When Anitra Valez found out she was pregnant with her first child, her first instinct was excitement—and her second was to start Googling everything. “I suddenly felt like every bite I ate was a decision for someone else,” she says. “And that’s a lot of pressure.”
Anitra already had a relatively healthy lifestyle, but pregnancy changed the stakes. She wasn’t interested in obsessing over numbers or following strict rules, but she wanted to make sure her meals were giving her and her baby everything they needed. “I didn’t want a perfect diet,” she says. “I wanted a smart one.”
She began focusing on nutrient density over calorie counting. Instead of trying to eat more, she looked at what she was eating and why. Iron-rich lentils, dark leafy greens, eggs, whole grains, and colorful fruits began to make up most of her plate. But she also gave herself grace. “If I was craving toast and peanut butter, I had it,” she smiles. “Because that’s nourishment too.”
One thing that helped her most? Planning meals that combined both nutrition and comfort. A warm bowl of oatmeal with chia seeds and banana felt better than any prenatal pill. A piece of grilled salmon with quinoa and lemony greens gave her energy without heaviness. “I realized that nutrient-dense doesn’t have to mean boring,” she says. “It just means thoughtful.”
By her third trimester, Anitra felt stronger than she expected. And more than that—she felt grounded. “Pregnancy taught me that food is a kind of communication,” she reflects. “And now, I think about nourishment in a whole new way.”
