Nutrition for Mom and Baby

Nutrition for Mom and Baby

July 8th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

When you find out you are pregnant, it is time to take a good look at your nutrition. Eating foods that provide all of the vitamins and minerals your baby needs is absolutely vital during pregnancy, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are eating.

During pregnancy, your body is undergoing major changes and a great deal of strain. It’s important to keep it functioning at peak performance to support the growing life in your womb as well as keep yourself healthy. The best way to do this is with proper nutrition.

Why You Need Good Nutrition

The baby inside you will draw all of the necessary vitamins and minerals from your body through the placenta. This means that your body’s stores of these important nutrients will quickly become depleted if you are not replacing them every day. There are some vitamins and minerals that the body can not produce nor store, therefore you must provide them through your diet. Your baby will take what is needed without regard for what your body requires to function, so you must be conscientious about good nutrition to be sure you can continue to support your growing baby as well as keep your own body healthy.

Keys to Good Nutrition

The number one key to getting all the nutrients both you and your baby need is to eat a varied diet of foods that are nutrient-rich. Including all kinds of fruits and vegetables, as well as lean proteins and whole grains in your diet will give your body the range of vitamins and minerals required. Eat the proper number of servings from all of the food groups, and choose different options from each throughout the week. Each food can provide a different mix of nutrients, and keeping your diet varied will make sure you are getting the most out of the foods you eat.

Removing unhealthy foods that don’t offer much in the way of nutrition from your diet is vital during pregnancy. To make sure that you and baby are getting everything you need, you should make sure every food you eat has some benefit for your body and your baby. Skip high-calorie, low-nutrition foods such as fast food, sugary foods, sodas and junk food like potato chips and candy. It’s ok to have a treat once in a while, but remember that these foods aren’t doing you or your baby any good.

Don’t forget beverages! What you drink can also help to provide you with good nutrition. Choose low-fat milk, 100% juices, and remember to drink plenty of water as well. Hydration is important for you and your baby too!

Prenatal Vitamins

You should take a prenatal vitamin to fill in any gaps in your diet and ensure you get the right amounts of all of the vitamins and minerals. Make sure your vitamin provides everything you need – discuss it with your doctor or pharmacist before making a purchase. You can get your vitamins both over the counter or with a prescription from your doctor; as long as you make sure they contain everything you need.

If you don’t eat properly, your baby doesn’t eat properly either. Keep in mind that everything that goes into your body goes into baby’s body as well. Since you baby can’t make good choices, you will have to be the one to make them for you both.

Pre-Pregnancy Folic Acid and Prevention of Birth Defects

Pre-Pregnancy Folic Acid and Prevention of Birth Defects

July 5th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

While many of us know how important good nutrition is during pregnancy, not everyone is aware of the impact your diet prior to the pregnancy can have on the baby. Of the many steps any woman planning to conceive should take, adding certain nutrients to her diet is one of the most important.

One of these nutrients is folate, a B vitamin that has been shown to help prevent birth defects including neural tube defects such as spina bifida and also cleft lip and palate. Folate has the largest effect on preventing these defects when taken prior to and in the very early stages of pregnancy.

Folate and Folic Acid

Folate is the term used to describe the naturally occurring version of this vitamin in foods such as fruits and vegetables. When you hear the term folic acid, this refers to the synthetic version of the vitamin which is used to fortify foods and also appears in supplements. Thus, when you look for this important nutrient on the list of vitamins in your prenatal supplement, it will appear as folic acid.

How long before pregnancy should folate be increased?

To get the full preventative effects of folate, you should start increasing your intake at least one month prior to pregnancy. However, folate is very good for you, and there is no reason not to increase your intake even if you don’t plan to become pregnant for some time. Not only will it improve your own health, but should a surprise pregnancy occur your body will be ready. It’s a good idea for all women of childbearing age to include extra folate in their diet, or take a supplement that includes folic acid. You should continue to get enough folic acid throughout the first trimester of pregnancy at least, but continuing right through your pregnancy will be good for both you and baby, especially since folate has also been linked with preventing premature birth.

How much folate do I need?

Women should get at least 400 micrograms of folate each day prior to pregnancy, and should increase that amount to 600 micrograms as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. You can get too much folic acid, however, so stick to under 1000 micrograms unless your doctor recommends more due to a history of neural tube defects in previous pregnancies. In this case, a larger dose may be recommended for both the pre-pregnancy period and into the first trimester. Studies have shown this may prevent recurrence of the defect in subsequent pregnancies.

