Healthy & Natural Pregnancy: What not to eat during a pregnancy & Pregnancy cravings

A few weeks ago I was frustrate at the realization that my wardrobe was drastically shrinking as my belly was expanding and the weather was changing. Then last Saturday it hit me that my culinary selections have shrunk as well during my pregnancy.

My husband was fixing some smoked turkey, eggs and cheese biscuits for breakfast when it hit me that I could not eat the deli meat! Humm good delicious homemade breakfast right under my nose that I could not even enjoy! That was more for the kids and him as they teased but that was not funny too me, it looked and smelled so good!

The past few months I have tolerated the sacrifice of Sushi which I looove.

I have endured watching my husband enjoy some when I could only salivate at the view of rolls that I would have devoured under normal circumstances.

Since July I have suffered the temptation of some French pate that my sister in law brought me from France. My only comfort is to keep telling myself that I will have a stack of treat ready to indulge on once I have the baby.

I have considerably decreased my herbal tea and cappuccino intake. Some days I have opened my kitchen cabinet just to sniff the ground coffee in hope that it would fool my mind that my body have had the pleasure to sip some.
With the change in weather, I have allowed myself to a cup of Starbucks Cafe Macchiato once a week as an excuse that my body would appreciate its warmth now that the weather is cooler.  When I resumed my weekly trip to Starbucks, I soon realized that it was not just the cup of Cafe Macchiato that was delicious. It was great to see again our old barrista and some of the regular patrons that I have not seen in months.


So some very rare cups of herbal tea and cappuccino are the only indulgences I have had this pregnancy. I have been consistent in staying away from certain things that should be avoided or limited during pregnancy.

Things such as:

• Sushi,
• Camembert (soft cheese),
• deli meat,
• Pate from France,
• caffeinated drinks and sodas)
• spicy food ( watch out heartburns),
• certain kind of fish and seafood etc...
• Of course Alcohol is on the list of such things but since I don't drink it has not been a challenge for me.

Isn't it funny that the one time when we have some good excuses to be indulging we are warned to watch carefully what we consume?

Talking of indulgence the holidays are fast approaching and one of my favorite holiday drink is Eggnogg...can I consume egg nogg while pregnant?


 I know I should watch for raw eggs so I was just wondering..

Oh well..(shrugging my shoulders) at least I can still enjoy this

and many of my other favorite things like Pineapples.
Pineapples in every drink.... I love Pineapples. The Hawaiin punch is just something I have suddently been attracted to recently, while before I could not even stand it. I prefer fresh juices but hey maybe I am just having one of those weird cravings. What I know for sure is that Pinapples are on top of my list of cravings right now, and it's alright by me because they are healthy!

I am also eating this often,
warm croissant with herbs omelet

 Are you or someone you know having a hard time sacrificing certain food? What? Do you have a particular pregnancy craving? What healthy food are you craving more for during your pregnancy?

N'na

Natural hair: To Big Chop or not to big chop? My hair journey: Transitioning made easy!

To big shop or not to big chop? That is the question.

That is the question most women contemplate when deciding to go natural.

I have been transitioning since last year and I am finally just inches away to the end of my journey! The beginning was both exciting and frustrating, like any new endeavor we undertake.

 Once I got into the routine of things I became more and more comfortable with the transition and enjoyed the process.

Going natural is and should be a personal decision. Once we decide to do it we are faced with another big decision. We have to decide either we would transition or big chop. We all make our choices for different reasons but what's important is to own and be comfortable with the choice we make.

I knew that transitioning was the best option for me because I sure can't tolerate having ' bad hair days'. I can't tolerate the thoughts of my hair being in a condition I have NO idea how to manage.

I did notice in the course of my journey that most people put pressure on the BC but it's my hair not theirs. I am the one who has to be happy and feel confident about my " crown" so I was in no way going to give into any kind of pressure about the BC.

Transitioning granted me more control. I can handle my hair with length. I would have been a frustrate sister if I had cut my hair and learned to care for  it short and impatiently waiting for growth. I knew that even with a relaxer, short styles can be demanding so there was no way I would have complicated my life by having a BC.

Plus I am married and greatly respect the idea to always being/feeling  attractive. Personally I think that when we are into a relationship we should maintain our best look even with natural hair and I did not think that I could pull it off with a BC! 

I feel more confident when I look my best and I had doubt that a big chop would help me maintain that confidence consistently.

I wanted the natural hair without dealing with unwelcome frustrations.

Here an old article on the start of my natural journey: http://goodhealthdiva.blogspot.com/2011/03/i-am-coming-out-call-to-naturals.html


My Tips for easy transitioning:
Transitioning was easy for me because of the following:

1) I asked a LOT of questions before deciding to go natural.

2) I deep conditioned my hair every two weeks.

3) I maintained regular visit to the salon by having my hair professionally maintained and had my ends trimmed as needed.

4) I stuck with hair stylists that had natural hair and were very experienced in maintaining my hair healthy.

5) I stuck to products and procedures that work best for me from professional brands my hairdresser recommended to homemade products/treatment I loved.

I rarely used any protective styles throughout my transition. I got my hair braided just once in the course of my transition, and I used a pretty wig a couple of days when I was too lazy to attend to my hair.

Well, that's what worked for me and made my transition enjoyable!

Remember that it's your hair and either you BC or transition you are the one that has to love your hair (and make your man fall in love with your "crown").


What about you? What did you do once you decide to go natural? Are you a new natural? Are you transitioning or going with a Big Chop? Why?

N'na