Fueling Mom Energy: Real Nutrition Tips

 [00:00:00] If you've ever found yourself at the end of the day, wondering why you're so exhausted beyond just the normal mom tired, this episode is for you. Today I'm bringing back Allegra Gast, a registered dietician and lactation consultant

to talk about the practical real life ways that we can support our energy as moms. We're not talking about perfection here. We're talking frozen veggies, rotisserie chickens, and why you might actually need more salt in your life. So, if you are craving energy, clarity, and a little permission to do things your way, stick around. I'm Krissy Bold.

I am a stay home mom to two young boys, and this is Mom's Guide to Finding Herself.

You know that moment in the day when you're standing in front of the fridge staring at a pack of string cheese and a half of a juice box and wondering. Is this my lunch? I've been there and honestly, it wasn't until I had a real conversation with someone who gets mom life that I realized so much of how I feel isn't just emotional, it's nutritional.

That's why I am so excited to welcome back today's guest, Allegra Gast. If you didn't [00:01:00] catch part one of our conversation, definitely go back and give it a listen. She shared her own story of struggling with low energy overwhelm and mom guilt after her first baby and how everything shifted when she started nourishing her body differently, especially when she became a twin mom.

Allegra is a functional, registered dietician and an international board certified lactation consultant who supports families through postpartum health and breastfeeding.

She leads a team of five dieticians and consultants through her virtual practice. Aloha Nutrition, originally started in Hawaii. She now runs it from Texas with her husband and four kids, including those twins and shares. Incredibly helpful tips on Instagram at at Aloha Nutrition. Today's conversation is all about the how.

How to build energy sustaining meals, how to hydrate in ways that actually support your body, and how to make nutrition work in real mom life. So if you're constantly exhausted and snapping at your kids or skipping meals because there's just no time, this episode is going to meet you right where you are.

Krissy: Allegra, thank you for coming back to the [00:02:00] show.

Allegra Gast: Yeah. Thank you so much. It's good to be here again.

Krissy: I loved hearing your insights last time about your experience having two babies or one baby where you started, and then another one and then two more. So you had four babies all under the age of five, three under three, and you somehow felt better after you had those twins physically that at least than you did when you had your first amazing,

Allegra Gast: I know. It's so crazy to think like, what, that doesn't make sense. Like how could I feel better physically compared to physically with four kids versus one.

Krissy: And so what was the big change for you with that?

Allegra Gast: The biggest thing is nutrition. I mean, your body is like a car You have to take, put good gas in it. You gotta put oil in it. You gotta make sure there's spark plugs to make that car run optimally. And same with your body. And because pregnancy and breastfeeding and the overwhelm of [00:03:00] motherhood is so demanding on the body, it depletes you of these minerals and minerals, I like to say, are your body spark plugs?

You know, calories, carbohydrates. Fat protein, that is your gas and your oil. And so you have to fuel yourself in order for your body to run efficiently. And so many of us, especially new moms, we don't take care of ourselves. We don't eat breakfast or we don't eat enough. Protein. And protein is the most satiating macronutrient.

It keeps your blood sugar steady. A lot of us are like eating our kids leftovers. We're eating their leftover mac and cheese or chicken nuggets. And I'm like, no, you are a human. You are an adult. You need to eat a full meal. And especially if you're breastfeeding like that requires extra energy from you.

And so with my. First, I wasn't prioritizing breakfast. I wasn't prioritizing protein. I mean, if I did eat breakfast, it was cereal with almond milk, which is probably max like three to five grams of protein. [00:04:00] And really we need 20 to 30 plus grams of protein. And so now with my twins, I start the day with a really good breakfast.

I try to get at least 20 to 30, typically 30, 35 grams of protein. So what that looks like is, you know, maybe two to three eggs. I like to buy a higher protein bread as well, so kind of adding protein within carb options. So we'll do like a higher protein waffle mix, like Kodiak pancakes. If we do spaghetti for dinner, I like to buy the chick pea or the lentil pasta.

