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Expert Q&A:
How can I maintain a healthy diet when fruits and vegetables make me gag?

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Margaret Freda
Answered by Margaret Freda Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N.
"I've been a professional nurse working with pregnant women and parenting families since 1966," says Margaret Comerford Freda. "Pregnant women and parents need to know as much as possible about their own health and that of their children."

Margaret Comerford Freda, Ed.D., R.N., C.H.E.S., F.A.A.N., is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics &; Gynecology and Women's Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, New York, and also serves as Director of Patient Education Programs for that department. Since 1993, Dr. Freda has been the Consultant for Nursing at the National March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and the Chair of the National March of Dimes Nurse Advisory Council. In addition, Dr. Freda serves as the editor of MCN, The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing.

Dr. Freda received her Master's Degree in Nursing from New York University and her doctorate in Health Education from Columbia University. She has worked in women's health for her entire professional career. Dr. Freda has published 50 research articles in professional journals, and is a frequently invited speaker at nursing and medical conferences. She has written two books: Perinatal Patient Education, published by Lippincott Williams &; Wilkins, and Miscarriage After Infertility, published by Fairview Press, written with her daughter Carrie Semelsberger, who is also a nurse.

Dr. Freda has received several noteworthy awards, such as the Distinguished Professional Service Award and the First National Award for Excellence in Nursing Research from the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), the Woman of Distinction Award and the Maternal Child Nurse of the Year Award from the March of Dimes, the Patient Care Award for Excellence in Patient Education from the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Research Recognition Award from Molloy College, and several Outstanding Research Paper awards at national conferences. She serves on the Scientific Advisory Council for the March of Dimes, and was selected to serve on the Select Panel of the Centers for Disease Control to advise on prenatal health. Dr. Freda has developed patient education booklets and videotapes that are now distributed nationally.

Dr. Freda has been married for four decades. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, three grandsons, and a granddaughter.
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Question


I am five months pregnant and am worried about the way I eat. I don't eat fruits or vegetables because they literally trigger my gag reflex. I am taking my prenatal vitamin and don't eat any sugar at all. But I just want to know if my baby will grow sickly or develop wrong because I don't eat fruits and vegetables. Help me!

Answer


Well, you didn't mention if you have eaten this way always, or if this is just a pregnancy-related problem. Fruits and vegetables are an important part of a nutritious diet. Are you sure that you cannot eat any fruits, or any vegetables? I have found that some women who say they hate vegetables can eat them when they are disguised in sauces or in butter.Here are some tactics that have worked for pregnant women I know:

* Eating frozen creamed spinach. It's easy to get down, and most people think it tastes good. Give it a try.
* Putting some cream sauce or some diluted cream of mushroom soup or cheese on your vegetables.
* Cooking the vegetables really well so they are not hard -- sometimes the hardness of vegetables can make a person gag.

You can also try to drink some vegetable juices like V8. Some people can drink what they cannot chew and swallow. Even if you find just one vegetable you like and keep eating that one you'll be better off than if you have no vegetables at all. Likewise the fruits. Have you ever tried baby food fruits? The peaches, the pears, and the bananas really taste good. They might get you through this period when other fruits make you gag. Or make a "smoothie" out of fruit yogurt with some fresh fruit and milk mixed in a blender. It tastes good, and can help you to eat fruits. Research shows that some growing fetuses can do well even in times of famine, so I don't think your baby is at special risk of being sick. Still, it's very important to make your diet more balanced. You can become weak or sick from an improperly balanced diet, and that would not be good for your baby, either. I hope you are eating protein and calcium; they are very important nutrients. I think you should contact a nutritionist (perhaps through your doctor or midwife) who can help you to plan out a nutritious menu that includes all the food groups.

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This is my first pregnancy and to be quite honest my diet is not the greatest. I have never been a v..

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