Pregnant Drew Barrymore Wants to Pig Out. So Why Shouldn't She?
There’s nothing better than stuffing your face with giddy, entitled abandon when you’re pregnant — something Drew Barrymore, who’s expecting her second child, seems to understand well. “Oh God. I mean, I just eat everything I want,” she announced on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Monday. “I just want to enjoy the pasta right now! It’s not like it’s going to look that much different. What’s 10 pounds?” The night before, the star capped off her evening at the Golden Globes by tucking into a big cheesy slice at her “favorite pizza joint,” Instagramming a snapshot of the big moment with the hashtags #waitedallnight and #canteatfastenough.
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It was a refreshing, validating sentiment from body-obsessed Hollywood and surely had plenty of regular ol’ women breathing a sigh of relief.
And yet, the 38-year-old Barrymore told DeGeneres, she knows that her gorging “isn’t healthy” and admitted that even her doctor suggested she “pull back a little bit.”
So what’s a ravenous pregnant girl to do?
“Official” pregnancy weight-gain recommendations, according to the Institute of Medicine guidelines, last updated in 2009, are specifically tailored to a woman’s BMI. Those with a defined normal pre-pregnancy weight, they suggest, should gain 25 to 35 pounds, while women who are underweight should gain 28 to 40 pounds. Women defined as overweight are advised to gain 15 to 25 pounds, while those considered obese should aim for 11 to 20. Each specific recommendation, however, is followed with “unless your health care provider says differently.”
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But why does it matter? “There definitely is research about how gaining too much weight causes complications during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure, or how it can cause a baby to be too big, which can lead to a C-section — or even altering the genetics of your baby to prefer a high-calorie diet and possibly lead to childhood obesity,” says Melinda Johnson, prenatal nutritionist and also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “So maybe it’s not time for a free-for-all buffet for nine months.”
Still, Johnson notes for Barrymore’s sake, “Pasta’s not off-limits. It just comes down to moderation and reasonable amounts — and balance. And a lot of it is genetics. Don’t drive yourself crazy by watching the scale. Basically, letting hunger guide you and visiting the doctor regularly is the greatest advice.”
Another tip, according to registered dietitian and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson Sarah Krieger, is to remember, “It’s absolutely OK to indulge in foods you enjoy, but try to have them be in actual food groups.” So if you’re craving a milkshake, for example, opt for a thick but healthy protein shake. And if you’re dying for a burger and fries, well, “let that be your one high-fat meal of the day,” she suggests.
Also try to avoid waiting too long in between meals. “That’s when you get extremely ravenous: ‘Must eat right now! Don’t care what it is!’” she says. But turning to junk food can be avoided by always carrying wholesome little snacks with you — apples, nuts, or a peanut butter sandwich, for example.
For now, though, it seems like Barrymore will be sticking to advice from DeGeneres, who told her Monday, “You deserve anything you want. You are making a human being. That is hard work."
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