Tag: Pregnant

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Infertility Diet – Which Foods to Avoid and Which Will Help You Get Pregnant

Having a well balanced and nutritional meal plan has a great effect on not just your ability to conceive but also your overall health. With infertility, diet can play a major role, which is why it’s important to understand what foods to avoid, and where you should be looking for essential nutrients.

Zinc:
Zinc is a very good nutrient to look at for both men and women. In men, it helps sperm production and raises a man’s sperm count. In women, it’s an essential nutrient needed for egg production during ovulation.

Foods That Contain A Lot Of Zinc:
Oysters, shellfish, wheat bran, pine nuts, pecan nuts, eggs, cashew nuts, fish, and liver.

Iron:
Low iron levels in women can lower a woman’s chances of producing a healthy egg. In addition, while pregnant, iron is very important to have as it creates hemoglobin which is a protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen and other nutrients to your organs and tissues.

Foods That Contain A Lot Of Iron:
Bread (Both White and Whole Wheat), green peas, broccoli, almonds, ham, peaches, and tomato juice.

Vitamin E:
Studies have shown that vitamin E can increase fertility among men and women. It’s believed that the antioxidant effect of this vitamin makes sperm more fertile.

Foods That Contain A Lot Of Vitamin E:
Avacados, eggs, peanuts, sweet potatoes, apples and corn oil.

Foods To Avoid:
While having a good nutrition plays an important factor to conceiving and infertility, there are also foods that are bad and will hinder your progress.

Caffeine and Alcohol:
This constricts blood vessels which can stop the right amount of blood from reaching the uterus. This can make egg implantation difficult.

Meat:
It’s recommended that couples avoid having too much meat, as it can raise ammonia levels in the body. This can also make it difficult for a fertilized egg to attach to the uterus.

When treating infertility, diet can very much affect how hard it is to conceive. But getting pregnant doesn’t have to be difficult!

Are you have problems conceiving? Then it’s time to take a look at some all natural approaches like the ones found at http://www.get-pregnant-fast.info that will help you to overcome infertility issues and get pregnant quickly using completely safe, and holistic methods.

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Worst Foods to Eat While Pregnant

Your unborn baby’s overall wellbeing depends on your diet, so everything you put into your mouth should be healthy. Processed foods, aspartame, and industrially raised meat and poultry are some of worst foods to eat while pregnant as they put your baby at risk for a host of health problems.

Don’t Eat Processed Foods When You’re Pregnant

Foods are always healthiest when you eat them in their natural form. Processed foods are not good for you because they are filled with unhealthy additives like trans fat, sugar, and excessive amounts of salt.

Some examples of processed foods include:

• fish sticks
• chicken nuggets
• canned goods
• lunch meats
• bologna
• pasteurized milk
• cookies and cakes
• spam and other canned meats
• white flour
• frozen foods
• hot dogs

During pregnancy, sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream at a rapid pace. In order to regulate this sugar, your pancreas releases insulin. The more sugar you eat the harder your pancreas has to work to produce insulin. If your pancreas can’t keep pace with your body needs you can develop a condition known as gestational diabetes.

When you develop gestational diabetes, your baby may grow too large. This can cause serious complications during birth. Eating sugar during pregnancy can also cause you to gain an excessive amount of weight. This increases your risk of obesity-related illnesses like heart attacks and stroke.

The excessive amount of salt used to preserve processed foods can contribute to high blood pressure during pregnancy. This condition can narrow the vessels that provide essential nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. Suffering from hypertension while you’re pregnant can lead to placental abruption, preeclampsia, low birth weight, preterm delivery and slow fetal growth.

Trans fat is a man-made fat that is created by mixing hydrogen atoms with liquid vegetable oil. This type of fat is commonly found in processed baked goods, margarine and fried foods like French fries and chicken.

Trans fat raises bad cholesterol and reduces good cholesterol. This food additive also increases the risk of infertility and promotes immune dysfunction, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.