Barilla, the brand. Barilla has a protein pasta as well. So really just prioritizing protein and. Also, of course, fiber and healthy fat. So like with breakfast, I would add like avocados here and there, trying to add like a side of fruits for some carbohydrates. I would add some collagen powder to my coffee.

That's a really easy boost of 15 grams, you know, depending on the brand that you buy, but about 15 grams of [00:05:00] protein. So really just prioritizing my nutrition has been so helpful in just. Fueling me. Also electrolytes. So every single day it's actually what I'm drinking right now. I drink a mineral mocktail, so it's about electrolyte.

So you can either make your own, which you can incorporate like a quality salt for that sodium chloride. And then cream of tartar is a source of potassium. You could use coconut water if you wanted to, but cream of tartar is super easy. And then of course, water. And then I also will do like some premixed.

Versions, but I make a mineral mocktail every single day. That is a non-negotiable. I do try to have at least one every day. Sometimes I'll do two, like mid-morning, mid-afternoon. And even with my clients, my followers on Instagram, it's like. They don't have that energy crash. I mean, like I said, minerals are that spark plug.

It ignites that, you know, spark in your cells and gives you that energy. And so that has been so important, [00:06:00] especially with my twins waking up at night, you know, with two babies waking up and, you know a toddler and a preschooler like it was it was. Just crazy how impactful my nutrition was and just how I felt and how I managed things and my stress resiliency.

I mean, I tell myself every day, parenting is a sports event. You're not gonna go to a big sports event, not having eaten anything like you're gonna eat, you're gonna make sure you're taking your electrolytes. So. I think also just the mental shift is like, okay, this is a marathon right now. I need to make sure I'm fueling myself.

And that has allowed me to be more patient with my kids. I'm not as agitated. I can handle more. I mean, don't get me wrong, they're still overwhelmed. I'm still like, ah, this is a lot, but. Like I notice on the days I don't eat a good breakfast or I don't take my minerals. I am more ragey, I'm more snappy, I'm more IRR irritated.

I feel tired. I need an afternoon nap. And so yeah, [00:07:00] it's really amazing how just the foundations are so crucial for that recovery and just managing life postpartum. 

Okay, I have to jump in here because what Allegra just said about feeling more ragey and snappy on the days where you don't eat well or forget your minerals, that hit me so hard. And honestly, this is the kind of thing I talk about in my mom moment memo, those little daily stories and reminders that help you feel seen in moments like this.

I send it out a few times a week and it's like a tiny little voice in your inbox saying, Hey, you're still in there. You're not broken. You're doing your best. You can sign up for free@momidentityproject.com slash memo.

Okay. Back to Allegra.

Krissy: Yes, I completely agree. I, and what you said with like the days where you eat a good breakfast, you can tell the difference in the way that your day goes. So I wanna hear some of your favorite tips on getting protein in because the two to three eggs, I can, I can wrap my head around because it's breakfast time and, and that [00:08:00] makes sense.

But what about the rest of the day? Where are you

Allegra Gast: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: protein in?

Allegra Gast: So, I mean, like I said, you could do the higher protein bread. So Dave's killer bread, if you want for lunch to make like a sandwich you could use the higher protein bread, which usually a slice is about five grams of protein. So now you're getting 10 grams right there. And then adding like a can of tuna, a can of salmon I like to do canned salmon.

It's lower in mercury, it's. Filled with Omega-3 fatty acids. And don't be afraid of cans. Like canned is a really easy, convenient way to get that fish. You know, those Omega-3 fatty acids as well as that protein. So just a can of salmon is like 23 grams of protein just right there. And so already you're at 30 grams.

You could do some like carrot sticks with hummus on the side. Even a pb and j, like a peanut butter has about eight grams per. Two tablespoons, and so that's eight. And then your bread, that's 18 grams right there. Maybe you add a side of [00:09:00] like I don't know, that hummus and peanut butter.

Maybe you make a mineral mocktail and you add some of that collagen to that. Or maybe you do a cheese stick on the side. So I think a lot of people think like your only way to get protein is like a slab of steak or like a large, you know, piece of chicken. But when you just add things here and there, like if you wanted to.

Make that canned salmon and add Greek yogurt to it, or even some cottage cheese. You could do that. I mean, sometimes I like nachos and so

Krissy: Yeah.

