You donate it, but would you actually eat it?

(Ok, I'm getting on my soap box a bit here, so forgive my passion)

Every major city in Canada depends heavily on charitable organizations to provide food to people living in poverty. In Toronto, food banks serve about 60,000 people every month. More than 650,000 charitable meals are served every month in drop-ins, hostels and similar meal programs. Based on recent Toronto study, 20% of the $17 billion spent annually on health care in Ontario can be traced to diet-related health problems.

Yes we donate, but would you eat it? 
When we are called to donate we all do our best to fill the bins in the grocer, high schools and fire halls. Do we consider what we’re donating? I know those that donate cases of boxed mac & cheese, and of one person who admits that she would “never feed that to her own children” but she's ok to donate it. 

So why is it ok to donate crap food to the poor?

It’s an education when you accompany someone through the food bank, a box is prepared with mostly canned or boxed white pastas or rice, you get a limit of vegetables and frozen meats that have to last you a few meals or a week. I still can't believe what people are forced to live on.

This recent Canadian study(1) cites alarming rates of obesity are the ticking time bomb on our health care system with the poor being at the highest risk of: diabetes, heart disease and breast and colon cancers.

Kids in poor families have an alarming rate of obesity in Canada.

Fast food meals in a bag, or prepackaged boxed meals, feeds the family and if you’re a parent with 2-3 jobs and no time to cook, sometimes it feels like the only option. These meals offer little to no nutrition value, too much sodium and bad fats, compound this with no money for exercise programs, you have a generation of kids that will die before their parents. These ‘gut fill’ foods fill the belly but don’t nourish the body at all, they actually rob the body of vital nutrients.

Poor nutrition takes a toll on your physical health and your mind!

What's happening in the UK right now is a good example of the effect of poor nutrition on health and mental issues causing aggression in teenage girls. Violent teen-girl gangs are on the rise (2) and the newest threat on the streets. Roaming girl-gangs intimidate in numbers, push, mug, throw stones and knife, sometimes-innocent people without provocation. These girls are obese, rely on fast food and usually come from lower income families where parents aren't around due to job hours.

It’s no coincidence that the UK (but particularly Scotland) has one of the worst diets and one of the highest sugar consumption per person than anywhere else in the world and is experiencing this girl-gang phenomenon. How can we wonder why these acts of violence are on the increase, when there are clear indicators of diet and aggression? As a society we’ve condemned these children to their fate.

This study from the American Journal of Psychiatry (3) states these issues with malnutrition start early in life “…children with malnutrition signs at age 3 years were more aggressive or hyperactive at age 8 years, had more externalizing problems at age 11, and had greater conduct disorder and excessive motor activity at age 17”.

Can this be plainer?

“If you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners corrupted from infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded, sire, but that you first make thieves and then punish them?”  Thomas Moore ‘Utopia’

As we see in here in Canada and in the UK, it’s the poor that pays the price with their health and the rest of us that pay the health care costs, with diseases we've helped give them.

What can you do?

Donate to your local food banks, of course, but have a bit of social consciousness when you fill up the donation bin. Reach for food that feed the body like: dried or canned legumes, canned vegetables, whole grain pasta, whole grain mixes, brown rice, olive oil and nut butters that are free of HFCS.

These healthy and inexpensive alternatives offers low-income families nutritional options that are more than gut fill. One can eat well and inexpensively on a vegetarian diet, $250 can feed a family of 4 for a month. Including fresh vegetables. If they are given the resources to eat this way, with socially conscious donations.

Education is key. Educate the poor on the benefits of a good diet and how to eat within an non-existent budget. Educate those that generously donate, even the corporations, on making more socially conscious decisions on donations. 

Everyone deserves to a healthy diet and a healthier life.

(1) http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2010/08/13/f-taylor-poverty-obesity-children.html

(2) http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-566919/The-Feral-Sex-The-terrifying-rise-violent-girl-gangs.html

(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1570126/

 

Hot flashes...in this heat! Oye!

