Nutrition Tips For Women

Quinoa is the perfect grain for carb lovers who don’t want the fat. It’s technically a carbohydrate, but it’s really a seed and so it has the best of both worlds: all the good nutrition minus the fat. It’s cooked pretty much like rice and eaten in the original form (no grinding necessary).

Although not a common item in most kitchens today, quinoa is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Quinoa is available in your local health food stores throughout the year.

Most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually a relative of leafy green vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard. It is a recently rediscovered ancient “grain” once considered “the gold of the Incas.”

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Millet is one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. It is mentioned in the Bible, and was used during those times to make bread. Millet has been used in Africa and India as a staple food for thousands of years and it was grown as early as 2700 BC in China where it was the prevalent grain before rice became the dominant staple. It is documented that the plant was also grown by the lake dwellers of Switzerland during the Stone Age.

Today millet ranks as the sixth most important grain in the world, sustains 1/3 of the world’s population and is a significant part of the diet in northern China, Japan, Manchuria and various areas of the former Soviet Union, Africa, India, and Egypt.

Millet is a major crop in many of these countries, particularly Africa and the Indian subcontinent where the crop covers almost 100 million acres, and thrives in the hot dry climates that are not conducive to growing other grains such as wheat and rice.

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Many people think high blood pressure (hypertension) is a “stress disease” — the result of overwork, no exercise, too many cocktail lunches, smoking, eating an unhealthy diet and other common but shortsighted behaviors. The truth is, except in a few rare cases, doctors don’t know what causes high blood pressure. They do know that about 73 million adults have it and nearly half are women. Only a small portion of people with the disease are adequately treated.

Why does it matter? Because high blood pressure can kill or injure. It can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney damage, blindness and other medical problems.

Read on:americanheart

The million dollar question: Which is more effective? Which one will make my waist-line slimmer faster? There are arguments on all sides with this one.

The truth is that they’re both important in accomplish a healthier better looking body. While resistance training is more intense, and the results might be seen much faster, the downside of intensity is that many times it means less follow through. And the number one most important factor with exercise is this: consistency

The guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy are pretty straightforward:

Underweight (BMI less than 18.5) 28-40 pounds
Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9): 25-35 pounds
Overweight (BMI 25-29.9): 15-25 pounds
Obese (BMI over 30): no more than 15 pounds

A new study found that obese pregnant women who had gestational diabetes had better pregnancy outcomes if they exercised moderately and did not gain weight, or even lost a few pounds, during their pregnancy. This news is quite different than what we have heard in the past. We often hear that pregnancy is not a time to start an exercise program and that pregnant women should “take it easy.” Many women “eat for two” which promotes a significant weight gain above the recommended amounts listed above. The women in this study who exercised and did not gain weight had normal weight babies compared to other women who did not exercise, gained more weight, had larger babies, and also increased their odds of having a C-section.

The author of this study suggests that women who are obese pre-pregnancy can indeed exercise and can actually start exercising when becoming pregnant. He recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5-6 days per week at a moderate (comfortable) pace.

The long term benefits of not gaining too much weight, especially for someone who starts pregnancy already obese, include reduced risk of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and other potential health risks to the baby. A healthy diet, along with the exercise, is key to preventing significant weight gain. Visit a Registered Dietitian to learn how to eat during pregnancy, especially if you have diabetes.

Bottom line
It is always best to lose weight and start exercising well before considering pregnancy. However, if you do find yourself pregnant, obese, and not a regular exerciser, talk to your doctor about starting an exercise program. Make sure that you visit your doctor regularly when pregnant so he or she can monitor your progress. The health of the mother and the health of the baby are obviously very important. Moderate exercise appears to be beneficial to both mom and baby, but always check with your physician before starting an exercise program.

source: tara gides

What you eat plays a major role in your everyday health, how well you feel and how much energy you have. It becomes even more important during pregnancy, when the demands of your body increase. The most basic way to think of food is as the fuel that runs your body. But food is more than just the fuel, it is also the building blocks of your body. When you overeat, the extra food is stored as fat on your body. When you are working on muscle building, the food you eat is transformed into more muscle.

To understand the value of the food you eat to your pregnancy, you need to look at the composition of the food. Basically, all foods provide you with differing quantities of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber and water.

Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy and should be the major part of total daily intake. There are two types of carbohydrates: simple carbohydrates (such as sugar or honey) or complex carbohydrates (such as grains, beans, peas, or potatoes). Complex carbohydrates are preferred because these foods are more nutritious yet have fewer calories per gram compared to fat and cause fewer problems with overeating than fat or sugar. Complex carbohydrates are also preferred over simple carbohydrates by diabetics because they allow better blood glucose control.

Proteins:
Protein supplies amino acids to build and maintain healthy body tissue. There are 20 amino acids considered essential because the body must have all of them in the right amounts to function properly. Twelve of these are manufactured in the body but the other eight amino acids must be provided by the diet. Foods from animal source such as milk or eggs often contain all these essential amino acids while a variety of plant products must be taken together to provide all these necessary protein components.

Fats:
Fat supplies energy and transports nutrients. There are two families of fatty acids considered essential for the body: the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Essential fatty acids are required by the body to function normally. They can be obtained from canola oil, flaxseed oil, cold-water fish, or fish oil, all of which contain omega-3 fatty acids, and primrose or black currant seed oil, which contains omega-6 fatty acids. The American diet often contains excess of omega-6 fatty acids and insufficient amount of omega-3 fats.