Allegra Gast: add black beans to it and then maybe make some ground beef. And so I'm always kind of thinking like, okay, well what are some small things that I could add that have protein?

You know, if you wanted to do oatmeal in the morning, add some chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, and then use a higher protein milk. I think a lot of. You know, with the diet culture, we think we need almond milk and you know, these low calorie milks, but they're also super low in protein. So I like just milk quality milk if you [00:10:00] can.

Even hemp. Hemp seed milk, pea milk, especially if you're dairy free from your, you know, if your baby is having issues tolerating dairy doing like pea milk and so yeah, I mean, I think we kind of overthink it, but really just. You know, start kind of being mindful also adding fiber, doing lots of fruits and vegetables, and definitely early postpartum, your digestive tract has just been shifted with your baby.

And so it's actually easier on your digestive tract to do cooked fruits and vegetables or cooked vegetables at least. So doing a lot of. Soups and stews. And so even with your soups and stews, if you're doing even making rice, if you could use bone broth, bone broth is gonna have a little more protein doing quinoa instead of just rice all the time.

Doing that higher protein pasta. So, you know, stuff like that are some ways to just help get more of that protein. And when people think protein, I think they just think like muscles. Like, [00:11:00] oh, I'm, well, I'm not a bodybuilder. I don't need all this protein. But amino acids are the building blocks of protein.

And amino acids make neurotransmitters, which can help with mental health. They make enzymes, including digestive enzymes. They make antibodies which can help with your immune system. They make, you know, hormones, like every single thing requires amino acids. And so I mean, even milk supply, prolactin and oxytocin, you know, those are hormones.

And so definitely making sure that you're prioritizing protein, not just for muscle repair, but for every bodily function. It keeps blood sugar steady, so the carbohydrates that you eat, instead of causing a blood sugar spike,

Krissy: Mm.

Allegra Gast: protein which keeps your blood sugar steady. Steady. So me encouraging protein is not saying don't eat fruits and vegetables, don't be on the corner.

Carnivore diet. Don't, you don't need to be Atkins diet or anything like that. Like, it's just prioritizing, making sure you're getting 20 to 30 grams of [00:12:00] protein, but also incorporating fiber rich foods, whole grains, healthy fat, adding nuts and seeds, avocados, using olive oil. You know, stuff like that. Like still having a balanced meal.

Krissy: Right, because it sounds like from what you're saying, at least for, in my experience, I find it easier to get the fruits and the vegetables in. Like that's something that. I'm just like snacking on or munching on, but I'm not necessarily snacking on or munching on like nuts in my day. So to hear these other ways to add the protein, it sounds like that's the thing that we're not necessarily filling in the gaps on just regularly on our own anyway.

Like we're not, we might have the meat with our dinner, but we're not, what are we having for, for lunch? Just a salad. Great. But like where can we add in these other pieces with it and. I don't know about you, but I feel like adding collagen almost feels like it's cheating. Right? Where, where we, like, we hear a lot about you should be getting your nutrients from Whole Foods, but tell me your thoughts on like collagen and protein [00:13:00] powders.

Allegra Gast: Yeah, so I mean, it all comes down to quality. So supplements are not FDA regulated, so you definitely want to buy from a quality company. You wanna make sure that it's. Third party tested.

Krissy: Hmm.

Allegra Gast: I like to buy ones that have been you know, tested for heavy metals. So it is important to buy like quality. So I do like the brand needed.

Their collagen powder is third party tested. It's been tested for heavy metals, but of course there are other ones out there. Vital Proteins is another one. And then like with. Protein powders. I think they can definitely be helpful here and there to fill in the gaps. I mean, sometimes I'll do them with like a milkshake for the afternoon or a smoothie.

I'll add some in just to make sure I'm getting enough protein. 

So you just wanna make sure you're looking for high quality ingredients.

Krissy: That makes so much sense. I mean, we, we think about, I think we get too much into the nitty gritty and the details to when we're like looking at the big picture. Like does it matter if you're really getting that [00:14:00] protein from some lunch meat ham? Like

Allegra Gast: I feel like it's better than nothing,

Krissy: Absolutely.