It feels like an all day hot flash, as we bathe in a sea of hot, humid weather here in Toronto.

I feel for all those women who have to contend with menopausal symptoms on a daily basis. Some women get them only a night, some get them throughout the day, others get severe mood changes and sweats. First thing you should know is...EVERY woman experiences perimenopause and menopause differently, it's a natural progression of the female life cycle.
It's not a disease to be treated, we're not sick.

What are some of the signs of perimenopause & menopause?

Hot Flashes

Sweats
Fatigue

Sleep disturbances
Acne
Fibroid, breast or uterus
Heart palpitations
Blood pressure fluctuations
Bloating & heartburn
Edema
Weight Gain
Incontinence
Yeast & urinary infections
Increased serum cholesterol

Here are some the dietary changes you can make to help you cope with this transition of life.

•Water, filtered 2L/day 

•Fresh lemon juice, helps support your liver and your GI system

•Soy - raw beans, milk, firm, silken tofu, phytoestrogens

•Dandelion greens and tea

•Fresh homemade juices, including the pulp

•Vit B & C rich foods

•Low Glycemic foods - berries, whole grains

•Gluten free grains, in moderation

•Agave nectar, organic unpasteurized honey, stevia

•Eggs

•Green tea

•Ground chia seeds and cinnamon, good for blood sugar regulators

•Dark green vegetables

•Flax seed, ground and oil, lignans- anticancer, phytoestrogen, antioxidants, protect cardiovascular system

•Calcium foods - dark greens over dairy

•Potassium rich foods help reduce blood pressure

•Magnesium rich foods help reduce nerve twitches, muscle cramps, and improves heart function 

•Oily fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovy 

•Good fats, monounsaturated & polyunsaturated 

•Good sat fat-coconut oil

Foods to limit or avoid 

•Excess salt

•Spicy foods, increase heartburn and hot flashes

•Caffeine, coffee, black tea, chocolate

•Alcohol (yeast based - wine, beer, sulphites)

•Processed fruit juices

•White sugar

•Deep fried fats

•Margarine

•Trans or saturated fats

•Fermented foods, watch for reactions

•Red meats, lunch meats (nitrates, nitrites, sulphites, salt)

•Nightshades (if inflammatory issues)

Here's some supplements that may help your discomfort: 

•Multi vitamin/mineral, general health maintenance

•Vit C&E for flushes of heat and blood pressure 

•Vit D and Iodine or Lugol’s solution for fibrocystic breasts

•Dong guai, hormone regulator

•CoQ10, great for heart, muscle and nerve function and has been shown to reduce blood pressure 

•Ginseng, supports adrenals

•Calcium / Magnesium, heart function, muscle pains and cramps

•Chasterberry (vitex), hormone regulator PMS

•Black Cohosh - better as a homeopathic, hormone regulator

•Licorice root, reduces blood pressure short term

•Vit B complex + B6 & B5 Energy and hormone regulation

•High EFA Fish Oil, inflammation

•Phytogreens, balance out acids, help liver detox

•Chlorella, binds & removes heavy metals like mercury and lead

•Chlorophyll, liver cleanse improves function and may reduce LDL

•GLAs Evening primrose oil, Borage oil, Prilla Oil, hormone regulator

•Chromium, level out blood sugar

Homeopathic medicines
Homeopathic medicines are as individual as each person who uses them, but here's some popular remedies that help women cope with the changes in their bodies.

Lachesis: If your flashes emanates from the top of your head, are worse just before sleep and immediately upon wakening and are accompanied by sweating, headaches, makes frequent mistakes in writing and speaking, chronic depression or manic behaviour needs to do everything quickly, anger, high blood pressure, palpitations, fainting and headaches.

  

Pulsatilla: If you flash less outdoors, flashes followed by intense chills, sour musty sweat, sweats on face and scalp, profuse sweat in morning,external heat is intolerable, headaches from rich foods (pastries, fats, ice cream), thirstlessness, changeable moods, craves affection, emotional cries easily, likes consolation.

