Sorry for being a little MIA here and with commenting on your blogs, my lovely friends. But life sometimes gets in the way... I've been sick and miserable for the past few days. I got strep and it sent my whole body... well, back to bed. I'm weak, can't breath, the throat is on fire, the eyes are watery and I just want to sleep all the time. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to see if I can get some relief...
On top of that, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Again. I had it with my first but it never came back with my second pregnancy. But I started this time the heaviest I've ever been and that, probably, contributed to it too. Apparently, gestational diabetes is quite normal among twin mamas but I was still bummed. I'm desperately trying to figure out now how to get enough nutrition for two, yet cut some things out of my diet. The problem is I still have aversions and even leftover morning sickness once in a while, so the idea of counting carbs really makes me cringe. The funny thing is what lacks carbs is not necessarily healthy for you. For example, an apple will have 15-25 carbs in it but I can literally drink a box of whipping cream and it will still be zero carbohydrates... Since the twin pregnancy already requires a very balanced diet - did I mention before that I'm supposed to eat about 160 g of protein a day?? I'm nowhere close to it. I can't eat steak every night - neither physically, nor financially. Just to give you an idea - 160 g of protein is about 8 full size, full fat greek yogurt cups. Fun, huh? And now I have to figure out even more balance and not kill anybody along the way... We will bump our grocery budget a bit too to accommodate all of the low-carb changes (like ice-cream. I can't live without ice-cream!) but we will try to keep it under $25. Otherwise, I will be eating bowls and bowls of homegrown kale since it has no carbs in it at all :)
And how have you been this weekend??
Though it won't add a huge amount of protein, I have found sometimes cucumber slices with hummus helps with a slightly icky stomach, it's low carb and the hummus is protein based. Might beat munching your way through kale, but homemade kale chips can be ok sometimes. Might be decent with a greek yogurt based dip?
ReplyDeleteI was actually thinking about grabbing some hummus later today. Our garden is still producing a decent amount of cucumbers, so it would be a delicious snack. Thank you for this idea :)
DeleteYou will feel much better after you go to the doctor. Antibiotics do wonders for strep. Maybe you could also ask for some literature for eating to control gestational diabetes. I'm sure there's some out there. Good luck and hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the reasons why I'm going to the doctor too. I spent half an hour at the library and another hour online on Saturday trying to find something about twin pregnancy and GD but there isn't much out there which is really surprising because it's quite usual among twin mama. Hopefully, the doctor can recommend me something or send me to a nutritionist.
DeleteOh my Lena - what a dilemma! I can't imagine trying to balance that all out. Can't the doctor provide you with some sort of balanced eating plan and take the guesswork out of it for you? Or refer you to a nutritionist? What about frozen yogurt instead of icecream and this is from someone who could LIVE on icecream:)
ReplyDeletefrozen yogurt is actually higher in carbs than some low-carb options of ice-cream :) I got some ice-cream over the weekend to comfort my throat but I need more, lol. I hope , my doctor can help me to figure out the next step or I'm in trouble :)
DeleteHi Lena. So Sorry to hear that you are going through all of this. I had difficult pregnancies also. It's not fun! :(
ReplyDeleteI hope you are feeling better soon, my friend. Will be keeping you in my prayers for strength and health to get through the rest of this pregnancy. Just keep your eyes on the prize- it will all be worth it when you get to hold those two precious little bundles in your arms! :)
As far as protein goes, alternatives to beef that would be considered high-protein foods are beans, dairy/eggs, chicken, nuts and peanut butter. Those may be a little bit cheaper too, rather than having steak every night. ;)
I was definitely exaggerating about the stake :) I do eat a ton off eggs right now because they are very low in carbs. Nuts are a hit or a miss. Some are low, and others have a ton. Same with peanut butter. I just got some freshly squeezed natural peanut butter over the weekend, and now I'm wondering if I can make my own to cut the price a little bit. It's pretty good and no sugar added (basically, just peanuts).
DeleteThis is a little outside the box but do you know somebody who hunts? Ask them for venison. I'm sure they would gladly share and its loaded with protein. If you get some, I would be happy to share recipes. We typically share a lot of our venison with others.
ReplyDeleteNo, not really. I mean, my BIL does but he mostly hunts with a bow, for turkeys and stuff. And about once a year he goes with his uncle for the real deal. But they weren't successful this year.
DeleteSo sorry! Hope that you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteSorry about the gd too...that would be a lot of protein to eat each day. I wonder if those high protein/low carb shakes would be any good? Hope your dr can give you some ideas.
I need to look at the low carb options. The ones I have in a pantry right now have 40 g of carbohydrates int hem (which is like my full dinner :)
DeleteSo sorry to hear about this!!! Take care of yourself. Not sure if this info still applies since times change so fast but...almonds use to be really good in protein and good carbs, ditto for broccoli, brown rice, Home made hummus is super easy to make and taste much better than the store bought stuff. Good luck to you!!
ReplyDeleteYou are right, I totally need to make my own!
DeletePlenty of lean chicken, lower fat cheese, fish, all with plenty of salad. Its the only way. Take it easy
ReplyDeletexx
I actually need to eat everything full fat to keep up with the calorie intake (3000 a day!). That's why it's such a roller-coaster! Everything I see that's no carb is also super-low on calories and non-fat... Sigh
DeleteOh my. Sending you hugs. I hope you get better soon.
ReplyDeletePeople have been having twins successfully since the beginning of time. They didn't know about how much protein to eat, they didn't even know for sure that twins were expected. Probably, if you just use common sense you will do just fine. You don't need to eat steak every day. Of course, you need to keep the carbs low with the diabetes and that may be hard for you.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Unfortunately, it wasn't always that simple. My great grandma had 3 sets of twins, and one of the twins in each pair died. They didn't take care much of themselves or the babies back then.I might be a little paranoid but I want to do my best to help them to stay healthy and gain healthy weight too. I try to do what I can but I'm nowhere close to following these guidelines. And I was totally joking about steak :)
DeleteLena
ReplyDeleteHave a look at the Glucerna protein shakes if they available in the US-they are diabetic friendly and may be a way to add extra protein while keeping it lower carb. Sue
Eggs are your friend!!! Low carb and high protein and more importantly cheap!! Eat with bacon and there's a meal. Oh and add cream and butter to your coffee too.
ReplyDelete