Allegra Gast: like right now, it. About convenience, like be thankful that we live in a first world country. We don't have to make things from scratch every time. Like I'm okay here and there, buying a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. If that means I'm going to be eating, you know, chicken, you know, getting that protein as opposed to going to like McDonald's or Chick-fil-A.

I mean, there's no shame in that either. Like all foods can fit in a balanced. Diet. But you know, if you wanted to do a rotisserie chicken with a salad mix or even frozen vegetables, just pop that in the microwave. You know, maybe steam some broccoli. We do edamame a lot as a snack. We just pop that in the microwave, add a little bit of salt, maybe sesame oil, and we'll eat that as a snack.

So nutrition is definitely not all or nothing, like make little. Steps, you know, especially during my pregnancy, I had a lot of, you know, food cravings wanting ice cream. So could I buy [00:15:00] a a better option or, you know, make my own nice cream, like frozen bananas, add some chocolate and peanut butter to that.

Sometimes I would crave those nachos, but I would make sure like, okay, I know I don't want these vegetables, but I'm not just. Helping myself, I'm helping my baby. You know, especially during pregnancy, you're sharing the same bloodstream and then with breastfeeding, like you're, you can enhance the nutrients in your breast milk to benefit babies.

So, you know, even just using your baby as a reason to add a little more vegetables and. A little more fruit or protein and you know, like I said, it doesn't have to be all or nothing. I know this is a hard stage right now with taking care of a baby, taking care of a household. So don't feel guilty if you have to do frozen vegetables.

Like my rule of thumb is if it's. If it's if you're gonna cook it, you might as well buy frozen because it's washed, it's cut, it's ready to go. And I think a lot of people think that with healthy eating, you have to make everything from scratch. It has to be like this [00:16:00] gourmet dinner. But, you know, sometimes frozen can actually be healthier than fresh because you're.

They're picking it at peak season and flash freezing it,

Krissy: Yeah.

Allegra Gast: nutrients are still intact, whereas when you're buying it from across the country fresh, how much time has it been sitting in cargo by the time it gets to the store? How much manhandling has it been through? Oftentimes it's being picked before it's even ripe, and then they put.

Ripening agents they inject ripening agents in it. So you know, obviously you're not gonna have a salad with frozen vegetables, but, you know, having a balance of both. So I do frozen, I do frozen vegetables. I also do fresh. I do a lot of canned fruit, you know, canned pineapple. My kids love canned peaches, so we'll do that here and there.

So it's all about just. Balance not all or nothing. I mean, if I do mac and cheese, can I add some tuna to the side of it or. You know, even with chicken nuggets, could I add some bell [00:17:00] peppers just so the kids are also being exposed to some vegetables and getting some of that. So, you know, I'm all about adding nutrition in and a lot of diet culture and people out there are all about eliminating things, but, you know, add things, you know, have your soda, but could you try a mineral mocktail?

And I've had so many of my clients say that they. When they start incorporating more healthy foods, you know, they're, they've been adding things in

Krissy: Yeah,

Allegra Gast: just naturally those unhealthy things gets displaced. Like they no longer crave it. They no longer want it. Or, you know, they're not hungry for that pint of ice cream because they ate enough protein in the day to where they don't feel like they need it.

So that's my approach and that's what I do with my clients is like, let's see what we can add in before we just push eliminating, you know.

Krissy: Right? Yes. Add, because if you don't wanna get rid of that ice cream, like if that's ice cream's, the thing that's getting you through the day, then you're looking forward to it, then do it like, and just know that you made great choices, or at

Allegra Gast: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: at, at least [00:18:00] throughout the day. And because it's not just about when you have a newborn, like most of

Allegra Gast: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: here don't have a newborn anymore.

They're, they're through that. But they are to school, bringing their kids to school or sports, and they're running around and nobody's home, and they're all in these different directions. So the way we can take care of ourselves and the seasons that we can take care of ourselves, they ebb and flow, right?

