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Nutrition and Natural Pregnancy (Part 2)
Posted by: | CommentsNux Vom 12c
The first choice of homeopathic remedy for morning sickness, particularly when it is characterised by retching, indigestion and nausea relieved by vomiting.
How to use
Take 1 dose every 2 hours for up to 3 doses, and repeat whenever sickness recurs.
If there is no improvement, other homeopathic remedies which may help include Ipecac and Pulsatilla.
Papaya (Paw Paw)
During the first few weeks of pregnancy, reduced secretion of hydrochloric acid can result in heartburn and indigestion. This can also happen in the last trimester.
This exotic fruit is one of nature’s best sources of papain, a protein-digesting enzyme that increases the activity of our own digestive enzymes.
It is also a rich source of vitamins.
How to use
Slice a fresh papaya in half, scoop out the seeds and drizzle with fresh lime juice to make a delicious breakfast ‘aperitif’ or refreshing dessert.
Prunes
These dried fruits have a natural laxative effect that help prevent constipation, a problem that affects many pregnant women especially during the later stages of pregnancy.
Being rich in iron, prunes also help to keep anaemia at bay.
How to use
Soak overnight in still bottled or filtered water and add to your breakfast bowl of muesli, or mix with other dried fruits, such as apricots, mangos, apples and pears, to make an appetising compote.
You can also use prunes in fruit loaves, cakes and puddings such as apple and prune crumble.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
One of the few herbal remedies deemed safe for pregnant women.
Raspberry leaf tea should be drunk during the last 3 months of pregnancy to strengthen the uterine and pelvic muscles and so make the birth easier, and post-natally to help restore tone to the pelvic area.
How to use
Make a tea by infusing 28g dried raspberry leaves in 600ml boiling water and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Strain and sip a cupful 3 times a day.
Pure Rose Essential Oil
The essential oil extracted from fresh rose petals has a blissfully romantic and feminine quality.
Surrounding yourself with the aroma throughout pregnancy will help keep your emotions and hormones in balance.
When absorbed through the skin the oil stimulates circulation and helps preserve the skin’s suppleness and youthful glow.
How to use
Add 10 drops pure rose essential oil to 30ml grapeseed or sweet almond oil and massage into your face, breasts and abdomen throughout pregnancy.
Dab a few drops on the pulse points as a perfume, or add 5 drops dissolved in 1tbsp milk to your evening bath and wallow in its aroma.
Salmon
Like other oily fish, salmon is rich in a polyunsaturated fatty acid called DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is essential for the development of the brain and nervous system.
Pregnant women need plenty of this essential fatty acid, as the foetal brain produces up to 250,000 nerve cells every minute.
Breast milk is rich in DHA, so if you are breastfeeding it is important to keep reserves for your own body topped up.
How to use
Try to eat fresh, lightly grilled or poached salmon at least twice a week Other good oily fish sources of DHA include sardines, mackerel, tuna, swordfish and herrings.
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Nutrition and Natural Pregnancy
Posted by: | CommentsThere are a number of foods and natural remedies that can be used to enhance both your health and that of your baby.
Calc Fluor
This tissue salt aids the development of strong teeth and bones in babies.
It also helps keep the pelvic area toned and supple, ready for labour, and promotes skin elasticity, helping to prevent stretch marks.
How to use
Take 1 dose twice daily for 10 days, ideally as soon as you realize you are pregnant. It is, however, beneficial at any time during pregnancy.
Chickpeas
These legumes are an ideal vegetarian source of zinc, a mineral that plays a vital role in the formation of healthy new tissues in the unborn baby.
Zinc also helps babies develop a robust immune system.
Low levels have been linked to cravings in early pregnancy and post-natal depression, so ensure a good intake of this nutrient right through your pregnancy.
Chickpeas are also rich in calcium and magnesium – both of which are needed for the formation of babies’ bones – and are an excellent source of folic acid.
How to use
Add sprouted chickpeas to salads.
Alternatively, soak overnight and simmer with other vegetables (for at least 30 minutes) to make soups.
For a light but filling lunch try eating hummus (made from pureed chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini and garlic) with pitta bread, or use as a dip for raw vegetable crudités.
Folic Acid
This vitamin is very important in pregnancy, especially during the first three months.