Which foods contain folate?

Folate occurs naturally in lentils, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, citrus fruits such as oranges, and peanuts. It is also often added to cereals, breads, and pasta, so check the label to see if your choice has been fortified with folic acid.

It can be difficult to get enough folate from foods, so women planning to become pregnant should add a supplement containing the recommended amount. Check the label of your multivitamin to make sure it supplies enough folic acid. Prenatal supplements should include folic acid, but be sure the amount is right, and add an extra supplement if necessary to meet your 600 microgram requirement.

The importance of folate to a healthy pregnancy can’t be overstated. It is believed that taking an increased amount of folic acid could prevent up to 70% of neural tube defects in the US. Take this simple step before you are pregnant, to protect your baby even before conception.

The Role of Protein

The Role of Protein

July 3rd, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

The body needs many things to survive and to function at peak performance. One of the most important of these is protein. Protein is a macronutrient; this means that our bodies need quite a bit of it, as opposed to micronutrients like vitamins, which are not needed in large quantities.

Protein is a part of every cell in the body, and is used to perform many vital tasks, such as the creation of enzymes and hormones, and the building of tissue. Our bones, muscles, skin, and blood are all created using protein. Proteins are made up of amino acids, some of which our bodies are incapable of producing; we must provide these to our bodies through our diet. Unlike fat or carbohydrates, the body does not retain stores of protein, so we much continually replace it.

How Much Protein Do We Need?

The amount of protein recommended daily ranges from 10-35%, depending on age and gender. While high protein, low carbohydrate diets have been popular in recent years, the truth is that our bodies do not need to be overloaded with protein. A child between 1-3 years old requires on 13 grams of protein a day, while even an adult male needs only 56 grams. This isn’t really a lot, when you consider that one cup of milk contains 8 grams of protein. A child who has several glass of milk a day will easily meet and even exceed protein requirements.

What Foods Provide Protein?

The average person gets more than enough protein through their diet. Foods high in protein include eggs, meat, poultry and fish, dairy products, beans and nuts. As long as your diet contains some of these foods on a regular basis, you are likely getting enough protein.

A vegetarian or vegan diet can present some difficulties in getting enough protein, but it is certainly possible to do so. It simply requires a good understanding of nutrition and what non-animal sources of protein are available. In addition to the options above, tofu, some fruits and vegetables, and many grains contain protein as well.

Are All Proteins Equal?

There are two types of protein sources. They are incomplete, and complete proteins. A complete protein contains all of the amino acids our bodies require to survive. Complete protein sources are generally animal proteins such as meats, eggs, and dairy products.

It is possible to obtain all of the amino acids through a variety of other protein sources by mixing and matching these foods into your diet to ensure you are getting everything you need. Those who do not consume animal products will need to make sure various sources of proteins are incorporated into their diet to ensure the amino acids are all represented.

Some sources, while listed as complete proteins, may not be the best choice because they can be high in fat. A steak is a complete protein, but is also high in saturated fat. Dairy products too can be sources of excess fat. In moderation, these are excellent sources of protein and can be incorporated into a healthy diet. Leaner sources of protein, such as chicken, are a better choice for daily consumption, however.

Although the diet industry has pushed protein supplements in the form of bars and shakes for years, for most people the better choice is a healthy diet incorporating high quality, low fat protein sources. Synthetic sources may contain other ingredients that are neither necessary nor healthy.

Tricks for Healthy Halloween Treats

Tricks for Healthy Halloween Treats

April 8th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Halloween is the holiday that children anticipate and dentists dread. While every holiday has its traditional treats, none can quite compare to Halloween for sheer sugar overload. Halloween doesn’t have to be a junk food nightmare, however. You can balance the scales a little by making some healthier treats at home to accompany the trick or treating goodies.

Naturally Sweet

Fruit may be the closest thing nature offers to candy, and it won’t be a tough sell to get your kids to eat some Halloween treats that are both sweet and healthy thanks to some spooky fruit recipes.

Make a healthy jack-o-lantern using an orange instead of a pumpkin. Hollow out a navel orange and cut out a face just like you would a pumpkin. Then fill your mini jack-o-lantern with tasty treats such as fruit salad, gelatin squares or crunchy nuts – whatever creative and healthy filling you can think of!