They come and go. So what are, what do you suggest? During the super duper busy times where you know, you, you just cannot, like maybe it's right now we're it in the holiday season or we're approaching a holiday season and we're going to be going to everybody under the sun's house and everybody's coming over.

There's so many school events. What do you do when you're just like running on empty emotionally?

Allegra Gast: Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's hard. So I would say acknowledge it and then make your, make your foundations a non-negotiable, even on a really busy day. Can you still prioritize breakfast, you know, getting a good breakfast, even [00:19:00] if that does require you to wake up 15 minutes earlier.

Krissy: Yeah.

Allegra Gast: maybe you can prep breakfast the night before.

So we, we've been through busy stages too, where like our mornings were super rushed and so I would meal prep, like french toast at the start of the week, and just throughout the week we would eat that or even waffles and maybe top that with some peanut butter and some Greek yogurt to boost a little more of that protein.

Even making like a quiche or, you know, a egg frittata type of thing. Thing that you can refrigerate and then eat here and there, or even egg bites. And so, you know, making sure breakfast is a non-negotiable. You're starting the day with that and then making sure you're still getting those minerals. Especially around holiday season, it can be really easy to not drink.

It, it's not hot outside so you're probably not drinking as much, but you're, you, it's very easy to still get dehydrated. So making sure you're still drinking is super important. Sometimes if you're first starting off with just incorporating healthy things, you [00:20:00] need to set an alarm or you need to put little reminders like, Hey, did you eat breakfast?

Or, Hey, it's been three hours. Have you eaten, you know, top off your tank? If you're going to a big event, you know, a big like. Holiday dinner or something like that. I still encourage eating some, eating a good breakfast, eating a good lunch so that you're not saving your calories, and then overdoing it at dinner.

So making sure you're still kind of feeling yourself throughout the day and then, you know, try to load your plate with. Some of those vegetables, protein options, but if you want that cake, if you want that pecan pie, like it's okay to have that. Sometimes I even encourage just seeing what's on the buffet table and then mentally make note like, oh, I really want that pecan pie.

I don't need that stuffing, or I don't need the roll. You know? So kind of like pick and choose and actually get the food that you're excited about, not just. Getting everything just because it's there, you know?

Krissy: Right.

Allegra Gast: but [00:21:00] yeah, in that go, go, go season meal prepping, I would make some Crock pot meals. The nights that you do cook, I would make double, even triple portions and then freeze that for a day that you don't feel like cooking.

I mean, we eat the majority of our meals at home, but I don't cook every night. But the days that I do cook, I make. Triple the batch and then I'll freeze it or even just eat it as leftovers so that a day that I don't feel like cooking, I can just quickly thaw, you know, chili or even spaghetti sauce and then I can just make a, a pot of noodles.

So. You know, nutrition does require some planning ahead. I do encourage having some quick meals on hand. So I have a couple boxes of like instant rice, instant quinoa that you can just pop in the microwave, 90 seconds and now you have your grain. Even buying like frozen potatoes that you can pop in the oven.

And now you have that as a side. The frozen vegetables pop that in the microwave [00:22:00] and then maybe like, having some of like thaw or I guess even like frozen chicken strips that you can quickly thaw. Sometimes I'll have just some fish or shrimp in the freezer that thaws pretty quickly. Even using your Instapot to quickly thaw something to can be helpful.

Krissy: Tip. I never thought about using the Instapot. I'll be like, use

Allegra Gast: yeah.

Krissy: use the like cold, warm water trick. But yeah, Instapot, that's a really, I, I pretty much just use that as a glorified rice cooker at this point. So that's a

Allegra Gast: Oh, I've never done rice it. Yeah,

Krissy: a game changer. I will, I don't know unless you have a rice cooker, but I don't have a big

Allegra Gast: I don't,

Krissy: have one, you know, one appliance basically. And I'm, I'm not gonna lie, lira, I'm still probably going to eat all of the food at Thanksgiving just because it's

Allegra Gast: that's okay. Yeah. That's okay. Yeah.

Krissy: probably think differently about how I do my breakfast rather than like saving up for it. Like,

Allegra Gast: Yes. Yes.