Studies have shown that 400µg a day in the early stages of pregnancy can help prevent neural tube defects in babies, and it may also help prevent premature birth.
How to use
Although folic acid is found in many foods, it is destroyed by cooking.
To ensure an adequate daily intake during the most critical stages of an unborn baby’s development, health practitioners strongly recommend that women take 400µg of folic acid every day if there is any chance of them becoming pregnant.
As it may also help alleviate anxiety and depression, it’s sensible to take folic acid during the whole pregnancy.
Ginger
Studies have shown ginger to be highly effective for easing the nausea associated with morning sickness.
It can also help relieve indigestion, heartburn and travel sickness, and is recommended for poor circulation.
How to use.
To relieve sickness, try sipping warm ginger tea.
To make, put 1tsp fresh grated ginger into a mug of boiling water and infuse for 5 minutes, strain and sweeten with honey.
Alternatively, nibble a few pieces of crystallized ginger, or even plain ginger biscuits.
Wheatgerm Oil
Rich in vitamin E, wheatgerm oil is renowned for its ability to enrich, nourish and preserve the skin, helping to keep it supple and young-looking, and reducing the likelihood of stretch marks appearing.
How to use
Dilute 2tsp wheatgerm oil in 4-5tsp of a lighter carrier oil such as sweet almond.
Massage into the skin, preferably after a bath or shower, concentrating on the abdomen, thighs and breasts which are more prone to stretch marks.
If you have an intolerance or allergy to wheat, substitute wheatgerm oil with pure vitamin E oil.
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Nutrition, Pregnancy and Constipation
Posted by: | CommentsPregnancy can be a joyous time, but it also brings with it some side-effects that can cause discomfort and anxiety.
Whilst it is advised that pregnant women avoid using medication of any kind; modern or herbal, there are some remedies that can be used safely to ease the unwanted symptoms that are associated with pregnancy.
Constipation can occur at any time during your pregnancy.
It makes opening your bowels and passing stools difficult and uncomfortable.
There is only a limited amount of space in your abdominal cavity and your uterus and baby are taking up ever increasing amounts of it – hence the rest of your organs get a little bit squeezed.
Unfortunately, straining can lead to haemorrhoids.
Foods that have special recognition as laxatives include almonds, apricots (dried), avocados, chicory, coconut, dandelion, dates, endive, figs, flaxseed, grapes, mango’s, olive, papayas, parsley, persimmons, pineapple, prunes, rhubarb, soybeans, turnips, walnuts, watercress.
Include a combination of these in your diet as fresh salads, soups or snacks. Increase your intake of the above and if still constipated, increase again and lessen your intake of meat, dairy and highly processed food.
A lack of water in your system is a large contributing factor to constipation.
Water is essential to many bodily actions and elimination of waste is very high on the list.
Pure water – not tea, coffee or soft drinks or alcohol.
Add some lemon, mint or fresh fruit juice for flavour if needed, but drink water!
Juicing is a fantastic way of getting essential foods in a fast acting and refreshing way.
A variety of delicious juices can be made if you have a juicing machine, alternatively fresh juices can be purchased.
Avoid those made from concentrate and buy organic juices where possible.
Prune juice is top of the list as a laxative, but apple, pear, and asparagus are also good.
They can also be greatly eased by making small changes to what you eat.
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Common Pregnancy Ailments – Nutrition and Morning Sickness
Posted by: | CommentsThe misnamed Morning Sickness is one of the most common ailments of pregnancy, and can be, in fact the first indication of pregnancy to some women.
Most women suffer from morning sickness at some point during their first trimester. And it can occur at any time of the day – not only in the morning.
The main cause of pregnancy nausea is thought to be the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), which is produced in large quantities until your placenta takes over the functions of maintaining and nourishing the pregnancy.
It is for this reason that pregnant mothers are often told that sickness will resolve at around 12 to 14 weeks.
However, morning sickness can continue throughout your whole pregnancy.
If you are at all worried then see your Midwife or GP about your continuing sickness.
If you are tired, hungry, stressed or anxious the nausea may be much worse, and if you are expecting twins or triplets you may vomit more often because you have higher levels of pregnancy hormones.
