Doctor's Visit
Went to see my Ob-Gyn today. Mostly good, but two pieces of bad news.
#1. He thinks I'm eating too many grains and not enough fruit.
Let me say first of all that I eat SO many vegetables it's crazy. I always thought it was a fruit and/or vegetables sort of requirement. I mean, what benefit does a piece of fruit have that a similar vegetable does not? Except for Vitamin C, I figured it was always better to eat a vegetable rather than a fruit, just because of the sugar level in fruit. And my grains are GOOD grains. Whole wheat toast, bulgur pilaf, brown rice, multi grain pasta, etc. I think his main point is that instead of a bun on my hamburger, have a piece of fruit instead and I'll get the same amount of fiber but more minerals. Yeah, but the whole problem is how do you eat a hamburger on an apple? Grains are not the largest part of my plate, but sometimes you do need to eat them. So mleh.
#2. My iron is low. He recommends a 25 mg supplement.
My iron is low? How is that even possible? I specifically did NOT want to have to take iron supplements, so I've been careful to eat red meat 5 times a week or more. Any time I cook meat, it is usually beef, and I'll always pick a burger over a chicken sandwich, or steak fajitas over chicken. I did some research and discovered first of all that spinach, though it's high in iron, also contains chelates which block iron absorption. So spinach is effectively not a source of iron unless you eat it with meat or fish. Which I do! Buh, I don't get it. It's possible the tannins in black tea are a large part of my problem because they block iron absorption. When I'm at a restaurant, iced tea is my default drink. The caffine level is low and it has no sugar, so I thought it was a good drink. But not if it's impeding my iron.
The site said that eggs are a good source of iron, and Vitamin C increases iron absorption. So now I guess I'll have eggs and orange juice for breakfast. I'm having a piece of toast, too, damnit. Try and fucking stop me. And instead of yogurt with granola or an Odwalla bar for my snack, I'll have dried cherries and pecans or cashews. No tea. :( I don't know what to do about eating out. I'll have to carry my own bottled water or something because seriously, the taste of tap water is no good at all. It's like sucking on a metal pipe.
But otherwise the baby's heartbeat is strong (150), my stomach measures 25 inches pelvis to navel, and the quality of my diet is good. I'm 140 lbs.
#1. He thinks I'm eating too many grains and not enough fruit.
Let me say first of all that I eat SO many vegetables it's crazy. I always thought it was a fruit and/or vegetables sort of requirement. I mean, what benefit does a piece of fruit have that a similar vegetable does not? Except for Vitamin C, I figured it was always better to eat a vegetable rather than a fruit, just because of the sugar level in fruit. And my grains are GOOD grains. Whole wheat toast, bulgur pilaf, brown rice, multi grain pasta, etc. I think his main point is that instead of a bun on my hamburger, have a piece of fruit instead and I'll get the same amount of fiber but more minerals. Yeah, but the whole problem is how do you eat a hamburger on an apple? Grains are not the largest part of my plate, but sometimes you do need to eat them. So mleh.
#2. My iron is low. He recommends a 25 mg supplement.
My iron is low? How is that even possible? I specifically did NOT want to have to take iron supplements, so I've been careful to eat red meat 5 times a week or more. Any time I cook meat, it is usually beef, and I'll always pick a burger over a chicken sandwich, or steak fajitas over chicken. I did some research and discovered first of all that spinach, though it's high in iron, also contains chelates which block iron absorption. So spinach is effectively not a source of iron unless you eat it with meat or fish. Which I do! Buh, I don't get it. It's possible the tannins in black tea are a large part of my problem because they block iron absorption. When I'm at a restaurant, iced tea is my default drink. The caffine level is low and it has no sugar, so I thought it was a good drink. But not if it's impeding my iron.
The site said that eggs are a good source of iron, and Vitamin C increases iron absorption. So now I guess I'll have eggs and orange juice for breakfast. I'm having a piece of toast, too, damnit. Try and fucking stop me. And instead of yogurt with granola or an Odwalla bar for my snack, I'll have dried cherries and pecans or cashews. No tea. :( I don't know what to do about eating out. I'll have to carry my own bottled water or something because seriously, the taste of tap water is no good at all. It's like sucking on a metal pipe.
But otherwise the baby's heartbeat is strong (150), my stomach measures 25 inches pelvis to navel, and the quality of my diet is good. I'm 140 lbs.