Krissy: eat throughout the day to like prepare, like, no, we could

Allegra Gast: And then you feel more tired and you feel [00:23:00] groggy or snappy and you know, like I said, you are a car. You need to feel yourself and you'll probably find, you don't feel like you need to eat as much because you've already been eating throughout the day. So yeah, definitely eat breakfast.

Krissy: I love that. So one last thing I wanna talk about is I wanna talk a little bit more about electrolytes because that has been a game changer for me. So I'm very proud of my hydration. I drink about a

Allegra Gast: Amazing.

Krissy: and I, I always save my electrolytes. I do an electrolyte packet at the end, my last quart.

I do it at the end, and I always wonder. this how I'm supposed to be doing it? Like I do it because it tastes good and it's like

Allegra Gast: Mm-hmm.

Krissy: to finish, but am I doing my body the favor by or am I getting the most out of it by doing it at the end? Like how are you supposed to actually do electrolytes?

Allegra Gast: Yeah, so electrolytes are minerals, it's magnesium, potassium, sodium chloride, and calcium. And they are your body's spark plugs, [00:24:00] so they help bring the water that you're drinking, the nutrients. Into your cells and inside the cells is where your body makes energy. A TP, if you remember in biology class you have the mitochondria, which is the cell battery, and so.

Oftentimes, you know, especially breastfeeding, postpartum, or just anyone, we're told to stay hydrated and drink. And you can find yourself drinking tons of water and just peeing it out. So if you find yourself peeing a lot, most likely you need some electrolytes to actually bring that water into the cells and have your cells be more like a grape versus a raisin dried out.

When you incorporate electrolytes, it doesn't really matter as long as you can kind of be consistent with it. So minerals, they, electrolytes, I say them interchangeably. So all electrolytes are minerals, but not all minerals are electrolytes. So with the electrolytes, they do help with your energy, but they can also help with your sleep.

So [00:25:00] they work with your circadian rhythm. So it's going to give you energy when you need that energy and give you that rest when you need that rest. So I'm curious, do you find that your sleep is pretty good because you take it later in the day?

Krissy: I think so. I think I sleep generally pretty good.

Allegra Gast: Mm. Awesome. Yeah, so I know a lot of people will be told to take like magnesium before bed and that is so great. I encourage magnesium glycinate, and you could even add some of that sodium and potassium to help bring that magnesium. Into the cells too. So sodium and potassium specifically are that sodium, potassium pump, which every single cell in your body has that pump that helps bring the nutrients in and out.

So incorporating some of that maybe before bed can help with that quality sleep. And then just throughout the day, and I do wanna say that diet culture has demonized sodium and sodium is.

Krissy: about that. Yeah.

Allegra Gast: Sodium is in a lot of junk food and processed foods, but it's not [00:26:00] sodium in itself that's bad. It's the lack of potassium.

So sodium and potassium work together, so we're getting a lot more sodium than we are. Potassium. So potassium is. Primarily in fruits and vegetables, you know, and especially with the American Standard, American diet, we're not getting a lot of that fruit and vegetable, but we are getting a lot of sodium, which is where you see more of those health complications, but it's not sodium in itself.

So, if you do notice some swelling or you do just right now, do eat a lot of processed foods which no shame, but if you are getting a lot of sodium, then I would really focus on upping that potassium, maybe do coconut water, maybe buy an electrolyte that is higher potassium versus a sodium mix. 'cause I know there are some brands out there that are really high in sodium compared to potassium.

So that's where reading labels, I mean, working with a dietician can be helpful to kind of see like what. Do you need, like you specifically, are you getting enough of this mineral and you need to focus more on this [00:27:00] other one? So, but yeah, we all need electrolytes and especially with the stressors of life.

We are being depleted faster than we're plet and so it is very helpful to intentionally add those electrolytes. So I love that you're doing that. I.

Krissy: It is a big game changer. Now, you mentioned earlier that you do sometimes one or two a day. Do we have to worry about the sodium intake we have when we do two a day? I know you're saying we don't have to with one, but what about with two?