Industrially Raised Meat and Poultry

Industrially raised cattle, pigs and chickens are filled with growth hormones and antibiotics. The growth hormones are used to make the livestock grow larger. The antibiotics are used to control the diseases and infections that can result from the animals being kept in unsanitary conditions.

Industrial farmers add dead animal parts to the animal feed because it is an inexpensive way to provide their livestock with protein. The chemicals farmers pump into the livestock gets into the food you eat and can make your unborn baby vulnerable to health problems.

Aspartame

Consuming aspartame during pregnancy can carry a number of health risks for you and your unborn baby. This artificial sweetener has been linked to a several neuropsychiatric disorders. Some of them include:

• mood swings
• panic attacks
• hearing loss
• vision problems
• manic episodes
• migraines
• headaches
• seizures
• depression
• anxiety attacks
• numbness
• vertigo
• heart palpitations
• visual hallucinations

Aspartame has been shown to trigger or exacerbate chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, lymphoma and mental retardation. The more aspartame you eat, the more you crave. This can increase the demand on your pancreas to produce more insulin, and result in unwanted weight gain and diabetes.

Your baby relies on you to make smart food choices on his behalf. By eliminating processed foods, aspartame and industrially raise meats and poultry, you can easily avoid some of the unsavory additives that can adversely affect your baby’s health.

Proper nutrition is the key to a healthy pregnancy. To learn about the best foods to eat while pregnant, visit http://www.whattoeatwhilepregnant.com/.

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Diet and Foods for Pregnant Women

Pregnant women require extra nutrition for adequate growth of the fetus and therefore, one should be cautious to include a variety of food products in diet to get all the required minerals and vitamins. In the first three weeks the gender of the baby is determined through the chromosomes of the father and a yolk sac is formed which provides nutrition to the baby. In the next three weeks, the liver, pancreas, intestines and bladder develop. Omega 3 and DHA is needed for the development of baby’s brain in the sixth or seventh week. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in fish but one should be cautious to not to take fish from river or lakes which contain pollutants.

In the eighth week the legs, eyes, ears and tip of nose develops, and in the tenth week lips and external genitalia develops. During this time adequate amount of yoghurt and milk is needed to meet the calcium requirements. Brains, lungs and liver continue to grow till the tenth week, and the finger nails and hair also start growing in this time. One should take adequate amount of water during this time to prevent dehydration and stress. By the end of first trimester, the face of the baby is almost developed and one can see the baby through ultrasound.

As the organs of the baby develop in subsequent trimesters, supplements of various vitamins are required to fulfill the growing needs such as (excess should be avoided).

Folic acid

Folic acid is required for the development of the nervous system of the baby. It is a form of vitamin B which is found in small quantities in many fruits and vegetables, and it is also found in fish. Intake of 4 mg of folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects in baby. Folic acid is also found in citrus fruits, beans, liver, spinach, kale and yeast.

Iron

It is needed for the production of hemoglobin. It is needed for proper growth of bones and teeth. Expecting mothers may suffer from anemia if they are not taking adequate amount of iron. Food items rich in iron are green leafy vegetables, raisins, potatoes, dates, broccoli and whole grain breads.

Calcium: Calcium is needed for the growth of bones, and it is found in dairy products and green leafy vegetables.

Proteins: Adequate amount of proteins is needed for the formation of new cells and it is found in milk, eggs, lean meat and fish. Vitamin B6 is required for proper utilization of proteins and it is found in many fruits and vegetables.

Vitamin C: It is required for providing immunity to the body against infections and for absorption of iron. It is found in fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is lost in over heated or overcooked vegetables.

Water and fiber: It is required for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients from the digestive tract. Everyday good amount of water should be taken as the mother to be may suffer from constipation in the first trimester and dehydration can lead to premature babies. One can take fruit juices and milk to take more fluids. Avoid alcohol, smoking and reduce intake of tea, coffee and carbonated drinks.