From the time I started taking a deeper interest in what I ate, I found a fun way to eat healthily. I used the Power of visualisation. In my mind I  saw the journey of food passing through my body – every morsel, going through my oesophagus and into my stomach.  I would imagine all the goodness, and the nutrients from the food being absorbed into my body. All the fiber and water scrubbing my intestines clean, making them feel pink and fresh.

After having visualised all that, eating something unhealthy created the most unappealing imagery. Absolutely killing any temptation I might have had to binge. Building up these images in my head had really changed the way I chose my meals. Especially during my pregnancy, the need to eat what was best for my body and my baby had really heightened.

Mind you, the food I chose to eat was always filled with oodles of flavour in addition to being rich in nutrition. I knew that I didn’t really need to bulk up on calories. I also understood that eating for two was not the way to go. Your body doesn’t really require that many extra calories in the first trimester. In the second and the third trimester, the requirement does go up roughly by 350 to  450 calories – so say, for example, an egg sandwich or a couple of bananas would take care of the extra need.

My mantra was simple – don’t gain any unnecessary weight, and you won’t have to struggle with losing it later on. Even pregnancy cravings most of the times are a result of some missing nutrients and don’t need to be indulged in quite so literally. If you are craving chocolate, it could mean a deficiency in Magnesium. Try having some nuts instead?

More than the quantity of food, I always paid attention to the density of the nutrients in it. I had fun coming up with some of my own salad and smoothie recipes. Which were easy on my stomach and also rich in nutrients.
(Recipes coming up in the next blog!)

During my pregnancy. I tried to add multiple ingredients to make my meal wholesome and rich in nutrition keeping in mind all the essentials for pregnant women – Folic acid, Iron, Calcium, Protein, Fiber, and multiple Vitamins.
I must admit that my jaw would hurt from trying to sit and finish up my massive bowl of salad made with sprouts, soaked nuts, and seeds.

It helped that my dinners were spent lounging around watching the FIFA football matches and Gossip Girl – with my dear husband and my little Mr. Baby bump. Even to this day, 40-50% of my diet consists of raw food and it just does wonders for the system.

Among the few things that come highly recommended for pregnant women are leafy vegetables. They contain the most important nutrients that are recommended during pregnancy. But unfortunately, leafy vegetables also tend to absorb the most amount of pesticides used while growing them. So during my pregnancy, I was inspired to start my own little green patch. I had cleared up a small area in my studio where some ornamental plants were growing and set up my very own kitchen garden. Trust me, it didn’t really take too much space or effort to get things started. I only used natural compost made at home to boost the growth of the plants. Neem oil or garlic infused water worked wonders to keep away little pests. It was so rewarding to see the little plants blooming away to glory. 

I was also very glad that my son could also have a toxin-free diet from our very own kitchen garden as soon as he started solids. We still have our little garden where we grow some vegetables, herbs, and fruits. I also make my own herbal tea concoction from different kinds of Tulsi plants growing in my garden.

I never really felt the need to starve myself during my pregnancy or to look thin. But the awareness and discipline around what to eat have really become a part of my lifestyle even to this day. I rarely eat out and it doesn’t even feel like a huge sacrifice. When my friends call us over for meals, they’ll just keep my boiled eggs ready for me. If you open my purse you’ll always find an apple or a till ka laddoo to take care of any emergency hunger pangs. Some choices that help me stay healthy and well nourished, at all times. Leading a healthy lifestyle really keeps everything in your body in harmony and I’m glad to be able to lead one.