Great new finds – pregnancy discoveries

Being pregnant has its challenges. Being pregnant with twins is on an entirely different level. During my first two pregnancies with singletons, I was sick the entire first trimester with pretty substantial nausea and food aversions, but I almost immediately felt relief as soon as the second trimester started for both those pregnancies. For this pregnancy with my twins, I have been extremely sick with unbelievable nausea, food aversions, vomiting, a sub-chorionic hematoma (an internal bleeding of sorts, a blood sac between the fetus and the uterine wall, which my body scarily passed over the course of weeks 8-16), you name it. The sickness started at 5 weeks and has just recently started to show some signs of slowing down as of week 18. I could barely stomach anything to eat to sustain myself. What I felt like I could tolerate varied by the hour. I had to get creative with trying new things and searching for ways to just consume calories and get some protein. Among my endeavors, I came across some wonderful new foods that I absolutely love and will keep as staples in my daily repertoire, pregnant or not.

Three Wishes plain, unsweetened cereal

The only item I am able to stomach in the morning after working out has been this plain, unsweetened grain-free cereal. I love it because it’s high in protein and the minimal ingredients are super clean: chickpea, tapioca, pea protein, and salt. Best of all there’s no sugar at all! While I have tried many of the other flavors and do enjoy them, I no longer buy them because they do have “natural flavors” in them, which we as a family avoid. You can find this cereal at Sprouts, Whole Foods, Wegman’s, and plenty of other familiar grocery store chains. I eat my cereal with clean plant-based almond milk or sometimes oat milk, such as Califia Organic almond or oat milk (the ones with three ingredients), Malk (unsweetend), Elmhurst unsweetened nut milks, and my newest discovery Plant Strong unsweetened almond and oat milks. All of these are excellent plant-based milk alternatives with no added gums, sugars, or oils!

The Feel Bar plant protein bars

I finally found a clean, high-protein, plant-based protein bar that actually tastes amazing and does not have any “natural flavors”, gums, sunflower oil, sugar, or natural sweeteners (such as stevia or monk fruit). Infused with adaptogens, like maca root, ashwagandha, lions mane and chaga mushrooms, turmeric, kava kava, or matcha, these bars are a powerhouse of nutrient-dense deliciousness. Currently I can only find these gems at Wegman’s supermarkets and online, but hopefully we will start to see these on other grocery store shelves soon! So far I have tried the Immune Golden Goodness, Focus Chocolate Chip, and the Calm Vanilla spice, each one chock-full of 15 grams of protein and better than the next.

ChiChi original chickpea oats

I’m not even sure how I found this awesome grain-free oat alternative, but I love it! One ingredient: chickpeas. It’s a great higher-protein option over oatmeal, for those who cannot tolerate grains, or for someone who could not stomach oatmeal for a while. You cook it just like instant oatmeal in the microwave. Super simple, super delicious. I like to add protein powder or peanut butter powder (see below) and peanut butter and cinnamon to it for a hearty snack. I haven’t made this a savory snack or meal yet, but since I buy the original unflavored, you could certainly use it as a base for a savory meal and an alternative to rice or potatoes, or even add it to soups or stews to thicken it up and add more protein.

Pacha sourdough buckwheat bread

I was thrilled when I discovered this two-ingredient, gluten-free bread in the freezer section at my local Whole Foods. Finally a gluten-free bread I could enjoy myself and feel comfortable feeding my kids too! And I love that it’s sourdough, traditionally fermented dough that is excellent for gut health. I love toasting up a few slices and slathering the top with peanut butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon as an evening treat. Each loaf is a bit pricey, but when they are on sale at Whole Foods, I stock my freezer. This brand also makes buns and two flavored bread varieties, garlic “rye” style and cheesy herb, both of which are plant based and have super clean, minimal ingredients.

Big Mountain Foods fava bean tofu

I’m wary about eating soy while I am pregnant, and most days early in the first trimester I couldn’t stomach any type of meat, so I found this legume-based tofu. It’s absolutely delicious! I have been eating it warmed over cauliflower rice or crumbled into a salad with Cava lemon-herb tahini sauce. It would even be delicious in a stir-fry or pad Thai noodle dish, or anywhere you would use regular tofu or even chicken. In one entire block of the tofu there is 64 grams of protein! I plan to discover more ways to get creative with this gem of a find, because it really can be so versatile.

Organic Naked PB

I usually buy the organic PB Fit Powder at my local Costco, but lately my store hasn’t carried this item. So, naturally, I went searching for a better alternative. Organic Naked PB is simply that: organic peanut power. Nothing else. No salt, no sugar, nothing….although I do like a little salt in my peanut butter. I normally add this to my oatmeal or chickpea oats in addition to peanut butter for extra protein. This Naked PB has 8 grams of protein per serving!