Phosphorus: Cold clammy sweats, profuse at night in sleep, perspires on slight exertion, sweats exhaust, smell of sulphur, mostly sweats on head and feet, profuse bleeding of little wounds or profuse discharges, chilly alternating with heat wanting very cold drinks, aversion to warm foods and drinks.

Sulphur: If you feel the heat rising up from your waist to your face, profuse sweating especially the head with little exercise, sweat has sulphur odour, a person who doesn't do well with heat and seek cold drinks and compresses to cope, weak memory, very industrious or lazy, bored easily, unhealthy skin, breaks out easily, weak stomach 11am, dry skin with great thirst.

Sepia: Poor circulation, edema in extremities, cold sweats at night and are debilitating, sweats easily with offensive odour, reduced libido, dry skin from low estrogen, bearing down sensation in pelvic region-bladder, bowels or cramps, weak bladder, hot hands with cold feet, or visa-versa, palpitations, angry and sensitive, mentally and physically worn out, indifferent to loved ones

Mind spirit connection what can inhibit healthy body functions:
•Fear: money, being alone
•Unfulfilled expectations
•Stress
•Negative self-talk, even self-deprecating humour needs to stop
•Chatty-Cathy brain- preventing sleep, making lists
•Numbing out emotions; food, alcohol, smoking, recreation drugs and prescription drugs, coffee, become unplugged to yourself and your body

Become more connected to yourself, what makes you happier and strive to achieve what you desire•Find positive releases for tension and stress: exercise, yoga, laughing yoga, laughter, meditation, pilates
•Explore spirituality – Dr Wayne Dyer, Louise Hay, Eckhart Tolle
•Get back into your religion or explore other religions
•Find your passion, if it’s lost take 'the passion test' to see if your passion has evolved
•Journal, Positive thoughts and aspirations and stay away from fears and negative talk

Since every woman is different, so is their plan to help alleviate their discomfort and help them transition into a healthy post-menopausal life. For a free 15minute consult, contact me at homedica.ca.

“I’m going to starve to death!”

About 5 years ago I was a new nutritionist and I had a patient that I knew I had to take off all nightshades and gluten. He’s Italian. When I told him about his plan, I wasn't prepared for his reaction. He sat in front of me, mouth gaping, eyes wide, completely gobsmacked, stammering  “I’ll starve to death… I can’t eat anything!”. I hadn't the heart to tell him cheese was next off the list.

In his mind, I’m sure he thought I was punishing him for his obesity. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Yes he was class 1 morbidly obese, but an increase in activity and a decrease in calories would have brought down his excess weight without any issues.
This alone wasn’t going to solve all of his health problems. In all of his complaints I saw inflammation from head to toe with signs of gluten sensitivity and diabetes or heart disease looming nearer on his horizon.
I gave him his plan and off he went and a month later, at his first follow-up, he returned. He felt a lot better but was struggling trying
to adapt to his new lifestyle. Life, love and family were always shared around a table and for him it was going against nature and his family
not to eat the way he had grown up. The calorie-reduction was fine
but to avoid tomatoes, peppers and wheat was too much for him.
It didn’t matter that his heartburn and headaches were dramatically reduced; he was overwhelmed with all of the changes.
After that first follow-up, I never heard from him again.

Over the years, I have learned that some patients aren’t ready for serious change in their life to prevent disease and need to have a diagnosis of a disease before they’ll take action on their health.
Sad but true and I see it all the time. What people don’t realize is that they are not their diagnosis and in fact they can avoid diagnosis if they change their lifestyle, including the foods they eat. Is it a serious commitment, yes, absolutely. It’s also fun to use new foods in different ways, if you’re willing to learn.

With my first hard lesson under my belt, I now take time to evaluate my patient needs, see how willing they are to make serious changes and in some cases, ease them into a new lifestyle. I try to support them with meal plans and recipes to help them get started.

