Foods to focus on

More than anything, a healthy pregnancy is about all the good foods that should be eaten:

Protein:

Ensure good quality protein is eaten with every meal. This is an important building block in the body and is necessary for both mum and growing baby. Good sources include fish, poultry, organic free-range eggs, beans, lentils, nuts & seeds and, in moderation, game and red meat.

Fruit and Veg:

Aim for at least 5 (but ideally 10+) servings of rainbow coloured fruit and vegetables daily to boost your intake of key vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Smoothies are a great and easy way of keeping to this quota.

Water:

Drink plenty of water (sipped slowly through the day) to help avoid constipation and dehydration, which can lead to complications such as oedema, headaches and nausea. To achieve this, simply fill a 1.5 litre bottle in the morning and make sure it is finished by the end of the day.

Oily Fish:

Include 2 portions of oily fish per week, e.g. salmon, sardines, herring and sea trout (any more is not recommended due to the risk of mercury and other contaminants), alongside fresh non-roasted nuts and seeds (though never peanuts). Essential fats are key building blocks for the development of the baby’s brain, central nervous system and eyes.

Variety:

Think variety! Eating a good varied diet will help ensure you are taking in all the nutrients you need. Try not to get stuck consuming too much of any one thing (e.g. wheat in bread and pasta).

Wholegrains:

Opting for wholegrain foods (oats, brown rice, buckwheat, rye, millet and quinoa) rather than refined white foods will maximise your intake of the essential nutrients needed for pregnancy, such as B vitamins, zinc, magnesium and calcium. The high levels of fibre also ensure a slow and sustained energy release to help stabilise blood sugar levels.

Organic produce:

Buy organic produce wherever possible. Organic food does not contain the same levels of pesticides, herbicides and other toxic substances, and is also likely to be more nutrient dense because it is grown in crop-rotated soil – ensuring the soil is enriched rather than depleted. Any dairy foods or eggs should always be organic to avoid antibiotics, chemicals and other additives that may have been added to the animal’s food.

Blood Sugar Balance:

Eat little and often and ensure a balance of protein and complex carbohydrates in order to maintain blood sugar levels – this will help maintain your energy, balance your hormones and help prevent appetite dysregulation.

Foods to avoid

Cheese:

Avoid mould-ripened soft cheeses, unpasteurised cheeses and blue-veined cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, Chevre, Taleggio, Roquefort and Stilton, as they can contain listeria (a bacteria found in animals and soil which can affect pregnant women).

Vitamin A:

Liver and cod-liver oil contain high levels of vitamin A (the animal based form of retinol), which can be harmful to the foetus in large quantities.

Pate:

Meat-based pates which may contain bacteria and are usually made with liver (see above).

Raw Meat, Fish and Dairy:

Raw or partially cooked eggs which may be found in foods such as mayonnaise, ice-cream and mousse, and may contain salmonella. Raw fish and meat, as they may contain bacteria that would usually be killed off by the cooking process.

Ready-to-eat:

Ready-to-eat poultry and ready-to-eat bags of salad, as there is also a risk of listeria.

Peanuts:

Peanuts, especially if allergies are common within the family (in excess, peanuts can cause allergies in your baby).

Alcohol:

While opinions differ on how much alcohol is safe during pregnancy, zero alcohol is always the safest level. Your baby’s organs, although formed in the first 12 weeks, are still in development throughout pregnancy and are therefore vulnerable to damage, with the brain in particular at risk. Alcohol is a toxin to the body and is a substance that a growing baby just does not need.

Caffeine:

Tea, coffee and other caffeinated drinks such as Coca-Cola should be reduced, or better still completely eliminated. Caffeine crosses the placenta and enters your baby’s bloodstream, having the same stimulating effect in the baby as in adults. As your baby is not fully developed, these stimulatory effects are likely to be more profound. Caffeine also depletes the body of essential minerals.

The bad fats:

Keep saturated fats (dairy and meat products) to a minimum and avoid hydrogenated fats completely. These fats can block the absorption of essential fats. Hydrogenated fats are highly artificial products; these fats are found in many processed foods such as margarine, cakes and biscuits. Fresh is best!

Genetically modified produce:

Always avoid genetically modified foods.

Lifestyle & what to enjoy during pregnancy!

Exercise:

Make sure you do continue to exercise.Yoga is great but do ensure you tell the instructor you are pregnant.

Relax:

Stress management and relaxation are particularly important – for you and your baby!

Buy some plants:

Keep your home and office stocked with plants (especially peace lilies and spider plants), which can help re-oxygenate the air and absorb the toxic materials produced by printers and computer equipment.

And what to avoid during pregnancy

Mercury:

Avoid mercury tooth fillings, as there is a risk of toxic mercury being passed to your baby.

Painkillers:

Any form of painkiller should be avoided.

Dieting:

Never diet! Adopting this healthy eating plan should help naturally manage your weight.

Smoking:

Do not smoke and avoid smoky environments. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals which pass directly into your baby’s blood supply. These have a vast range of detrimental and toxic effects.

Exposure to chemicals:

Avoid exposure to potentially harmful chemicals, especially those found in in cleaning products and skincare. Consider switching to a natural deodorant and using organic skin, hair and body products.

Finally, remember to enjoy being pregnant – it really won’t be long before your bundle of joy is here!!

Nourishing well wishes,

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, and before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Health Nutrition Pregnancy

The post Your pregnancy nutrition guide appeared first on London Nutritionist - Angelique Panagos, DipION FdSc mBANT CNHC.

Having a host of hormonal conditions myself has led me to specialise in hormonal health. You can read more about these experiences within my personal story post.