Allegra Gast: Yeah, I mean, that's where it's all individualized. I don't do a lot of processed foods. I do try to liberally add salt. I've also done testing on myself, so I do hair, tissue mineral testing in my practice so I can see like how I'm doing with my minerals and I'm actually lower in potassium compared to sodium.

So the electrolytes that I do do are higher in potassium.

Krissy: Got

Allegra Gast: After doing the testing, I've incorporated more. Potatoes versus rice. Like I used to do a lot of rice and [00:28:00] quinoa, but now I do a little more potatoes. And once again, diet culture is demonized potatoes, but they are a great source of potassium.

Zucchinis are also a great source of potassium, so I've been adding a little more of that. But yeah, I mean that's where kind of noticing your symptoms. Do you experience some swelling? Are you getting any headaches? Are you getting any, like, digestive issues? Like that's where you kind of play around with electrolytes and see what you specifically need.

So, you know, one to two is usually what I recommend, but do you need three? Do you need four? Four is probably on the higher end, but once again, how do you feel? Are you getting headaches? Are you,

Krissy: Yeah.

Allegra Gast: I don't know, having any kind of symptoms. Maybe you need to go down to one. If you're listening and you're, this is all new information, I would start with one a day and just kind of see how you feel and maybe go up to two.

It also depends on what stage of life you're in. When I was not pregnant, and even now, I do like one to two, but in my third trimester of [00:29:00] pregnancy, I was like, at. Three. I mean, I would listen to my body when I got Charlie horses or you know, just cramping. I knew that I needed more electrolytes and so I would drink another electrolyte drink and the cramping would go away.

Krissy: Wow,

Allegra Gast: brax and Hicks, you need to up your water and up your electrolytes. So, 

Krissy: man. I could have

Allegra Gast: listen to your body. Yeah, your body speaks to you through symptoms. So oftentimes we blame our symptoms on, oh, you're just pregnant, or, oh, you're just a mom. Like, oh, this is life as a mom now. But it doesn't have to be like your body is talking to you and we just need to listen.

Krissy: Ah,

Allegra Gast: So.

Krissy: this has been such a powerful conversation and I feel like I could talk to you about this all day long. So tell us where can we find more information from you?

Allegra Gast: Yeah, so you can follow me on Instagram, Aloha Nutrition. We offer nutrition as well as breastfeeding consults worldwide. We offer them virtually. And then of course, my website, [00:30:00] aloha nutrition.com.

Krissy: Great. And you have courses too, right? Let's,

Allegra Gast: Yep. Yep.

Krissy: you offer?

Allegra Gast: Yeah, so we have a bunch of courses. I know you did the tandem nursing one. So we have tandem nursing, we have a sleep and energy one. So how to support your sleep with, or how to support your energy with the lack of sleep. We have a breastfeeding and mental health one, and then I also have my postpartum nutrition course.

And then I also have one on preparing for the postpartum period. So it's called Baby Ready, and it's all about just. Preparing for life with baby. You know, I talk about the nutrition aspect as well as the breastfeeding aspect and really just preparing you. I have a postpartum checklist and so that's been a game changer for a lot of families and preparing for the postpartum period.

So yeah, and then we do lab testing and yeah, one-on-one consult. So we've got, and then I have a lot of free information. I have a free mineral guide and free how to choose a prenatal vitamin. So yeah, [00:31:00] lots of information is out there. And then lots of information on my Instagram feed as well.

Krissy: Yes,

Allegra Gast: I

Krissy: definitely a wealth of information and I'm so grateful you

Allegra Gast: thank you.

Yeah, thank you so much. 

If you liked this episode, please take a few moments to share it with a friend who's in the thick of motherhood right now. And if you haven't yet tapped, follow and leave a quick rating or review. It helps other moms find these honest, unpolished conversations that remind us that we're not in this alone.

In the next episode, we're talking about me time and why it's not the only way to reconnect with yourself. Because if you've ever wanted to scream when with what time, you're not the only one. We're breaking the myth that finding yourself means stepping away from your life. Sometimes the thing that lights you up again is something you do with your kids or right in the middle of the chaos.

Until then, take a moment for yourself and remember, you are an amazing mom just as you are. [00:32:00]