I first had the pleasure of meeting the gorgeous Emily Ehlers (aka Olive on Blonde) at a ‘Brainstorming & Tapas’ meeting last year with the wildly inspirational Tahnee Robinson and Ashleigh Galipo from Eclectori.

It was love at first sight.

The mood lighting shimmered,  the tapas was en route, and the hardest part was trying to stop talking and laughing long enough for Ash to take the picture.

More recently we got our giggle on again at the launch of the Perth Wellness Soulpreneurs!

Em’s blog  Olive on Blonde is a guide to being gorgeously green.  Bursting with information and inspiration about wellness, self-care, sustainability and creativity, it also beautifully showcases her  personality and cheeky sense of humour.

Basically, I love her to bits!

Em recently became a Mother to an extra-special little ray of sunshine named Lucy, so when I received some queries and emails from readers recently about the healthiest ways to navigate pregnancy, I knew just who to ask.

Please welcome – the effervescent Em from Olive on Blonde!

ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚ ˛★* 。 ღ˛° 。* °♥ ˚ • ★ ღ˚ •。* ˚ ˚✰˚

HEALTHY EATING FOR PREGNANCY

When I fell pregnant I had dreams of grandeur. Those dreams generally appeared to me in the form of Miranda Kerr: serene, earth mother with a luscious mane and glowing skin.

Unfortunately the reality was less Kerrlicious and more Reagan from The Exorcist. Yep, for those first 5 months of gestation I was a human fountain. Orlando, eat your heart out!

Vomiting all day is unpleasant for the obvious reasons but on top of that it can really make you worry that your little peanut is not getting the nutrition it needs to develop properly.

I was painfully aware of this and I realised that while I was keeping so little down I needed to make sure every single bite that went into my mouth was as nutritionally dense as possible. Quite a challenge when all you want is something of the fried potato variety. But I came up with some tips, tricks and foolproof recipes that got me through and I feel a public service announcement is warranted.

Tricks of the Trade

• Eat small meals often.
• Drink lots of water – hydration is so important especially if you are nauseous.
• Keep snacks with you at all times. Pregnancy tends to send you from zero to hangry very quickly! If you always have something on hand then you run far less risk of making an unhealthy decision.
• Incorporate a super green into your diet such as Spirulina or Chlorella to give you all those energy giving B Vitamins. If you don’t think your sensitive little belly could handle the green drink though, stock up on B-Complex supplement for energy.
• Where possible buy organic. You seriously need to inject as many minerals and vitamins as possible.

photo credit: Dan Zen via photopin cc

Now, here are some healthy meal ideas that hopefully have you covered no matter what the craving;

Sweet

Frozen Berries – Natures lollies! These babies saved my life… they are like perfect little sugar drops perfect for sucking on. If you can choose local, organic berries as recently there was a lot of hubbub about the amount of toxic chemical residue on standard supermarket berries. In Perth I know that Fresh Provisions and Organic on Charles have good variety. Or grow your own and freeze them… cheapy cheap.

DIY Popsicles – Making your own icy-poles is such a fantastic alternative to your average sugar-laden nasties. I bought these little ice pop makers from IKEA but you could just as easily freeze the juice into a mug to chip away with a spoon.

My favourite combo was cucumber, apple, ginger and mint for a refreshing buzz (cucumbers are full of B vitamins). If you don’t have a juicer, that’s okay – blend up your fave fruit with some coconut water and you’ve got a creamy delight (mango, strawberry and banana is a winner!).

photo credit: willsfca via photopin cc

Salty

Tamari Roasted Almonds – keep these in your bag at all times! Recipe here.

Vegemite Soup – Wait – hear me out! Did you know that Vegemite is also known as the poor man’s beef stock… or in this case the vegan mans! Vegemite is full of B vitamins and sometimes when you are really queasy only a clear salty broth will do! Take a cup full of boiling water and stir in a teaspoon (or more to taste) of vegemite. Yum. (FYI: Promite is not vegan, Marmite is).  

photo credit: mynameisharsha via photopin cc

Savoury

Hummus with Kale Chips – Hummus can be bland enough to just settle your stomach: check out my super easy hummus recipe here. I can’t have gluten so I made some Kale Chips to dip (recipe here) and got the bonus of extra iron, vitamin A & C and calcium too.

Ants on a Log – Celery, nut butter and sultana’s can cure almost anything. On my particularly queasy days I included a drizzle of honey (or maple) and a sprinkle of Himalayan salt. Delish! I also used to have a similar interpretation which Miss Sparkles herself put me onto – these delicious Apple Cupcakes.

Creamy

Mashed Potatoflower – Boil up cauliflower and potato (skin on) and then mash. Surprisingly satisfying and packed full of Vitamins C & K and folate too. Sometimes I would add butter beans too and mash away. This can be a good base for any meal topping.

Smoothies – Packed full of goodness and all you need to do is take little sips. Perfect for the perennial puker! If you can make them green you get a gold star.

If All Else Fails…

Ginger – Yes this ugly knobbly root holds the key to getting through the day without barfing. Ginger is believed to be an anti-emetic (something that calms your stomach) and is also an analgesic. Have this as much as you can in whatever you can.

• I lived on this Summer Gingernade.
• This easy Ginger Tea also got a workout.
• These Raw Ginger Snaps went down a treat.
• And during those painful mornings when I could only handle dry, dry biscuits these Ginger Biscuits were the bomb!

Image from Olive on Blonde

But remember…

I really hope that some of these ideas help ease the pain of nausea.
A final thought…. Listen to your body! It needs you to slow down right now because you are building an actual person. That isn’t easy.  That doesn’t ease the sickness but it certainly put my feelings into perspective.

BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

Nausea is your body’s way of communicating with you.  I just wish she wasn’t so bitchy.

Get to know Em better on her website:
Olive on Blonde

or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram  

 
Featured Image photo credit: gabi_menashe via photopin cc

The post Snacks and Tips for Navigating a Healthy Pregnancy appeared first on Vegan Sparkles with Rebecca Weller.