With my new quest outlined, I began researching, adapting and developing recipes without nightshades and gluten. It’s been a fun gastronomic journey, with a more than a few recipe duds along the way but here’s a substitution guide I learned, to help get you started.

For those naysayers – YES, you can still eat well!

What are nightshades anyway?
Nightshades are inflammatory foods: potatoes, peppers of all kinds, eggplant, paprika, tomatoes and tobacco. Although these are packed with valuable vitamins and minerals they contain a chemical alkaloid called solanine that can trigger pain in people who are susceptible. So, how do you know if you need to remove these from your diet?

Why should I avoid nightshades?
Nightshades should be avoided if you have an inflammatory disease like: arthritis (RA/OA), IBD, IBS, GERD (heartburn), heart disease, eczema or psoriasis, asthma, COPD, PMR, PMS, diabetes, depression, fibromyalgia, cancer, chronic headaches or migraines. For people who are trying to or have quit smoking the avoidance of these foods apply to you as well, especially tomatoes as they contain nicotine, yes nicotine.

How would I know if I’m having a problem with nightshades?
Stop and listen to your body after you eat these foods and see what it’s telling you. It can be as simple as; cramping or bloating in the gut (bowels not stomach), increased breathing problems, heartburn, a mild headache or even body aches and pains can increase subtly after eating these foods. It doesn’t mean you have to double over in pain to be affected; you may feel more pain and stiffness in your susceptibility areas (headache, gut, breathing, mood and joints) that no amount of massage, stretching or yoga can relieve.  

Ok one step at a time. Take out the nightshades.

What do you eat instead of nightshades?
This seems like a daunting task to remove all of these foods since they’re in most of our favourite recipes but be patient, experiment and see what works best for your palate. All the substitutions here offer the same or more nutrients and vitamins than the nightshade foods, which is great, more nutrient bang for your buck! 

In a macrobiotic diet it avoids nightshades completely, so head to your local library for a good macrobiotic cookbook that offers you recipe solutions to get you started on your gastronomic journey to wellness.

Potatoes
• Sweet potatoes or yams are a great substitute and offer valuable beta-carotene to your diet.
• White kidney beans or garbanzo beans offers protein, texture and thickening to soups, stews or pasta dishes without a strong taste or colour.
• Cauliflower gives you great added flavour, thickens soups and stews or can be used on their own instead of mashed potatoes.

Sweet Peppers (green, orange, yellow)
• Kohlrabi, a member of the turnip family, gives you lots of vitamin C and are great raw, in salads and can be cooked in a soup or stew. Make sure you cut off the tough exterior to get at the crunchy, turnip/radish like texture inside.
• Radishes for salads offer colour and texture with a little heat.

Hot peppers (cubanele, pimiento, pepperonini, paprika, poblano, ancho, jalapeno and chipotle chilies). This is the hardest sacrifice for the spicy food lovers, but rest assured these are good solutions for your heat fix.
• Horseradish, raw, grated into recipes will add heat without masking the flavour of your favourite recipe.
• Wasabi powder (without the green food colouring) adds lots of heat when needed and you can make it as concentrated (as hot), as you want.
• Garlic, adds great depth of flavour to any meal.
• Turmeric is a great to add colour to your recipes.
• Hot mustard is great to add in soups, savory baking and stews.
• Ginger, fresh grated or minced is a great option for a bit of a bite to snacks like hummus or in chicken soup.

Eggplant
• Summer squash – green or yellow zucchini offer a similar texture and great colour to any traditional eggplant recipe like moussaka.
• Sweet potato or squash are great, have a similar texture and offer amazing colour and taste to any recipe.

Tomatoes (red, yellow or orange)
This fruit is so popular and used in so many international dishes that is a hard to give you a one off substitute for every recipe. It’s more of a “substitute as you go” fruit given all its uses, but here’s a guide.

Salsas:
• Papaya or mango green or ripe, offer great sweetness, texture and colour to a traditional salsa recipe.
• Beets, offer amazing colour and sweetness raw or roasted.