Vitamins and Minerals:
Vitamins are organic substances present in food and required by the body in a minute amount for regulation of metabolism and maintenance of normal growth and functioning. The most commonly known vitamins are A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cobalamin), C (ascorbic acid), D, E, and K. The B and C vitamins are water-soluble, excess amounts of which are excreted in the urine. The A, D, E, and K vitamins are fat-soluble and will be stored in the body fat.

Minerals are vital to our existence because they are the building blocks that make up muscles, tissues, and bones. They also are important components of many life-supporting systems, such as hormones, oxygen transport, and enzyme systems.

Fiber:
Fiber is the material that gives plant texture and support. Although it is primarily made up of carbohydrates, it does not have a lot of calories and usually is not broken down by the body for energy. Dietary fiber is found in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.

There are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber, as the name implies, does not dissolve in water because it contains high amount of cellulose. Insoluble fiber can be found in the bran of grains, the pulp of fruit and the skin of vegetables. Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water. It can be found in a variety of fruits and vegetables such as apples, oatmeal and oat bran, rye flour, and dried beans.

Although they share some common characteristics such as being partially digested in the stomach and intestines and have few calories, each type of fiber has its own specific health benefits. Insoluble fiber speeds up the transit of foods through the digestive system and adds bulk to the stools, therefore, it is the type of fiber that helps treat constipation or diarrhea and prevents colon cancer. On the other hand, only soluble fiber can lower blood cholesterol levels. This type of fiber works by attaching itself to the cholesterol so that it can be eliminated from the body. This prevents cholesterol from re-circulating and being reabsorbed into the bloodstream.

Water:
Water helps to regulate body temperature, transports nutrients to cells, and rids the body of waste materials.

The key to good pregnancy nutrition is getting the right mix of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and fiber. This means you will need to eat a variety of foods so you can “balance” the nutrients in your diet. Dr. Tom Brewer, an expert on pregnancy nutrition, made recommendations on the quantities of food to eat to properly balance these nutrients.
source: birthing naturally

Sometimes life just isn’t fair. You have been trying to have a baby for months (or maybe years) and your best friend gets pregnant the first month she “tries.” Or didn’t even try. Why do some couples have it so easy?

Getting pregnant is a game of statistics. Two very fertile people who have sex together regularly (more than twice a week or so) have about a thirty percent chance of getting pregnant within a month. So if three fertile couples start trying at the same time, on average one of them is going to luck out right away.

Some people are less fertile than others. Maybe the woman doesn’t release an egg every month or the man has a low sperm count. As a couple, they won’t be infertile, just subfertile — maybe they have a 10 percent chance of conceiving each month. And if by chance the man with the low sperm count is trying to have a baby with the woman who only ovulates twice a year, their chance per month of conceiving might be two percent, or something like that. But two percent isn’t zero, and they might by chance conceive the first time they try; they would never even know they had a “problem”!

When you are trying to get pregnant, you need to take the long view: Think of a window of several months in which you would like to conceive, and then have sex regularly. Eighty percent of couples will be pregnant within a year. Half of the remaining twenty percent will be pregnant in that next year. And ten percent of the original “tryers” will still be wishing for a baby at the end of two years, if they haven’t sought out fertility treatment.

Older women are less fertile than younger, even those in their thirties and forties who are ovulating every month. If you are over 35, most experts recommend seeking fertility care after six months of not conceiving; if you are over 40, after three months, because the window of opportunity is narrowing. You also may want to seek out help early on if you have a known reason for not getting pregnant, such as infrequent periods or polycystic ovarian syndrome. With medical help, most people can get pregnant-some just take longer than others. Good luck!

source: marjorie greenfield

How does food you eat become nutrition for your baby?

After food enters your mouth, it gets digested in your stomach and intestine. Sugars, fatty acids (the building blocks of fats), amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), vitamins, and minerals are absorbed into your bloodstream and travel throughout your body.

As your blood flows across the placenta, molecules pass from your blood into the baby’s circulation. In other words, if you eat pickles and ice cream, the baby doesn’t get pickles and ice cream; he gets vitamins, minerals, sugars, fatty acids, and amino acids from the pickles and ice cream.
What does this mean for you? Food that isn’t particularly healthful, such as a candy bar, isn’t poison; it just substitutes for other fare that might provide more of what you and your baby need.

To gain the appropriate amount of weight and ensure good nutrition for you and your growing baby, most women should:

Eat when you are hungry
Eat small portions
Choose healthful snacks like vegetables and fruits
Stop eating when you are full
Exercise
(This works after pregnancy too.)

Some pregnant women crave substances that aren’t really food, like laundry starch, chalk or even dirt. This is called pica, and often coexists with anemia (low blood). Even if it is embarrassing, it is important to tell your doctor or midwife that you are having these urges.

Every single decision you make about what you eat isn’t critical, but most of what you eat in pregnancy should be healthful for you and your baby. Vegetables and fruits, sources of protein, and whole grains provide the basis for a healthy diet for you and your baby-to-be.

To find your peak fertility period, you need to know the day you are most likely to ovulate. This is the day an ovary releases an egg.

To know how long your cycles are, track the number of days on a calendar for 2 or 3 months or cycles. Your menstrual cycle begins with the day your period starts and ends the day before your next period starts.

If you do not know the number of days in your menstrual cycle, you can use 28 days. This is the average length of a menstrual cycle…….Women usually ovulate at day 15, but it’s also normal to ovulate well before or after the 15-day mark.

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