CassieSeeing as I’m now 35 weeks pregnant, I have a pretty good idea of this third trimester thing now.
(Cue all the moms who have been pregnant laughing knowing that 38+ weeks is a whole different ball game).
So, I thought it would be fun to document and share my pregnancy eating habits over the 3 trimesters, because they changed wildly with each trimester. I would love to hear if I’ve been similar or different to/from other mommas out there!
First of all: I ate normally, what I felt like, and without restrictions. These eating habits are based on how I was feeling and regard for getting adequate nutrition, without any rules or attempts to control my diet.
I just think it’s crazy how drastically your preferences can change from one day to the next in pregnancy.
First trimester
In first trimester, basically everything made me feel sick. I still can’t even think about avocado toast (I know; so sad); coffee still sometimes triggers the nausea; and I even hated bread. If I did want something, it was savoury, and anything sweet sounded horrible, EXCEPT for super juicy fruits like mangos and oranges. I wanted super ice-cold lemon water all the time. I couldn’t smell or look at peanut butter (usually my favourite food) or meat. Crazy, I know.
The only time of day that I had an appetite was right when I woke up; and I woke up ravenous. As ironic as it is, my “morning sickness” was at all times of the day except for the morning, and I was most sick at night.
I really just ate 3 small meals a day, because that was all I could manage. I had no desire to eat between meals. Breakfast was often a banana-berry smoothie bowl; lunch was usually a salad with lots of veggies, a balsamic vinaigrette, goat cheese, and chicken; and dinner was whatever I was making that night (I change it up all the time).
- Lemon water
- Smoothies
- Salads
- NOTHING ELSE
Aversions this trimester:
- Pretty much everything
- Big ones are peanut butter, coffee, avocado, eggs, meats, bread, oatmeal (basically all the things I loved before pregnancy)
Second trimester
At around 15 weeks, I FINALLY turned a corner after what felt like years (okay, us pregnant women can be dramatic). Most things were sounding and tasting okay again; my cravings were still much more savoury than sweet. It was nice to actually have an appetite again.
I found there were days that I reeeally wanted “treats”, usually donuts or dairy-free ice cream, which were my same favourite treats before pregnancy. There were other days that all I wanted was salad: like crisp, cold veggies with a zingy vinaigrette and soft goat cheese. For 2 weeks, mayo was the only condiment that sounded good (now, at 35 weeks, that one has come back a bit). I liked peanut butter again, but almond butter became a turnoff. Overall, I was still mostly just having 3 meals a day, but occasionally wanted snacks, too.
Favourite foods this trimester:
- Mayo
- Sweet potato fries
- Smoothies
- My healthy homemade raspberry lemonade
- Sandwiches
- Salads
Aversions this trimester:
- Sometimes peanut butter
Third trimester
Third trimester has been a bit all over the place. I’ve had days in which I am absolutely STARVING and no amount of food is enough, and I’ve had days where I wake up feeling full and stay that way all day.
I’ve had days where certain foods sound great and the next day they sound horrible. I’ve had nauseous days and days with no nausea. I’ve had days where all I want is salty, savoury foods and days where I think I just want donuts and ice cream all day.
I don’t eat much junk food as that’s important to me, but when I really want something, it’s equally important to me to have it. So I’ve had some cookies and ice cream and things like that in this trimester, and they’ve been delish.
Overall, I’ve found that where I used to be a snacker, in all 3 trimesters I am much more apt to eat just 3 good-sized meals a day and not even want snacks at all. In first trimester it was because eating 3 meals a day was hard in itself; I really only wanted breakfast and then to lie in bed all day, but obviously needed more food than that.
In second, it was because, every time a meal would come around, I would be wanting a large, filling meal, and then didn’t get hungry between meals.
And in third, it’s been a mix of both depending on the day!
Now, at 35 weeks, it’s getting extremely crowded in there, so I find I get full really quickly. Smaller meals have definitely helped me to manage the heartburn and nausea, the latter of which is not quite as bad as it was in first trimester.
Favourite foods this trimester:
- Still lemon water
- Ice cream
- Citrus fruits
- Tacos
- Chocolate chips
- Goat’s milk yogurt frozen with stevia and peanut butter (tastes better than a decadent ice cream)
- Smoothies
Aversions this trimester:
- Sometimes peanut butter
- Avocado
- Sometimes hummus
- Sometimes meat
- Sometimes oatmeal
