Cravings:
• Around 85% of females have cravings during their pregnancy.
• The most common cravings fall under either sweet or salty.
• Some women are known to crave bizarre things like dirt, paint chips, plaster, toothpaste, clay or ice. This is referred to as pica and it can be a sign of iron deficiency.
• Chocolate can be a sign of magnesium or B vitamin deficiency.
• Another common one is craving meat. This is quite healthy because the
body's need for complete protein dramatically increases with the growth of the foetus. Always best to go for free-range when you can.
Morning Sickness:
• Morning sickness usually starts around the sixth week of pregnancy, peaking around the eighth and easing off around the thirteenth.
• There are lots of remedies for morning sickness:
• Sipping on ginger tea or peppermint
• Suck on a piece of peeled ginger root
• Up Vitamin B6 intake; found in whole grains, nuts + seeds and organic eggs.
• Make sure your stomach is never empty; starting the day with oats in warm milk (or water). Or if eating biscuits go for wholegrain options.
• Get plenty of fresh air
Foods to support pregnancy:
• Iron: Has been linked to preventing low birth weight and premature birth. Found in green leafies, and organic dried apricots! To make iron be better absorbed in the body have with vitamin C (broccoli, kiwi, kale).
• Calcium: Needed for the development of strong bones. Also jam-packed in green leafies, almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, buckwheat (a gluten free grain which is actually classified as a seed), tofu, tempeh (fermented soy beans) as well as dried organic figs!
• Zinc: This stuff is looked upon as the most important nutrient for female and male fertility, plus it’s in change of hormone balancing! Found in: sun flower seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, legumes (ie. baked beans). Interestingly you test zinc levels with taste.
• Omega 3 fatty acids: walnuts, linseeds and linseed oil. Very important for brain health in the foetus.
• Protein: Needed for cell growth, building blocks! Legumes (chick peas, cannellini, navy, pinto, adzuki and black beans), whole grains, nuts and seeds. And of course meat; although go for organic as it’s tastier, better for you and much more ethical. Also, stay away from raw meat!
• Folate: Aka folic acid... it helps support the placenta, prevents spina bifida and other neural tube defects. You’ll find good wallops of folate in your greens, lentils, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, wholegrains, eggs and even strawberries.
• It’s important to realise that a pregnant women should do these things under the guidance of a health practitioner!
Stretch Marks:
Use sesame oil, rubbing the oil onto your skin every day lets the skin stretch at its own pace and is said to prevent stretch marks!
