Not eating for Two

Pregnancy for many means, "yippee, I can eat what I want." For the sake of our waistlines, we need to change this thinking. Did you know that many women keep as much as 11 pounds from each pregnancy and some even more? I teach a prenatal nutrition class and I love the expressions I get when I tell everyone that in the first trimester you do not need any extra calories, you just need to make sure and eat really, really healthy** and take your prenatal vitamins. I also enjoy the looks of disbelief when I let the women know that in the second trimester they only need about 300-340 more calories. This is equivalent to about a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with 1/2 cup skim milk and an ounce of almonds. In the last trimester, the number jumps to an extra 450 calories total -- so, add a piece of whole wheat toast and jelly to your bowl of cereal and almonds and you are now at 450 calories. By making sure you eat healthy** during your pregnancy, you can set yourself up for easier weight loss after you have your bundle of joy.
**healthy defined -- to learn more about how many servings of foods from each food group you should be eating during your pregnancy, go to mypyramid.com and enter your information.

Almonds are healthy and good for your waistline

Almonds are a superfood. They are packed with nutrients and eating them regularly can help to lower cholesterol. But what about all those calories? Well, a new study shows you don't need to worry. Women who ate 2 ounces of almonds each day (344 extra calories) didn't gain any weight over 10 weeks. Why? Since almonds are satisfying and filling, the women compensated for most of the calories by reducing their intake of other foods. Also, some of the fat in the almonds was blocked from being absorbed by the fiber content - so their bodies weren't really recognizing all the calories. Bottom line: eat a handful or two of almonds as a great afternoon snack or chop some on top of your morning oatmeal. They're really nutritious and keep you satisfied, making it easier to stick to the rest of your healthy diet.