The founder of Papa John’s told the British press in an interview this week that people shouldn’t overeat when eating pizza.  His suggestion was to eat one or two pieces, and then pizza would be a healthy meal.

Being pregnant and hearing this guy talk about one piece of pizza made me wonder if he’s a skinny dude who doesn’t eat his own product.  (I looked him up, and he’s not a fat man, as you can see. That, of course, doesn’t mean he doesn’t eat pizza; maybe he really does only eat one piece per meal.)  While I’m usually not a pizza fan, pizza and pregnancy seem to complement each other quite nicely.  I am quite certain that one piece would not do in this craving.  In fact, most fattening foods seem to be attempting to make their way onto my best friends list.  Cookies of the homemade variety, a variety of versions of fried cheese, and creamy pasta sauces all sound pretty good most of the time.  Luckily, I have a little more sense this time around than I did my first pregnancy.

Many pregnant women use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever they want.  I was no exception when I first learned I was pregnant with Ruby.  I was truly hungry during my first trimester, and I clearly remember speeding to McDonald’s the first week I was aware of my situation and eating an entire 10-piece McNugget.  Yum.  I curbed my eating binge when my friendly OB-GYN delivered this jab at my five-month visit: “You must have been hungry this month.”  (The same doctor told me I was getting a “nice little pooch” at my three-month appointment this pregnancy.  This may have been true, but I had actually lost weight.  I don’t recommend him to friends with body image issues.)  I started walking several miles a day and laid off the sweets, which happen to be my weakness.

The Mayo Clinic recommends pregnant women of a normal weight gain about 25-35 lbs. during their pregnancy.  This includes the baby’s weight, and only allots a maximum of 8 lbs. for excess fat.  Really, this doesn’t leave much room to pig out.  Pregnant women are supposed to eat about 300 extra calories per day. 

Do you ever get the feeling that whoever comes up with these guidelines was not a woman or definitely has never been pregnant?  I mean, I feel like my body is providing me with extra cravings and hunger for some reason.  Still, I definitely didn’t want to gain as much weight with this baby, so I have been eating some lower-calorie substitutes for some of my favorite comfort foods.  Here are some of the best treats I’ve been eating:

• Light pigs-in-a-blanket made with reduced fat crescent rolls and turkey hot dogs

•  Oreo Cakester 100-calorie packs: these things are TOO tasty!

• Pasta sauces made with 1/3-the-fat, reduced calorie cream cheese and skim milk with wheat pasta

• Lots of 60-70% cacao dark chocolate

• junior burgers from Sonic and Spangle’s

• sweet potatoes with cooking spray, cinnamon and marshmallows

• 60-calorie Jell-O pudding packs

 

I have a lot more ideas, but if I keep talking about food, I’m going to go eat it.  Good thing I always leave room in my calorie allotment to cheat at least once a week!  I am thinking about Dairy Queen.

I am obsessed with discovering new food products with great nutritionals in the grocery store. It's been this way for about the past five years; I am constantly on the lookout for tasty things with low stats. I drive one of my health-conscious work friend nuts by perpetually checking out her goods at the lunch table: "What is that? Is it good? How many calories? Did you find that at Dillon's or Wal-Mart? (Those are pretty much the only places to buy food here.) Does it say how many Weight Watchers points? How much fiber? Are you going to buy it again? Is it better than that other brand?" and on and on. I love keeping track of how many calories and fat grams I eat, and I definitely see the importance in following the food pyramid (although can't we all agree that they give us way too many servings of carbs?).

So you can imagine my mortification at the fact that Ruby, my daughter, will eat from only two food groups: fruit, and CHEESE. Her day goes a little something like this: Breakfast = string cheese; Lunch = Macaroni and cheese; snack = Gerber cheese puffs; and Dinner = cheese pizza. Throw in some apple sauce or grapes every now and then. Now, I am aware that I am not supposed to restrict my toddler's fat content, but can it be healthy to eat that much CHEESE? Ruby refuses to eat vegetables or meat. I've tried hiding them, shoving them down her throat, bribing, and begging. She will throw them as hard as she can on the floor and scream in delight as her partner in crime, AKA the devil dog, Kiki, gleefully gobbles down every last morsel. I believe she will get to an age where I will give her the ol' "It's this or nothing" ultimatum, but since she was born at roughly 3.5 lbs., I want to make sure she stays at a healthy weight.

I used to think my husband was a picky eater. He doesn't really eat anything green, and if I even try to sneak a mushroom or black olive into a dinner dish, I am in major trouble. I always said, "I am going to make my kids eat everything on their plates." I sure didn't want to raise a picky eater. Apparently, though, what I am learning is that picky eaters may not be raised. Perhaps they are born. We are going to find out, folks, because as soon as Ruby understands if/then statements, she's going to be eating broccoli. I'll let you know how that goes.

Right now, she's just lucky she looks so darn cute with cheese sauce all over her face.