Caramel apples are a great way to combine a sweet treat with healthy fruit. You can buy caramel dip at the store, or make your own at home. They are delicious with just the caramel, but you can also dip them in nuts for an added touch and crunch.

Turn grapes into eerie eyeballs by cutting a small opening and pressing a raisin into one end. A bowlful of these creepy but tasty and healthy treats are sure to please your little ones!

Shape It Up

Turn all kinds of healthy foods into Halloween treats with cookie cutters. Pick up shapes like a pumpkin, ghost, and cat, and get creative. Make breakfast fun by cutting pancakes or toast into ghost shapes, and covering with a sprinkling of confectioner’s sugar to turn them white. A couple of raisins make perfect eyes!

At lunchtime, use a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter on a grilled cheese sandwich, and then cut eyes and a mouth. If you cut while the cheese is still warm, you’ll get a creepy oozing of cheese into the openings. You can do the same with peanut butter and jelly. Or make a jack-o-lantern face on a quesadilla, the round shape is perfect!

Cut Halloween shapes into pitas or another flat bread, and then bake until crispy. Serve your creepy crackers with black bean dip, or salsa. Or, cut shapes out of cheese slices for a matching accompaniment to the crackers.

Devilishly Delicious Drinks

Serve up fun Halloween beverages that will refresh without a ton of sugar. For a fizzy treat, mix orange juice with sparkling water, and add a touch of blood red by drizzling grenadine slowly into the glass.

Add fun to any Halloween drink by adding a few drops of food coloring to the water in your ice cube trays. Red and orange are great Halloween colors. Make your ice cubes extra creepy by freezing a small plastic spider into each cube!

Be Realistic

Keeping Halloween healthier is a great goal, but don’t cut out the candy altogether. Denying your kids the Halloween treats they have been waiting for won’t win you any fans. The goal for this sugary holiday should be to teach moderation, self-control, and also show kids that healthy foods can be fun and delicious too.

If you can get this message across successfully, you will raise kids who know how to enjoy a treat, but won’t turn their back on healthy snacks.

Do You Have a Picky Eater?

Do You Have a Picky Eater?

January 6th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Nothing frustrates a parent more than preparing a delicious, healthy meal for the family only to have a child take one look at it and prepare to leave the table. Living with a picky eater isn’t easy, but most children will go through a phase of picky eating at some point. While some outgrow it, others may remain in the phase for a long time, leaving parents at the end of their rope and out of ideas for how to get their child to eat better.

If you have a picky eater on your hands, you can take comfort in knowing you are not alone. This common frustration of parenting happens to just about every parent at some point.

Good Eaters Gone Bad

Most picky eaters don’t start out that way. Babies who ate anything put in front of them through the early stages of eating solids often take a turn for the picky side as they grow older. This is a normal part of development, and the effort that you put into providing a balanced children diet wasn’t in vain. A good eater will often go through a phase of picky eating and come out on the other side ready to eat again.

As children grow, their taste buds change and they change the way they feel about certain foods. Although many children still love sweets, the baby predisposition towards sweet will gradually fade as the palate starts to enjoy other flavors. While baby might make a face at a salty baby food, toddlers generally find salt quite enjoyable, as evidenced by their love of French fries.

Developing a sense of independence is also to blame for the changes in your previously good eater. Toddlers quickly come to realize that of the very few things they have any control of in their lives, eating is the one they can exert the most power over. They learn that there is really nothing you can do to make them eat what they don’t want to, and as part of learning to be independent, they will use this ability to find a sense of control over their environment. As independence develops and your child begins to feel more freedom over daily activities and actions, the picky eating may fade into the background.

Picky From the Start

Some children are simply picky eaters from day one. They never seem to develop an interest in many of the foods you offer and carry these habits over into toddlerhood and beyond. A consistently picky eater may well stay that way into adulthood without a great deal of effort on the part of the parents.

Some people merely have stronger taste buds than others and find certain flavors overwhelming. There are certain foods that it is very possible your child will never like. This doesn’t mean healthy eating isn’t possible, but merely that you will have to be a lot more creative.

One of the best advantages of the toddler years is that you can start to serve foods in much more interesting forms. Rather than bland purees, your child can now try all kinds of cuisine that will take the foods they might not like and flavor them in such as way as to make them more acceptable.

Dealing with a picky eater isn’t easy, but it certainly isn’t uncommon. Whether your child was picky from the start or developed the pickiness over time, there is always hope. Don’t give up on serving healthy foods. One day, your persistence will pay off.

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