Jump to content

Too much fruit?


Recommended Posts

I am on Day 16 of my Whole30, and have been eating multiple servings of fruit per day, as I am almost 8 months pregnant and the guidelines for Whole30 during pregnancy recommend extra fruit and starchy veg.

I thought I was doing great, but the other night I got a slight headache, and in thinking back through the day I realized that I had had less fruit than I normally would have by that point in the day.

I had thought that my sugar addiction was long gone, since I haven't really craved sugar at all since the first few days, but now I'm worried that it's still going strong and I just haven't noticed because the fruit has been satisfying it.

Is it likely that is what my headache could be from? And if so, how do I combat that? I'm nervous to cut back on fruit because I've already lost a few pounds and I really wouldn't be comfortable losing any more weight. 

TIA!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Why not try and have more potato, sweet potato, root veggies etc... for your starches instead of fruit if you're worried? You could also increase your fat content... Without anymore info on what else you're eating, it's hard to give advice, but if you want to post a few days of your intake including specific protein, veggies and fat, portion sizes as related to the template (palm sizes, not oz), fluid intake etc... we can see if there are other tweaks you can make.  Fruit WILL keep your sugar cravings alive but at this point you may want to consider whether that's really the most important thing to battle at this time or if that's something that can be worked on when you're not 8 months pregnant ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@SugarcubeOD Thanks for the feedback. I'm sure I could try to up my starchy veg more. And you're right, maybe I just shouldn't worry about it until after I'm not growing a human. It's just disappointing to realize this, because one of my main goals of this Whole30 was to kick the sugar addiction, and it would be a huge bummer to have done all this work for 30 days and still have it at the end!

Here are my last couple days (I got the headache the evening of Day 15.) To be honest, they probably don't follow the template, because somehow I didn't even realize there was one until yesterday. Pregnancy brain!

Day 14:

Breakfast: potatoes fried in lard, bacon, almond butter banana spinach smoothie

Snack: apple and cashew butter

Lunch: jambalaya (sausage, chicken, shrimp, and veg), cucumber salad, green salad w/ homemade Italian dressing, banana

Snack: apple and cashew butter

Dinner: chicken and broccoli stir fry in olive oil

Day 15:

Breakfast: broccoli and onion frittata, scrapple, couple slices of kiwi 

Lunch: chili (beef and lots of veg)

Snack: apple and cashew butter

Dinner: sausage and potato bake (w/ onion and pepper), spinach salad w/ homemade Italian

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

@qcfirecracker - I've reviewed your post and it's not so much the amount of fruit you're eating that would keep your sugar issues alive so much as how you're using it. Remembering that food aversions are a thing and that pregnant people get a bit of a pass on meal timing/size, I will still make the following suggestions and you can decide if they will work for you.

The smoothie morning breakfast completely lacks protein. Having a smoothie right after an overnight fast is hitting your body immediately with readily available sugar. Protein is slower digesting and gives you longer-term energy. Depending on how often you do this, you are hindering fat adaptation which will also contribute to the "need" for sugar. 

Snacking between meals is a bit of a pass for pregnant people and anyone who is going longer than 4-5 hours between meals. However, we do not ever recommend that folks snack on fruit and nuts. Your best bet for a snack is a mini-meal of protein, veggies and fat. If you can't manage all three, go for either protein and fat or protein and veggie. Eating apples and cashews is carb-christmas for your sugar dragon. 

You also need to make sure you are adding fat to every meal and should try not to rely on nuts or nut butters here. Go for ghee, avocado, olive oil and homemade mayo (if you're willing to eat raw egg) here for increased satiation and to negate that "need sugar" snacky feeling.

If you can, start buidling your meals and snacks to meet the template. Make sure you get your veggies in (1-3 cups cooked) before reaching for fruit and don't reach for fruits between meals. That should help.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@ladyshanny Thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely try to start planning the meals around the template now that I know it exists. :) My stomach is smashed enough at this point that I usually can't eat enough to keep me full until the next meal. Do you have any recommendations for simple snacks in the macros that you recommended? I have a toddler, so I've been reaching for the fruit and nut butter because it's quick and easy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Salmon cakes are easy to make and store (my toddler loves them!) Also, roasting veggies to have leftovers is great too. As for breakfast, make an egg casserole or eat leftovers. And add veggies and fats as needed to make a complete meal or mini meal. I love primal kitchen mayo so if you can find that local to you, you don't have to worry as much about raw egg (unless you already don't worry about it) I've been known to buy bags of caulirice to microwave and eat that with my meals (smother it with ghee and spices and it's soooo good)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators
30 minutes ago, qcfirecracker said:

@ladyshanny Thanks for the suggestions! I will definitely try to start planning the meals around the template now that I know it exists. :) My stomach is smashed enough at this point that I usually can't eat enough to keep me full until the next meal. Do you have any recommendations for simple snacks in the macros that you recommended? I have a toddler, so I've been reaching for the fruit and nut butter because it's quick and easy. 

hard boiled eggs & mayo
chicken thigh & guacamole
meatballs & olives
leftover frittata
burger patty & avocado
canned salmon/tuna/sardines mashed with ghee or homemade mayo

Basically you want to be using real food. The whole "snack" thing is a bit of a misnomer on Whole30. Just eat a small amount of leftovers. You could plate up a template meal, eat as much as you can since you are physically limited and then save the rest for "snack time" so you are only ever eating meals. Just smaller and more frequently.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...