Tomato Sauce:
• Pesto. Why stick with the traditional basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese pesto - get inventive with different pesto’s: walnut and parsley, pepita and cilantro, almond and basil and instead of cows milk use Spanish goat Manchego in your pesto or use firm tofu for lactose free recipes.
• Cauliflower, mashed with garlic, caramelized onions and anchovy’s are a creamy solution to a creamy pasta or tomato sauce that doesn’t make you feel deprived.
• Roasted garlic with olive oil and a bit of unsalted butter offer a great spread as a pizza base or tossed with a gluten free pasta.

Ketchup:
This is the most popular condiment in the world and is added to most rubs and BBQ sauces, so how can you avoid it? Make your own, it’s not that hard to do.
• A puree of carrots, pears and apple add a beet or ground pomegranate (used in East Indian cooking) for colour with spices (including tamarind) and it’s a yummy substitute for any dish, adapt and make your own BBQ rub and sauce.

Indian foods
Oh the spices of India, the curries, dahl and chutneys that we know here in North America contain a lot of nightshades. Look for recipes from Africa and the south part of India, they don’t use a lot of tomatoes in their recipes.
• Tamarind is a popular African and South East Asian cooking paste, tamarind is sour when young but left to mature it’s sweet and can be used in, chutneys, jams and sauces (we have it in Worcestershire and HP sauce)
• Most curry spice blends may have cayenne, paprika or hot pepper based spices as part of the blend, which means it’s a no-no. It’s easy to make your own blend if you have a mortal and pestle or a coffee/spice blender. For whole seeds like cardamom or coriander you need to toast them in a dry pan before you blend them into a powder, to remove their bitter taste.

When in doubt on what to eat or how to cook your favourite dishes, look to your local library as your resource for all types of international recipes. The net also can have some great recipes but be aware that some may still contain some nightshades like potatoes or peppers even though they may not include tomatoes.

Chickpea Soup  Serves 4

1 tbsp Olive oil

4 Garlic cloves, minced

3 Shallots, chopped

2tsp Cumin

2tsp Coriander (dried or 1 tbsp fresh chopped)

5C Vegetable Stock

3 Sweet potatoes or Yams, diced

540mL Chick Peas, drained and rinsed

1tbsp Cornstarch

2tbsp Tahini (sesame butter)

1-2tsp Horseradish, fresh grated
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil until softened, add salt and pepper, stir for another minute. Pour in the vegetable stock, sweet potatoes or yams and horseradish and cook until they almost tender but not mushy. Add the can of rinsed chickpeas to the soup let them heat through- only takes 5 minutes. Add the tahini and cornstarch and using an immersion blender, blend until smooth.

Vegetarian Nightshade Free Chili      Serves 4-6

This chili recipe is free from all of the common allergens AND it is free of nightshades (tomato, potato, peppers, paprika, eggplant).

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, diced
2 large carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2L Low sodium vegetable stock (Imagine or Kitchen Basics)
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp coriander
1tbsp grated horseradish or ginger root
salt & pepper to taste1 lb chicken ground (optional)

Saute veggies in oil until onions until they're slightly browned. Add all ingredients into a crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Or into a stockpot and let simmer for 1hr and serve with gluten-free corn bread. 

You can use extra-lean ground meat or ground chicken in this recipe, just make sure you brown the meat with the onions and the garlic.

Now to tackle gluten-free… stay tuned for a gluten-free substitutions and recipes in the near future!

Ever done a cleanse? Let me know your experiences....

I'm writing a book on cleanses and would like to hear what cleanses- boxed or food based cleanses you've done. I would like to hear about: what cleanse you did, how did you feel, your energy levels, your BMs (not extreme detail), your mental state before and after (better, worse, same). No symptom is too small and no comment or question is wrong so feel free to comment on anything.

I'm looking forward to your comments!

