both before and after being pregnant? Have you spent time finding out what the best foods are and what you should avoid during your pregnancy? ?With every bite you take, you feed your baby, and your little one is already forming preferences for certain types of foods based on what you eat. Further, the moment you start breast-feeding the baby essentially eats and drinks what you do. Therefore, this is a great time to examine deeply any food issues you may have, as you want to have this stuff worked out and clear before you start introducing solid foods to your baby between the age of seven to eleven months.

What kinds of foods did you eat growing up and what was the ?food philosophy? in your home? Create patterns now that you want to pass along to your child. If you have not eaten particularly healthy food in your life, it?s never too late to start! Do you eat local? One way to ensure fresh organic foods in your fridge is to buy locally from either a farmer (at the farmers? market), a co-op or even a local CSA (community-shared agriculture). You may consider making your kitchen a sacred space where no fighting or arguing is allowed, thus keeping your food protected from any negative vibes floating around the house. Introducing mindful eating into your life is not only a good practice for pregnant women, it?s an amazing ?way to raise your family. Food awareness and healthy choices are traditions worth handing down.

Ideas:

? ?Create an altar in your kitchen with pictures of your family, a candle, and maybe your favorite blessing. Consider even ringing a mindfulness bell before cooking, when sitting down to eat, and relaxing after you have finished your meal.

? ?After you have your baby, remember that family mealtime can be a special way to connect with your children.

Book Pairing:

The Organic Family Cookbook by Anni Daulter

It?s a great family cookbook and will give you a lot of great ideas on healthy choices to make for yourself and your family.

Food Pairing:

My Nurturing Roasted Tomato Soup and Rustic Garlic Bread

Ingredients

8 large beef tomatoes

1 whole ?head of garlic, roasted

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

1 teaspoon tarragon for tomatoes and 1 teaspoon for soup

1 pat of butter

1 large ?yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon oregano

1 container vegetable stock (16 oz.)

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

1 handful kale, chopped

1 teaspoon pepper flakes

1 lime

4 slices of your favorite rustic bread, turned into toasted garlic bread

Directions

Preheat oven to 350?.

Cut all tomatoes in half and place on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut top off garlic head and get all cloves out.

Sprinkle tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and tarragon.

Add garlic cloves all over the sheet to roast both together. Roast tomatoes and garlic for 45 minutes.

Add butter to a large soup pot. Add in chopped onion, along with ?1 teaspoon of tarragon and oregano. Brown the onions.

Add in roasted tomatoes and garlic, vegetable stock, bouillon cubes, kale, and red pepper flakes.

Blend the soup together in a blender.

Serve immediately with a wedge of lime to squeeze on top of soup right before eating and garlic bread to dip.

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Learn more about Anni Daulter?s Sacred Pregnancy book:

Source: http://nabcommunities.com/2013/01/07/nourish-mindful-eating-for-pregnancy/

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