When you were younger and only had yourself to worry about, you may not have put a whole lot of thought into what kinds of food you ate. However, now that you are pregnant and eating for two, you really need to start paying careful attention to your food intake in order to ensure that your growing baby gets all of the nutrients that he or she needs. Knowing the foods to eat when pregnant is extremely important not only for your baby’s health, but for your health as well.
One mistake many pregnant women make when considering foods to eat when pregnant is overeating during pregnancy. It’s easy to get carried away with the whole eating for two concept, but please keep in mind that you really don’t need to eat much more than usual in order to properly nourish a tiny little baby that is growing in its mother’s womb. As a matter of fact, most women do not need any additional calories during the first six months of their pregnancy, and then for the remaining three months they only need around an extra 200 calories a day. Eating more calories than one needs will often lead to excessive weight gain, and this can lead to a whole host of health problems for both the mother and the baby. Therefore, watching your portion sizes and your overall calorific intake is a very important part of ensuring that you are following a healthy pregnancy diet.
In addition to keeping a close eye on your calorific intake, another important part of understanding foods to eat when pregnant is eating nutritiously. While it is definitely okay for pregnant moms to have a treat or two occasionally, it really is best for both mom and baby’s health to focus on eating mainly foods that are very nutritious such as vegetables, whole grains, and fruits. Also, drinking plenty of water during your pregnancy is a key contributing factor to having a healthy pregnancy diet.
Do you love coffee? If so, you may want to consider limiting your consumption as part of your foods to eat when pregnant plan. The reason for this is that high amounts of caffeine during pregnancy can sometimes cause your baby to have a low birth weight. Furthermore, excessive amounts of caffeine have been linked to miscarraige.
Another important aspect of a good pregnancy diet is that you should never skip meals. This is true for a variety of reasons. Mainly though, you should refrain from skipping meals during pregnancy because although there may be times where you are not hungry, your baby most likely is hungry. Therefore, as part of a healthy pregnancy diet, you should try and eat a little something approximately every four hours or so in order to ensure that your baby will receive a steady steam of nutrients. Also, if you were already overweight when you became pregnant, you may be tempted to go on a diet. However, I would strongly discourage from doing so as severely restricting your calorific intake may prevent your baby from being able to develop properly.
There are certain foods and beverages that women should avoid during pregnancy. These include but are not necessarily limited to all alcoholic beverages, liver, raw seafood, undercooked meat and eggs.
I wish you the best of luck, and I hope that following a healthy pregnancy diet and gaining an understanding of the proper foods to eat when pregnant will be just the beginning of you and your baby having many more years of great health together!
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Uterine Fibroids (leiomyomas) are common noncancerous (benign) tumors that occur within the muscle walls of the uterus (womb). Uterind fibroids can be the size of a pinhead and show no signs or symptoms that they are there, or they can be very painful and grow to a 10 inch diameter.
There are four types of uterine fibroids:
Subserosal Fibroids, develop under the outside uterine covering. Intramural Fibroids, develop within the uterine wall. Submucosal Fibroids, develop under the uterus lining. Pedunculated Fibroids, develop on a “stalk” or stem-like structure attached to the inside or the outside of the uterus.
Fibroids may grow as a single nodule or in clusters. They may range in size from 1 mm to more than 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter. Fibroids in the uterus are a common cause of heavy menstrual bleeding and pelvic pain and pressure in women. During pregnancy, fibroids can greatly increase in size.
What are the Symptoms?
Some women with uterine fibroids experience no symptoms at all. Symptoms may include excessive and prolonged menstrual bleeding, pain, abdominal mass effect, frequent urination or urgency or constipation and many others.
When symptoms appear, they can vary greatly, depending on the size and exact location of the fibroid tumors. Women sometimes underestimate the impact of their symptoms because they have become accustomed to the excessive bleeding, pain and the pressure that fibroids can cause. Also, for some reason African-American women develop symptoms faster and with greater severity than other women.
What does one do about them?
Uterine fibroids often do not require treatment, but when they are problematic, they may be treated surgically, non-surgically, with medication or with alternative treatments. The very heavy menstrual bleeding, clotting and pelvic pain, that fibroids sometimes cause leads many women to seek treatment.
What about treatment?
There are several different types of treatments:
Hormonal: Uterine fibroid tumors require estrogen and progesterone to grow, and without these hormones, fibroid tumors usually shrink in size. Hormonal treatments (such as birth control pills) may help control excessive menstrual bleeding caused by fibroids in some patients.
