The Moment I Realized Pregnancy Nutrition Needed Clarity

When I started planning my family, I felt prepared.

I had my birthing plan mapped out.
I carefully selected my OB.
I chose the hospital where I wanted to deliver.

I had read about nausea. I knew first trimester sickness was coming. I felt informed.

What I was not prepared for was the mental load.

Working full time.
Incubating a baby.
Handling everyday, mundane tasks.
And being hungry… all the time.

The kind of hunger that feels urgent.

I was trying to make healthy choices during pregnancy. I avoided the obvious fast food runs and late-night drive-throughs. I genuinely wanted to prioritize good pregnancy nutrition.

But when it came time to cook? I was exhausted.

So I leaned into what felt manageable: quick meals. Frozen options from Trader Joe’s. Simple heat-and-serve dinners between meetings. “Healthy” snacks from TJ’s and Whole Foods, granola bars, yogurts, seed crackers, protein bites.

All labeled as good-for-you. Clean. Smart.

But one day I slowed down and really read the ingredient list.

And I was baffled.

I could barely pronounce half of what I was eating.

Sugars hiding under unfamiliar names. Additives that sounded like they belonged in a lab. Ingredients I had never seen before.

It made me question everything I thought I understood about healthy snacks during pregnancy.

I remember standing there thinking:

How is this considered healthy?
And is this actually okay for my baby?

I didn’t want perfection.
I didn’t want a rigid diet.
I wanted clarity.

I wanted peace of mind while pregnancy grocery shopping.
I wanted to understand food labels during pregnancy without Googling every ingredient.
I wanted to feel confident that I was supporting my baby’s development and lowering my risk for things like gestational diabetes, without obsessing over every bite.

And I didn’t want to cook the same three “safe” meals every single week just because I was afraid to try something new.

Pregnancy already asks so much of women.

Our bodies are shifting.
Our hormones are changing.
We’re managing careers, families, and expectations, all while building life.

Why should healthy pregnancy meals feel like a research project?

That was the moment I realized pregnancy nutrition needed clarity.

Not more rules.
Not more fear.
Not more lists of what to avoid.

Clarity.

That’s why I created Good Roots.

Good Roots was built to make reading food labels during pregnancy simpler. To help you scan what’s in your hand and understand it quickly. To offer healthy pregnancy meal ideas that are nutritious and realistic. And yes, to help you break out of the “same dinner on repeat” cycle with fresh recipe inspiration.

Pregnancy should feel supported, not scrutinized.

You deserve tools that simplify, not overwhelm.

If you’ve ever stood in a grocery aisle squinting at an ingredient list wondering if you were doing enough, I see you.

I was you.

And that’s exactly why Good Roots exists.

Good Roots launches this March. Join our Founding Mothers list to be among the first to experience it.