My plant-based whole food pregnancy: what I ate during my first trimester
In addition to highlighting recipes I design for clients to serve their unique dietary needs, I also like to share the meals I eat day-to-day on the blog.
Since sharing my pregnancy news in recent posts, quite a few of you have reached out with well wishes along with questions regarding what my pregnancy diet looks like and what changes I’ve been making to meet my nutritional needs.
So I thought it would be helpful to share more on this topic. Specifically, what a plant-based whole foods pregnancy looks like for me.
During pregnancy, I actually keep a journal of what I eat. I find it helpful for a slew of reasons - it inspires content, reminds me of holes in my diet (and how to fill them at my next meal), and making notes about how certain foods and food combinations make me feel helps me learn how to eat to feel my absolute best.
Today, I’m going to share a glimpse of that with you.
Specifically, the plant-based whole foods I ate over a three-day period during my first trimester.
Posts like this always need disclaimers.
First, I’m not a doctor (duh), nutritionist or dietician. I’m a recipe designer, wellness writer and I work privately with clients to achieve optimal health via diet and lifestyle habits.
It’s also important to reiterate that every body and everybody is different. My height, weight, level of activity and pregnancy are key factors in determining my nutrient needs and could be (and likely are) very different from yours.
That said, I firmly believe a well-planned plant-based whole food diet is healthful at every stage in life. And done right, it can offer mom and baby all of their nutritional needs. So if you’re interested, I hope this peak into how I’m doing it is helpful.
Finally, in addition to what I share below, I also take a prenatal vitamin - a MUST for every pregnant woman.
While I don’t rely on supplements normally (because I think a varied diet is the best way to get the vitamins and minerals you need), pregnancy is a different story. Your nutritional needs increase during this time, and without a prenatal, it’s very like probably fall short on key nutrients.
Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, here’s a peak at what I’ve been eating during my first trimester….
Food Journal
Common advice is that your diet should be on par with your regular adult nutritional needs since baby’s energy needs are still quite small during the first trimester.
In other words, there’s no need to “eat for two” just yet.
Instead, I focused on nutrients - filling up on natural, quality foods at each meal that contain protein, fiber, folic acid, calcium, fiber, iron, vitamin C, DHA, etc.
I like to eat intuitively. In the first trimester, that meant eating and snacking to minimize discomfort and dis-ease (usually nausea, constipation and bloat) to achieve greater harmony and balance in my body.
Here’s a closer look:
Day One
(7:00 AM ish) - Juice
I love a fruit-based breakfast, especially in the summer when fruit is abundant.
A homemade vegetable and fruit juice was a staple in my diet during the first trimester. I prefer a simple blend of a few vegetables, one fruit (usually apple) and ginger and lemon. The ginger first thing in the morning has been super helpful in minimizing nausea, too.
While I avoid store-bought non-pasteurized juices while pregnant (supposedly, they’re not safe), I love to juice at home throughout pregnancy.
(10AM ish) More fruit and coconut yogurt
I love a bowl of seasonal fruit a few hours after my juice. In the thick of the summer, hydrating fruit feels so good and a few tbsp of coconut yogurt gives the bowl some substance - while my nutritional needs are the same as they were pre-pregnancy at this point, my appetite has certainly increased lately.
Today, I enjoyed a sliced banana, a handful of strawberries, half of plum, 2-3 heaping tbsps of coconut cult prebiotic yogurt, and passion fruit on top.
(1PM ish) Chickpea Tuna “Nicoise” Wraps
I batch this chickpea tuna weekly. Today, I had a few scoops, with a handful of arugula, a few sun gold tomatoes, a tbsp of briny kalamata olives and I plopped it all on a Siete Foods Chickpea Flour Tortilla.
(4PM ish) Energy Balls
Between lunch and dinner, I reached for 2 of these energy balls. Easy and satisfying! Energy balls are always on hand in my house. I prefer homemade snacks in general, but especially so when I’m pregnant because they’re typically more nutrient dense than anything store-bought. You can check out more of my go-to homemade snacks here.
