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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Ellie Krieger
Aired August 17, 2002 - 08:45 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: The events of September 11 caused many to focus on their families and a new life. And believe it or not, that's resulted in somewhat of a baby boom out there. With many women now expecting these days, their focus turns to health and nutrition.
Joining us from New York to show us what foods are best for pregnant women is nutritionist Ellie Krieger. She has firsthand knowledge, by the way. Are you not nine months pregnant, Ellie? You don't look nine months pregnant. Is that true?
ELLIE KRIEGER, NUTRITIONIST: I'm due in three weeks, so I guess officially I'm nine months.
CALLAWAY: Stay calm during this interview.
KRIEGER: But I have to get through the nine months.
CALLAWAY: We don't want any babies born on the CNN set.
KRIEGER: No.
CALLAWAY: How are you feeling?
KRIEGER: I feel really well, actually, better than I thought I would feel at this point, thankfully.
CALLAWAY: Now, you're a nutritionist. Does everybody watch everything that you eat?
KRIEGER: Yes. It can be a little...
CALLAWAY: What have you been eating? Tell us some of the things that, what has your diet consisted of while you've been pregnant?
KRIEGER: Well, it's been interesting because it goes through phases and in the beginning I was really, I had terrible morning sickness. And the thing that I think saved me, really, is mashed potatoes, actually. But I would make my healthiest version of it. And most people don't realize actually how healthy potatoes are. So I felt really good making mashed potatoes. It would really calm my stomach and it was sort of a comfort food.
But essentially just mashing up some boiled potatoes with the skin, with some skim milk to add in some extra calcium. But these potatoes have, it gives me lots of nutrients, you know? So you get your Vitamin C, your potassium, your fiber. So it's sort of eating the comfort food and also getting the nutrients that you need.
CALLAWAY: You know, you get these strange cravings when you're pregnant. You know, I never really liked chocolate that much until I got pregnant and then it was all I could think about. You know, what are some of the options out there now for pregnant women who crave that sweet stuff?
KRIEGER: I crave chocolate a little bit in the beginning, as well. And what I recommend is having chocolate milk, for example.
CALLAWAY: That's a good idea.
KRIEGER: So making it, doing something to make it a little bit healthier, doing something to get those nutrients that you need. Because when you're pregnant, you need a lot more nutrients, but not a lot more calories. You only need 300 more calories a day. So although you're eating for two, 300 calories goes quickly.
CALLAWAY: Yes, and, you know, Ellie, we need to tell people, especially the women out there who this is their first time pregnancy, it really can completely change your metabolism, the foods that you want. I know with one of my pregnancies I was suddenly lactose intolerant, which really limited a lot of the things that I could have.
KRIEGER: Yes.
CALLAWAY: And that's not uncommon, is it?
KRIEGER: No, it is not, actually. Actually, the opposite happened to me because I feel somewhat lactose intolerant usually and now I feel like I can handle dairy very well. So it can really go either way and every woman responds differently. And you have to listen to your body and then also know what your options are because if you are lactose intolerant, you need to make sure you're getting the right amount of calcium. It's one of the most important nutrients in pregnancy.
CALLAWAY: What about some of the things out the that have, say, artificial sweeteners and some of those diet products out there? Shouldn't you really stay away from those when you're pregnant?
KRIEGER: When you're pregnant, you don't even want to think about the word diet. What I think pregnancy really is is a good opportunity to think about really getting your bang for your buck in terms of nutrients per calorie. You want to get as many nutrients as you can per calorie. And the thing is, that's going to last you. This is sort of a golden opportunity to develop some habits that can last you your lifetime.
CALLAWAY: Right.
KRIEGER: In terms of artificial sweeteners and things like that, you really want to stay away from having a lot of that. Maybe one a day is OK, but it's not necessarily the best way to go. CALLAWAY: One of my doctors told me to imagine that whatever I put in my mouth I was putting in my baby's mouth, and that completely changed what I was eating.
KRIEGER: Absolutely.
CALLAWAY: Except for the chocolate. I couldn't give that up. But...
KRIEGER: Well, there's nothing wrong with having a little bit of chocolate. Again, I think trying the chocolate milk thing is a good idea.
CALLAWAY: Yes, that is a great idea.
Ellie Krieger, thank you so much for being with us and good luck.
KRIEGER: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: Let us know what you had. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?
KRIEGER: It's a girl.
CALLAWAY: What's her name?
KRIEGER: Isabella.
CALLAWAY: Oh listen to me, I'm such a mom, what's her name?
Well, congratulations. Good luck to you.
KRIEGER: Thank you.
CALLAWAY: Bye-bye.
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