Staying healthy

I've always been a healthy person but ever since I found out that I'm pregnant I've tried to be even healthier. Throughout my life, I've stayed in shape either via dance classes, running, or workout programs such as Jillian Michael's DVDs or P90X. (With this in mind, one can understand how the whole heart rate/working out issue from my previous post was such a big thing for me). I've also always been very conscious of what I eat- fruit, vegetables, whole wheat carbs, lean protein, fat free dairy products. I limit concentrated sweets, rarely eat fried food, and never drink soda. Anyways, I'm trying to keep these habits up and stay as healthy as possible throughout my entire pregnancy! I figure that if I can do anything to make my baby healthier I'm absolutely going to do it! It's extremely important for me to be healthy for both of our sakes. It's not always the easiest plan, especially when I have zero energy or annoying morning sickness (on that note, I opted for plain Cheerios when morning sickness got to me- healthier than plain crackers but still do the trick of "feeding morning sickness" that my doctor recommended). But I'm determined to do everything in my power to stay healthy. There are a few healthy eating tips that I follow regularly and I feel really help with my goals:

1. Add ground flaxseed to oatmeal. Flaxseed has a myriad of health benefits (check some out here). It adds fiber, protein and healthy fats. I mix it into my homemade oatmeal that way I know exactly what's going in it- no added sugar or weird preservatives. I also mix it into pancake/waffle batter, baked goods, and smoothies. It's a great little superfood that's very easy to sneak into a variety of foods.

2. Drink unsweetened almond milk. I've always been a big fan of milk and it took me a couple glasses to get used to the unsweetened almond kind, but now that I'm used to it, I love it! I put it in my oatmeal, cereal, decaf coffee, and whatever else I would normally use skim milk in. It's fantastic! It's low in calories, has a lot of calcium and vitamin D, and low sugar. If you haven't already jumped on the almond milk bandwagon, I highly recommend you get on board! You won't regret it. I like vanilla unsweetened or unsweetened almond coconut. Just watch out for the sweetened kind because they contain a lot of sugar.

3. Use fat free plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. I use it to make ranch dip for veggies and I'm telling you, it makes the best dip! A little tangy and just delicious. I also put it on baked potatoes and tacos. I use it instead of butter in some recipes, too (since I've more or less sworn off butter as well). Fat free Greek yogurt is super good for you. It's loaded with protein and calcium. The plain variety tastes a lot like sour cream so it's great for substituting. I also love the fruit variety for snacks. Sometimes I buy the 2% kind but if I do, those are always for dessert. My recent favorite flavor is lemon. It's so good with strawberries or blueberries mixed in!

4. Blend baby spinach into smoothies. I love a good fruit smoothie! And I'm not talking one that you get at the mall. I mean real homemade smoothies. Once I started P90X I took to making my smoothies with a scoop of protein powder and a handful of baby spinach. I still do that nowadays and it's a really great way to get extra nutrients. A lot of people put protein in their smoothies so that doesn't need much of a mention. I love putting spinach in my smoothies because it is loaded with folic acid and iron- two very important nutrients during pregnancy! It might sound gross to add a handful of baby spinach into a nice strawberry banana smoothies but honestly, you can't even tell (besides the color). Spinach had a very mild flavor and it blends down really well. One of my favorite smoothie recipes is: 1 frozen banana, handful of frozen strawberries, 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter, and handful of baby spinach. Give it a try!

5. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Besides keeping healthy foods stocked at home I always try to keep some good snacks in my purse. If I happen to be out running errands or away from home for longer than planned it's good to have something healthy easily accessible. For me it's natural/raw almonds, mini Luna bars, dried fruit, Kashi granola bars, some plain Cheerios, or any other good snack that travels well. I also bring fresh veggies like baby carrots, cucumber slices, chopped red pepper, or cherry tomatoes if I know I'll eat them before they get icky (i.e. if I'm going on a long car ride and plan to eat the veggies while driving). By doing this, I'm never in a situation where I'm super hungry and have no healthy options!

I'm sure there are some other healthy habits I have that I'm not thinking of right now because they've become second nature to me. I'll update this list as I think of other staying healthy tips. I hope someone finds these ideas helpful! It really isn't that hard to eat healthy. It takes effort, but it isn't difficult. The benefits of eating healthy definitely outweigh any inconvenience from the little extra effort. It's worth it to keep myself and therefore my baby healthy! I also try to stay realistic and not expect perfection out of my daily diet. I allow myself some splurges but I keep things in moderation. Overall, following basic healthy eating guidelines and some of my favorite tricks, I've managed to stay super healthy so far!