(6PM ish) Chopped TLT salad
Today’s dinner was very much inspired by this.
I like a lot of vegetables at dinner, since they keep me full, but especially so on a day when I didn’t have too many.
This one was two handful of chopped romaine, three strips of smokey tempeh from light life foods, 1/2 an heirloom tomato, one persian cucumber, lemon juice, a tbsp spoon of plant-based mayo, salt and pepper and some pickled onions.
Normally I prefer salads for lunch, but in the summer I love a cool, crisp and crunchy salad any time of day.
Day Two
(7:00AM ish) Juice
Much like yesterday, I went with juice first thing in the AM.
I must have just done a grocery shop because this juice feels a bit fancier than my usual go-to.
This blend was 1 cucumber, 1.5 cups fresh pineapple, handful of mint, 1 lime, 1 inch knob of ginger and 3 kale leaves.
When I juice, it’s usually in spurts - not something I do daily or year-round even. I definitely enjoyed it throughout the summer, when I was often feeling quite bloated after eating. It was a nice, light way to start the day.
(10:00AM ish) Tofu Egg Salad
I often keep a batch of this in the fridge. It’s simple and delicious and I love it for a late breakfast or lunch. Made with one firm block of tofu, a bit of black salt (which gives it an eggy flavor), about one tsp of turmeric and a few tbsps of plant-based mayonnaise. I often include chopped green onions or fresh parsley in the batch for extra health benefits and a boost of flavor.
Today, I enjoyed two heaping spoonfuls on a bed of arugula with one chopped persian cucumber for a late breakfast.
(3:00PM ish) Chunky Bruschetta
Afternoon snack was an heirloom tomato cut into chunks, topped with fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and a pinch of salt and pepper with a handful of Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips for scooping/dipping.
(6:00PM ish) Lentil Pasta with Broccoli Rabe
Felt a bit nauseous, so something warm, hearty and carby felt right.
Protein needs don’t really increase until trimester two, but getting in the habit of eating more has been a good exercise for someone like me who doesn’t think about it all usually. So instead of my usual brown rice pasta, I’ve been doing more legume pastas lately.
Tonight’s dinner was 1/2 cup of cooked lentil pasta with homemade tomato sauce and a side of broccoli rabe, sautéed in a tsp of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I also added two handfuls of spinach to the pasta, because I’m all about that leafy green, get-it-in-where-you-can life! More on why leafy greens are critical for your diet here.
Day Three
(8:00AM ish) Sweet Green Smoothie
Late start today, so was very hungry by the time I got around to making breakfast.
My son and I shared this sweet green smoothie, made with spinach, dates, banana, hemp seeds and unsweetened plant-based milk. While I typically enjoy a simple fruit and vegetable smoothie, if my toddler is getting in on the action I’ll opt for something more substantial.
I love this blend for us because tahini is a great source of calcium and both tahini and hemp seeds offer a bit of protein as well.
(1:00PM ish) Italian Chopped Salad
This is one of my favorite ways to do salad and a popular one on the blog.
For this version I went with two handfuls of chopped romaine, a couple sliced radishes, two pepperoncinis (sliced), one tbsp of sliced castelvetrano olives, 1/3 cup chickpeas and a sprinkle of plant-based feta. I let the wet ingredients do the work here, and went with simple lemon juice, a tsp of extra virgin olive oil and dried oregano for the dressing.
(6:00PM ish) Summer Kitchari
Felt majorly bloated this afternoon, so easy to digest kitchari is a go-to for me on a night like this.
I used this recipe, but for my veggies I went with what’s in season/what I had on hand. Tonight, it was purple asparagus. I also did extra handfuls of cilantro to help sooth my tummy.
As you can see from this three-day food journal, my first trimester diet wasn’t all that different from how I usually eat - plant-based, predominately whole foods, with optimizing digestion and energy in mind.
Eating this way for the last 10 or so years has sincerely transformed my life - I have never felt better.
And the same goes for my pregnancy so far.
I’ll be doing the same for my second and third trimester, for those interested in following along. So stay tuned!
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