Non-surgical: Uterine Fibroid Embolization, UFE – Known medically as uterine artery embolization, approaches the treatment of fibroids by blocking the arteries that supply blood to them causing them to shrink or disappear. Uterine fibroid embolization is a more permanent solution than hormone therapy. When hormonal treatment is stopped the fibroid tumors usually grow back. UFE (Uterine Fibroid Embolization) isn’t considered to be surgery, but it is generally done at a hospital or specialized clinic. This uterine fibroids treatment procedure usually takes between 1 and 3 hours, depending on how long it takes to position the catheter and how easily the catheter can be positioned in the arteries to the uterus.
Although uterine artery embolization has been in use for two decades to treat bleeding after childbirth, it wasn’t until early 1997 that the technique was introduced as a potential treatment for uterine fibroids.
Follow-up studies have shown that nearly 90 percent of women who have their fibroids treated by uterine fibroid embolization experience either significant or complete resolution of their fibroid-related symptoms.
Surgical: Surgery for uterine fibroids involves either removing the fibroids (myomectomy) or the entire womb (hysterectomy). Surgery has risks, including bleeding and infection. About a third of the more than 500,000 hysterectomies done in the U.S. each year are done because of fibroids. Most of the women having these operations are said to be unaware of the non-surgical options.
Alternative treatment: Alternative treatments for uterine fibroid tumors also abound. Naturopaths, homeopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors, and other alternative health care providers have treatments to offer as well. While some of these are not as well supported by scientific studies that prove effectiveness, the treatments are usually safer and provide a less invasive alternative than surgery.
Remember that some medical treatments for uterine fibroid tumors can affect your fertility. For this and other reasons it is very important to seriously investigate and consider alternative treatments for uterine fibroids.
Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Jorge Chavez is a researcher, writer and student of natural health. For more information about dealing with uterine fibroids treatment and what to do about , follow the link in this sentence.
My best friend grew a mustache when he was 13. And, as I remember, Debbie in middle school looked a lot older than her 12 years suggested. How did that happen? It’s all about puberty, of course.
As adults, we know puberty is part of growing up. Our children, however, still have to face the physical and emotional changes it brings. And whether they admit it or not, every child has questions about the process at some point. That’s where parents come in.
Puberty isn’t as tough if your kids understand a few basics. To kick things off, here is a short article for that young man or woman in your house. For more information, we recommend getting your child one of the many great specialty books about growing up that are available these days. Good luck!
“Puberty is the name for the time when your body begins to develop and change. Growing up to be an adult means that a lot of big changes are on the way. It also means taking responsibility for the care and health of your body.
The big changes will probably start when you’re 10 to 15 years old. But that’s not true for everyone. You could get started earlier or even a little later. Don’t worry if your best friend looks older and more grown-up. You’ll catch them. Puberty starts and finishes on its own schedule—not yours.
Once puberty does begin, your body will seem to have a mind of its own. Your body will change and at times you’ll grow so fast your shirtsleeves and pant legs will always be too short. Some young men and women can grow 4 or more inches in a year and suddenly stop. But, wait! Even after you think you’re done, you could still grow a little more.” You probably wonder what you’ll look like after all the changes are over. Heredity is what determines the shape of your nose, how big your feet are, and how tall you’ll be. If your mom and dad are tall and thin, then you’ll probably be tall and thin, too. But, nothing is for certain. To know for sure, you just have to wait and see.
Author and publisher, Frank Hawkins, is passionate about helping young people grow up healthy and wise. It’s no surprise, then, that he co-founded Boy’s Guide Books in 2007 to do just that. What started out as a single book Frank wrote for his son has turned into a popular and respected series of “how-to” books trusted by young men and women everywhere.
Boy’s Guide Books publishes “how-to” books for children and teens. Through our books, blog, and social network, we offer practical, straightforward, no-nonsense information and advice about health, hygiene, fitness, nutrition, and everything in-between.
For some people, the phrase healthful diet is enough to send their mood tumbling. “Guess I’ll have to give up everything I enjoy, like chocolate and hamburgers and french fries,” sighed one patient. “That’s enough to make me even more depressed!” But healthful need not be equated with unappetizing or boring. Different, perhaps, and for some people a change to a more healthful diet requires big adjustments — in the foods they , where they eat out, and how they prepare their choices. The rewards, however, are many, including improved mood, more energy, enhanced immune system, better concentration, and invigorated sex drive, to name but a few.
I’ve found that laying down a few basic but critical guidelines for a healthful diet, and then tweaking them for individual patients, works much better than expecting people to follow a complicated program that involves counting grams of carbohydrates or protein, weighing foods, referring to charts, or combining certain items in complicated ratios. That being said, here are my lists of “Positive Foods” and “Foods to Avoid.”
Positive Foods
Sweets. In moderation, natural sugars such as rice syrup, date sugar, pure Vermont syrup, unsulfured blackstrap molasses, and unfiltered honey are all acceptable. An herbal sweetener — that has nearly no calories — is stevia, which can be found in health food stores and increasingly in mainstream grocery stores.
