Justine is Bite’s 31-year-old art director and she’s 18 weeks pregnant.
She describes her job as typical of most office jobs — “I sit at a desk, I stare at a screen, I get up every now and then to go to the loo or move to another desk for a meeting but it’s not exactly high-impact cardio activity.” Being pregnant, the trips to the loo have become more frequent, but even more frequent are the trips to the kitchen! She says “I know you’re not meant to eat for two but I am hungry. All. The. Time.” After being sick for the first 11 weeks she is enjoying cooking again but does tend to buy a hot meal for lunch still as (for food safety reasons) she can’t just grab a deli sandwich or salad. She eats a lot in the first half of the day but tends to just have a small dinner.
She says her blood pressure is relatively low so she keeps a sugary snack on hand as even standing for five minutes can make her feel faint and nauseous.
7am Large smoothie at home with my 2-year-old (banana, frozen blueberries and milk).
9am 2 crumpets and jam, a milo and a mandarin once I get to work.
10.30am 4 cracked pepper Vita-Weats with marmite and cheese and another piece of fruit (instead of lollies)
12.30am My taste buds go up and down daily so I get myself a hot meal for lunch — it's nice to get exactly what I feel like. Today it's teriyaki chicken on rice.
3.30pm A banana and a few lollies
6.15pm Meat and three veg — I have been into red meat lately but this is disappearing quickly!
8.30pm 4 lollies and a weak juice. I'm full!
Nadia Lim’s nutrition quick fix
You have a pretty good diet all round. During pregnancy the same healthy eating rules apply, however there are a few nutrients that deserve a bit more attention: folate, calcium and vitamin D. Folate (a B vitamin) requirements increase during pregnancy. The richest food source of folate is leafy green vegetables like spinach, silverbeet and broccoli, which is not surprising given the word comes from the Latin word foliage meaning “green leaf’’. Get at least 2-3 servings of dairy a day for calcium and eat vitamin D-rich foods such as oily fish and eggs. Make sure you drink plenty of water, which may help with your lower blood pressure — increasing fluid intake increases blood volume while preventing dehydration, which can help with hypotension (low blood pressure). Unlike most people, you may be able to afford to have more salty foods as salt (sodium) increases blood pressure.