Other possible explanations for nausea can be from where the body was detoxing or where there are problems maintaining the blood sugar balance.
Nutritionally speaking there are things you can do to help quell the nausea.
- Always try to eat breakfast, preferably containing some protein such as yogurt or soya. If you can’t face eating – try a smoothie and add a little yogurt to it. Even if you manage a little something, it is better than nothing!
- Eat small meals with snacks of fruit and seeds.
- Avoid refined and sugary foods and high-fat junk food that contain a lot additives and preservatives.
- Drink plenty of water between meals and avoid or decrease your caffeine and alcohol intake.
- Take a good multivitamin that has substantial levels of the B vitamins and zinc. Cytoplan’s Family Formula is a good place to start.
- The Tissue Salt Nat Phos (no 10) is very good for helping quell the feeling of nausea (New Era are not suitable for vegans)
- If the sickness persists then take 50mg of vitamin B6 twice a day and between 200 and 500g of Magnesium once a day until it subsides.
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Nutrition Facts & Diet Advice for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Posted by: | CommentsConsider the following nutrition guidelines for IBS:
- Eat a high-fibre diet including plenty of fresh vegetables.
- Eat whole grains, especially brown rice, millet, oats, quinoa.
- Eat some lentils and beans.
- Add ground seeds (sunflower, pumpkin and linseeds) to meals. (Approx. 1 tbsp)
- Eat cold-water fish, such as cod, haddock and oily fish such as mackerel and salmon. (The oily fish help reduce inflammation)
- Avoid possible allergens, especially dairy products and wheat.
- Avoid sugar, alcohol, coffee.
- Avoid hot spices.
- Avoid animal fat and fried food.
- Avoid chewing gum, sorbitol and mannitol.
- Drink at least 1½ litres of filtered or spring water every day – more if you’re losing fluid with diarrhoea.
Lifestyle Recommendations:
Stress
Identify any areas or stress in your life. Adopt more effective time management and allow time for relaxation. Start relaxation/yoga classes, breathing techniques etc. and even counselling or employing a life-manager.
Exercise
Recommend a gentle exercise programme to be followed at least three days a week to aid motility of the GI tract.
Toxicity
If smoking is an issue, then try to reduce and eventually break this habit as it can have a negative effect on digestive function.
Other
Eat small regular meals and chew thoroughly to relieve any strain on the digestive system.
Nutrient Rich Foods for IBS:
VITAMIN B COMPLEX
Richest food source: brewer’s yeast, eggs, chicken and whole grains.
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Richest food source: fresh nuts and seeds and oily and cold-water fish.
ACIDOPHILUS
Richest food source: Natural bio-yoghurt.
ALOE VERA JUICE
Taking Aloe Vera juice can be most beneficial to IBS sufferers for its anti-inflammatory and gut-healing properties.
Tissue Salts
The 12 biochemic tissue salts correspond to the principle inorganic materials found within the body. They are prepared homoeopathically.
New Era Tissue Salt Combination E for Indigestion, Colicky Pain and Flatulence is a general biochemic remedy that is good for most symptoms. Mag Phos (No 8 ) is good for abdominal cramping. Ferr Phos (No 4) can help with sudden onset diarrhoea. Nat Phos (No 10) can help diarrhoea caused by excessive acidity. For constipation; Calc Fluor (No 1) or Nat Phos (No 10) can be very helpful.
Flower Essences
Flower Essences can help with the emotional symptoms of IBS.
Aspen is recommended for the anxiety that accompanies a potential flare-up.
Crab Apple is known as the Cleansing remedy and as such can be most soothing for IBS.
For some, depression can accompany the IBS over the uncertainty of when and where it can happen and why: Mustard is good for a gloom that appears out of nowhere; and White Chestnut helps to stop the constant thoughts going round in your mind.
For the accompanying weariness; Hornbeam is good for when you think you can no longer cope; and Olive for when you physically cannot cope.
Jan de Vries Bowel Essence Combination can be very helpful to address the general emotions related to IBS.
As with all conditions, each person is an individual and their symptoms and triggers unique to them.
Food intolerance testing can help to identify triggers, which will help to structure your diet.
A consultation with a qualified nutritional therapist is recommended before making any drastic changes to your diet and lifestyle.
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