Fats. Some fats are healthy and instrumental in maintaining mental health, especially omega-3 fatty acids. When you choose oil for cooking, your best choice is probably cold-pressed olive oil. Butter and other saturated fats (like coconut oil, but not margarine that contains transfatty acids) may be used in moderate amounts. I suggest you avoid fried foods (especially deep-fried).
Whole fruits and vegetables. Whenever possible, choose fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and eat at least five to seven servings daily. To derive the most benefit from these rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates, eat them in as pure a state as possible, preferably raw or lightly steamed. (Sorry, deep-fried potatoes and onion rings don’t count as servings of whole vegetables.) Fruit and vegetable juices are good as well, and if you have a juicer, please learn how to make your own fresh juices, remembering to drink the pulp as well!
Whole grains and cereals. Whole grains and cereals (organic if possible) are excellent sources of complex carbohydrates. These foods include whole grains, brown rice, and unprocessed cereals. Complex carbohydrates break down gradually and provide a more steady supply of glucose — brain fuel — thus helping maintain an even or calmer mood. Simple carbohydrates, however, such as those found in sugary foods or those made with white flour, metabolize rapidly, contributing to and causing mood swings and energy highs and lows. Also, be aware that some grains and even other whole-food starches may be problematic for some people.
Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Choose organic foods in this important category as well. Foods in this group are excellent sources of protein, especially for people who want to reduce or eliminate animal protein. Beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds are also high in fiber and many nutrients. Also in this category are tofu and other forms of fermented soybeans (miso, tempeh) and flaxseed.
Eggs and dairy. Eggs and dairy foods — milk, cheese, butter, cream, and yogurt — are good sources of protein, calcium, and other important nutrients. They are also rich sources of saturated fat, which may be fine for many people. The major concern I have about eggs and dairy relates to whether hormones were used in raising the animals; whether or not they were given foods containing pesticides, antibiotics, toxic minerals, or other chemicals; and whether the animals were confined to inhumane cages. Soft-boiled eggs are best because heat is applied without exposure to oxygen, thus reducing free radical damage. I recommend organic eggs and dairy products and prefer nonhomogenized milk. Although pasteurization of milk products is the norm today in order to eliminate harmful bacteria, certified raw milk is preferred in areas where it is available, provided the cows are clean and hygienic principles are used in caring for them. If you are lactose-intolerant because of a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, or you choose not to consume dairy items, nondairy foods may be used. These include products made from soy, rice, or nuts, such as soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk; cheese made from these “milks”; and nondairy desserts. These “dairy” foods are also good sources of protein.
Organic meats and poultry. Despite a push for people to eat more fish, meat and poultry continue to be major sources of animal protein for many people. For patients who eat meat, I recommend organically raised products, which are virtually free of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics, and other unnatural additives, all of which can have a detrimental effect on mood and general health. Such meat and poultry choices are slowly becoming more accessible and typically are available in natural and whole-food stores. Meats and poultry are sources of methionine, which is critical for methylation; this amino acid is difficult to get from plant-based sources.
Fish and shellfish. Fish and shellfish can be excellent sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, if you make judicious choices. I’m calling for “judicious choices” because of the persistent and very real problem of mercury, pesticides, PCBs, and other contamination of the fish supply. Fish that I tend to recommend that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, but relatively low in mercury, are wild Alaskan salmon and sardines. I am wary about farm-raised fish because some studies indicate that they are high in PCBs and other contaminants. The smaller the fish (say, sardines), the less likely they are to accumulate mercury. But if you eat fish fairly frequently, I recommend that you have your blood mercury levels checked, because there is no way to guarantee the fish you eat regularly is not contaminated. Everyone whom I have checked for mercury who eats sushi more than once a week is quite high in it. Swordfish, king mackerel, shark, and most tuna tend to be quite high in mercury.
I would like you to consider two factors when choosing foods from this list. One, do you have any reactions to these foods that may be contributing to or causing your depression? Two, do you have any specific food preferences based on religious, ethical, and/or moral beliefs? If you are a vegetarian, for example, you will not select meat, poultry, or fish, so you will need to choose other protein-rich foods such as soy products, legumes, beans, seeds, and, depending on the type of vegetarian diet you follow, eggs and/or dairy.
Foods to Avoid
Most of the foods included in this list should come as no surprise to you. In most cases, foods on the “Avoid” list have been highly refined and processed. Fortunately, for every food you should avoid, there is a healthy alternative on the “Positive Foods” list. You may find that the “Avoid” list reads like your current grocery list; or you may discover that only one or two categories apply to you. Next time you’re in the grocery store, here are the items you want to skip:
Sugar. Avoid all foods that contain added sugar, such as soda, candy, cakes, ketchup, some breakfast cereals, and so on. Become a label reader. If sugar (or one of its companions, such as corn syrup) is one of the first few ingredients, put the item back on the shelf! Sugar can give you a burst of energy, but in the long run it can leave you depressed and tired.
