New Diet

I woke up this morning feeling like I needed to make some changes in my diet.  I have been experiencing some anxiety and tension in this pregnancy, as well as fluctuating energy levels and inconsistent moods.  Although I am well past my morning sickness, often times the foods that I eat will leave me feeling "sick" and are a subsequent drain on my energy.  Soooo... I posted the question to a Facebook page and decided to follow the advice of some of the women there.  The things that really resonated with me were to eliminate dairy and refined sugar/flour from my diet.  I am a big herbal tea drinker, and I like half and half or milk in my tea.  However, this usually leaves me with a bad feeling in my stomach.  Also, when I indulge on refined foods such as white bread, pasta, or heavy dairy such as cheese sauces, cream-based sauces, etc. it leaves me feeling depleted. 

Being that I am into my second trimester with twins, it is tricky to modify my diet without decreasing calorie intake, like I normally would.  However, with the produce I stock up on from the farmer's market along with my new Blendtec, I figured it wouldn't be too hard to come up with some healthy, sustaining recipes that would fit into my new diet.  Today's menu went as follows:

Breakfast: herbal tea with lemon and agave
                 orange and spinach "whole juice" in the Blendtec

Lunch: Butternut squash and spinach soup with a sauteed vegetable and vegetable broth base, in the                Blendtec (I had 2 big bowls.)

Snack: peanuts, almonds, and orange slices, Mother's tea

Dinner: chicken pot pie with butternut squash and kale in a whole-wheat crust (I had 3 pieces.)

My energy was extremely depleted today, partially due to a poor night's sleep last night.  My body knew that something was going on and seemed to be reacting to the "detox."  However, my goal was to feel better at the end of the day, which I accomplished.  I am going to stick to this diet for a solid two weeks, note the difference, and most likely stick to it as well as adding some further modifications.  My primary objective is to get the recommended 80-100g. of protein daily throughout pregnancy, which I will probably do with the addition of nuts, legumes, and grains.  I have some homework to do in the way of researching new recipes and cooking techniques.  I feel better already at the end of day 1 and am excited to be on a new nutrition adventure.