Meanwhile, I can totally relate to dreading your monthly cycle because of the mood changes and excruciating pain. I clearly remember having to go home from school and work because the menstruation cramps were so severe that I was doubled over with pain, and vomiting – not a great visual!

A lot of the time women think this is normal; their lot in life. Well I am here to tell you it’s not, and there are strategies and lifestyle changes that can be made to help alleviate the symptoms and balance your hormones.

After all, we should welcome our monthly menstruation – it’s a natural cleansing time and a sign you are a functioning woman.

Let’s take a closer look at Endometriosis

Pronounced: en-dō-mē-trē-Ō-sis

Endo = within; metri = uterus; osis = condition 

Endometriosis is thought to be one of the most common gynaecological disorders affecting women today. Up to 15% of all menstruating women may be affected, and as many as half of these may become infertile.

The condition is characterised by growth of endometrial tissue – normally only found in the inner lining of the uterus (womb) – occurring outside the uterus. While many theoretical mechanisms exist to explain the cause of endometriosis, in reality the true cause remains unknown.

Ectopic endometrial growths most commonly develop around the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel, bladder, vagina and rectum. Less commonly, they have been known to migrate as far afield as the lungs, heart, eyes and nasal cavity.

As with normal endometrium, ectopic endometrial tissue responds to the hormonal fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle. So, with each cycle, the ectopic tissue also proliferates and thickens, before finally breaking down and bleeding.

However, with there being no outlet for the bleed, the blood becomes trapped, irritating local tissue and causing pain and inflammation.

Symptoms

Symptoms of endometriosis vary considerably. While many women experience no problems at all, for others symptoms literally take over their lives.

Key symptoms include:

• Painful menstruation and intercourse
• Infertility or difficulty conceiving

Other symptoms include:

• Heavy and/or irregular periods
• Bleeding between periods
• Cyclical pain in the pelvic region
• Lower back pain, sometimes radiating down the legs
• Discomfort during urination and/or bowel movements
• Bleeding from nose, bladder and/or bowels
• Coughing
• Gastrointestinal disorders, including constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, abdominal cramp and nausea
• Fainting, lethargy and extreme tiredness

Symptoms may or may not be persistent throughout the menstrual cycle, with severity often increasing 5 to 7 days before a period, over 2 to 3 days during the period itself or during ovulation. Symptoms may also progressively worsen over a period of several months.

Your diagnosis

Endometriosis manifests in so many different ways that misdiagnosis is a common problem. Although blood tests can detect positive results, they cannot differentiate between other gynaecological disorders.

Ultrasound is a useful tool as a first screening to identify the presence of cysts and adhesions.

For a definitive diagnosis to be made, an abdominal laparoscopy (using a fibre optic viewing tube) and biopsy need to be carried out under general anaesthetic. This is most useful when performed just before the period when the ectopic tissue is at its most active.

Conventional Treatment

There is no known outright cure for endometriosis so conventional treatment is based around easing the symptoms; shrinking or slowing down the ectopic endometrial growth, preventing or delaying recurrence and where possible preserving or restoring fertility. This is achieved through a combination of treatment focused on anti-inflammatory pain relief, hormone treatment or surgery.

These treatments may offer initial relief of endometriosis, but all too often symptoms recur over time. This is possibly due to difficulty in removing all traces of ectopic tissue but also because causative nutritional/lifestyle factors are often overlooked.

Therapeutic Treatment Strategies

High levels of inflammation and oestrogen activity are associated with endometriosis and these are easily aggravated by common dietary and lifestyle factors associated with today’s fast paced lifestyle.

Nutritional protocols in the treatment of endometriosis are designed to help break or reduce this cycle of inflammation and oestrogen activity that exacerbates ectopic endometrial tissue, helping to alleviate symptoms and potentially inhibit the growth and proliferation of ectopic tissue.

6 STEPS TO RESTORING THE BALANCE!

1. Balance your blood sugar and help achieve or maintain an ideal body weight

Sugar and refined foods cause disruption to blood sugar levels. The hormone insulin that regulates blood sugar levels is a potent stimulator of the enzyme that produces oestrogen.

Energy dense diets and low activity levels increase levels of adipose (fat) tissue which is a potent stimulator of inflammatory and oestrogen activity.

2. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins

Environmental toxins and dioxins disrupt hormone activity in the body by mimicking oestrogen.

3. Support elimination of excess oestrogens from the body

Low fibre, high sugar and stimulants disrupt the balance of gut flora, reduce efficiency of liver detoxification and bowel elimination (all important for the safe elimination of excess oestrogen). In short you need to poo!

4. Adopt an anti-inflammatory lifestyle

High dairy and red meat intake contain high levels of arachidonic acid, which has pro-inflammatory properties and stimulates the enzymes that produce oestrogen. Nutrient poor diets low in essential fats and high in saturates can affect the availability and metabolism of essential fats that contain key anti-inflammatory properties. We live in a world were gluten is everywhere; gluten can lead to increased inflammation as well.

5. Help balance hormones

Excess oestrogen is a contributory factor in endometriosis.

6. Increase activity levels

To improve circulation to your pelvic region, which may help alleviate period pains, aid weight management, reduce stress, release feel-good endorphins and help improve your energy and self-esteem!

If you have endometriosis or a hormonal imbalance and would like to work together on feeling better – and welcoming your monthly menses! – please get in touch.

Nourishing well wishes,

Angelique

Consult your doctor or health care practitioner for any health problems, and before embarking on any new health regimes, using any supplements or before making any changes in prescribed medications or food programmes.

Fertility Hormones Menstruation Pregnancy

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