wonderful book on PCOS, but how do u eat when pregnant?

by monica
(australia)

I found this book amazing, full of information that has made me feel very well informed, which has made it a lot easier to make the right choices about food and exercise. It has helped me lose weight and feel better about myself.

I am wondering though, when I fall pregnant, what do I eat? Do I go on the maintenance program even though I still need to lose a lot more weight?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor's comments: Hi Monica. When pregnant, yes, I think you can be a little more liberal in terms of consuming complex carbohydrates found in whole foods. As example might be consuming more starchy vegetables, if you feel the need. The important thing to do is eat a wide variety of whole, non-processed foods.

But I don't see any need to suddenly start eating a lot of grains and legumes. Modest amounts may be OK. But continue to avoid refined grains, which make you fat.

The issue is you have to draw a careful balance between liberalizing your diet and gaining a lot of unneeded weight. You could use the Maintenance level of the PCOS diet as a starting point and modify it as you feel it is appropriate to do so.

If you're taking metformin during pregnancy, I recommend you take supplemental B12, since low B12 levels represent a risk for your baby.

It's also important consume the best oils, as was discussed in the e-book. Fish or fish oil is a good idea. The DHA found in fish oil helps with development of a healthy baby.

I would also suggest you get a vitamin D test, just to make sure you're not too low in that essential vitamin.

It would also be helpful to continue your physical activity. Physical activity will be key to avoiding a big weight gain while pregnant.

The less you are overweight when you conceive and during pregnancy, the better your pregnancy outcome is likely to be.

There is no specific list of "eat this" or "don't eat this" for pregnancy. It varies with the individual.