Clean Body, Clean Mind - A Simple Pre-Pregnancy Detox
Let’s be honest: there’s no perfect time to stop drinking wine during the week, binge-watching Netflix, and eating pasta like it’s your job. But when you see that plus sign on your pregnancy test, you’ll wish you started thinking about it sooner. Alcohol, caffeine, meat, and sugar are extremely addictive so it’s good to have a plan before you just pop that first prenatal vitamin hoping it’ll cancel out all your bad habits. Negative thoughts, self-doubt and not being able to say no will interfere with motherhood, so we’re here to help with that, too.
Another reason to commit to a pre-pregnancy detox is that 40% of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. Crazy, right? Many women don’t even realize they are pregnant until they are six or eight weeks along if their periods are already irregular.
How to Swap Foods If Needed:
We want to preface this by saying: every woman’s pregnancy is different! Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have to cut out everything we talk about below, so make sure you consult your doctor first. The topics below provide some alternatives if you do have to make these changes!
Alcohol & Caffeine
With advancements in shrubs and kombucha, we now have so many more non-alcoholic options than your mother’s soda water. Tea is a great coffee substitution with half the caffeine of coffee. Just a six-minute drive from Glow Chicago brings you to Rare Tea Cellar with enough tea blends and varieties to make your head spin (in a healthy, non-drunk way). If you’re in the Oakland area, and bubble tea and smoothies are more your speed, RareTea Oakland is only 5 minutes from Glow Oakland.
Sugar
The daily recommendation for sugar for a female is 25 grams. One fruit-flavored non-fat yogurt is 47 grams! Even if a food label doesn’t have sugar, it usually has a substitute and your body doesn’t know the difference. Honey, or agave, are acceptable substitutes when you’re baking, but otherwise, try to limit any added sugar. After all, fruits have sugar too, albeit natural. Low sugar fruits are blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries whereas cherries and bananas are high sugar fruits.
Time for a Mental Detox
Let’s get your mind right so you can be an attentive, connected mama. If you’re grappling with limiting beliefs about yourself, find it hard to set boundaries, or find yourself caught in a negative thought loop - we’re here to help.
Comparison is usually the culprit that knocks on our door when hormones are raging. Nowadays, comparison can come in many forms: through social media, personal relationships, and stories you hear about what everyone else is doing during their pregnancy. Let’s start here: detox your social media. If you thought you were self-conscious before, it’ll only continue to get worse while you’re carrying a baby, gaining weight, having crazy mood swings/ cravings, etc. The reality is, we don’t need to follow people who bring us negative energy. On the flip side, there are so many models and figures on Instagram now that focus on body positivity, transparency, and bring women encouragement. Try to unfollow anyone who doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. You have no reason to follow them, anyway.
Next,
if you have friendships that no longer serve you, this is a perfect time (and excuse) to let that person go. Boundary setting is easier with preparation, so practice all the ways to say no when you don’t want to do something.
If positive psychology seems like a “fake it till you make it” philosophy that you can’t get behind - we feel you. Instead, challenge your negative thoughts. As soon as you think, “I look awful” ask yourself, “how is saying this to myself helpful?”.
Thinking of “giving up” foods, friendships and thoughts aren’t always easy. We’re here to challenge you: try to put yourself (and your little one) first for once. You should never feel bad about prioritizing yourself during such an important time in your life. Rid all the negativity, and bring in as much light and positivity as possible. Happiness is the best detox of all.