White-flour products. Just say no to white bread, white pasta, and other products that use white flour, including many crackers, rolls and bagels, refrigerator biscuits, pizza dough, and baked goods. Also avoid white rice. These overly processed food products have been stripped of their nutritional value, and then they are “enriched” with some nutrients, along with synthetic additives.
Alcohol. This includes beer, wine, and liquor. People often forget that alcohol is a depressant, even though it provides an initial kick. Drinking alcohol can also disturb your sleep, which is a problem with many people who are depressed.
Caffeine. Avoid coffee, tea, colas, and chocolate. (Okay, you can have a limited amount of organic dark chocolate on occasion.) If you must have coffee, choose an organic coffee, since most coffees are high in pesticides. Decaffeinated coffee is fine for most people, provided that it is organic and does not use toxic chemicals in processing.
Hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenated fats are oils to which hydrogen atoms have been added in the factory in order to harden them and improve shelf life. These hydrogenated oils or fats contain high concentrations of trans-fatty acids, which have recently been clearly shown to disrupt fatty acid metabolism in the body and cause serious disease. Hydrogenated fats are found primarily in margarines, snack foods (potato chips, corn chips), crackers and cookies, baked products, and fast foods. When you read ingredient labels, look for the words hydrogenated, partially hydrogenated, margarine, or shortening, which indicate the presence of trans-fatty acids, or look at the nutritional panel for the percentage of trans-fat in the product. Beginning January 2006, food manufacturers were required to list trans-fat content on labels.
Chemical food additives. To avoid artificial preservatives, flavorings, colors, and sweeteners, you need to read labels. Not all labels list all the chemicals in the food item, but the general rule is: If the product has been processed, it probably contains chemicals. For example, artificial preservatives such as BHA, BHT, nitrites, monosodium glutamate, and nitrates are often seen in cereals, breads, frozen dinners, boxed meals, and crackers. All foods containing artificial colors (such as red dye 40) or artificial flavorings should be avoided. Artificial additives can cause various adverse reactions, including mood swings, depression, fatigue, headache, rash, aggression, irritability, and attention difficulties, among others. I believe all artificial sweeteners, including saccharine, aspartame, and sucralose, should be avoided. In particular, avoid diet sodas containing aspartame.
Fluoride. Do not drink fluoridated water or tap water (unless filtered) or use fluoridated toothpaste. Despite the popularity of fluoride dental treatments for both adults and children, I strongly recommend you not get them. Also, avoid fluoridated vitamins for children. There are a number of excellent books and websites that clearly document the lack of efficacy and dangers of fluoride ingestion and fluoride use. If you live in an area where the tap water is fluoridated and you want to drink the tap water but not the fluoride, you need to use a water filter with a reverse osmosis component; carbon filters will not remove fluoride.
Chloride. Do not drink chlorinated water (unless the chlorine has been filtered out), as chlorine is toxic. A simple carbon filter will remove chlorine from tap water.
From the book WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MAY NOT TELL YOU ABOUT DEPRESSION: The Breakthrough Integrative Approach for Effective Treatment by Michael B. Schachter, MD, with Deborah Mitchell. (Published by Warner Wellness; November 2006;$14.99US/$18.99CAN; 0-446-69494-0) Copyright (c) 2006 by Michael B. Schachter, MD, and Lynn Sonberg. Reprinted by permission of Warner Books, Inc, New York, NY. All rights reserved.
Michael B. Schachter, MD, is a magna cum laude graduate of Columbia College, and received his medical degree from Columbia’s Physicians & Surgeons in 1965. He is board certified in psychiatry and has achieved advanced proficiency in chelation therapy from the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM). Dr. Schachter has been involved with alternative and complementary medicine since 1974. He is a recognized leader in orthomolecular psychiatry, nutritional medicine, chelation therapy for cardiovascular disease, and alternative cancer therapies. Coauthor of Food, Mind and Mood (1989, 1987) and author of The Natural Way to a Healthy Prostate (Keats, 1995), Dr. Schachter was a major contributor to Alternative Medicine’s Definitive Guide to Cancer (Future Medicine, 1997). He was president of the American College for Advancement in Medicine from 1989-91 and is the past president of the Foundation for the Advancement of Innovative Medicine (FAIM). A frequent lecturer to both professionals and the public, Dr. Schachter is often a guest on radio and television, speaking about health and related topics.
For more information, please visit www.schachtercenter.com/depression_book.htm
My best friend grew a mustache when he was 13. And, as I remember, Debbie in middle school looked a lot older than her 12 years suggested. How did that happen? It’s all about puberty, of course.