Looks great, tastes even better, gluten free crepes

These gluten-free crepes with a creamy filling topped with a warm berry compote are great for a special Sunday breakfast or impressive dessert. Easy-peasy delicious meal that makes you look like 5-star pastry chef. This meal can be made ahead of time and assembled just before serving.

Crepes

1 1/2C Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix

2tbsp ground flax seeds

3/4C milk

1 large egg

1tbsp grapeseed oil

1/2tbsp vanilla extract

In a 10" medium-hot seasoned pan or crepe pan, pour in 1/4C pancake mix, spread around into a 9" thin crepe. Let it cook for 2 minutes and turn over, let cook for another 1-2minutes. Remove from pan and place onto a plate. Repeat until all the pancake mix is done.

Filling

Using a combination of mascarpone and whipping cream makes these crepes creamy and rich without making it feel heavy. This you can make a few hours ahead of your meal and refrigerated until you need to assemble your meal.

1C Mascarpone

1C Whipping cream

2Tbsp vanilla

2tsp fresh mint, finely chopped

Whip the cream until thick and light, fold into the mascarpone cheese, mint and vanilla. Set aside for assembly.

Topping
Berries are low glycemic fruits that are great for adding flavour and sweetness without sending your blood sugar through the roof. You can also use this compote to sweeten Irish or Scottish oatmeal while adding valuable antioxidants to your breakfast. This is another part of the meal you can make ahead of time and reheat just before serving.

1/2C Wild Blueberries, frozen or fresh

1/2C Raspberries, frozen or fresh

1/2C Rhubarb, frozen or fresh

3/4C water

2tbsp Prune puree*

pinch salt

Place all the ingredients into a small sauce pot and let simmer until the berries are warmed through and the liquid is thick.

Assembly

Place 1/4C or the mascarpone mixture in the centre of the crepe, fold in the sides of the crepe and spoon over the warm fruit compote. Serve warm garnish with fresh berries, sliced raw almonds and a few sprigs of mint on top.

 

Serves 4 people, 2 crepes per person. Serve with Prosecco and enjoy your special occasion!

*Prune Puree can be used when making any baked goods that you would like to add more natural vitamins and minerals. I've added this mixture to brownies, compotes, cakes, muffins and it can add a little raisin like flavour but mostly is undetectable. 

Prune Puree

1 package of prunes

1/2C apple juice 

Place in a food processor puree until smooth, place puree in a freezer container and use as needed.

(What I love about making crepes is that you can make a huge batch and freeze them. After letting the crepes cool, place a piece of parchment paper between each crepe and place them in a Ziploc freezer bag. They separate easy with the parchment paper between, defrost and easily warm up with a warm compote.)

Gluten Free workshop

I'm hosting a Gluten Free tasting workshop this Thursday April 14, 2011 7-8pm at Hands on Health Family Chiropractic.

Come and explore new foods you may not have known where available or never dared to try. Since the focus is on Gluten Free there will be: homemade baked goods, crackers, breads, alternative grains- raw and cooked all for you to try as I show you the benefits of a gluten free diet.

To register call the clinic (416) 237-0069 to reserve your spot! See you there!

Importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy

Congratulations!
Women go through many transformations during pregnancy, physically and emotionally and now more than ever you need to make good nutrition a priority. Nutritional needs change throughout your pregnancy but here are some general guidelines you should follow throughout the nine months, and beyond.

What to eat?
So now you’re eating for two, no not really.
Your baby depends on the food you eat for its growth and development. Eating frequent, small meals with whole grain and an extra emphasis on calcium, protein and vegetables is the best way to manage your weight while getting natural vitamins and minerals essential to good health.

An additional 400mg of calcium is essential during pregnancy, you need it for muscle function and bone development, what your body doesn't have readily available your body will breakdown from bone to get what it needs. Calcium is needed during pregnancy, instead of using dairy (saturated fat and allergenic) to achieve your extra calcium add: dark greens, legumes, whole grains, soy, seafood and seeds that contain lots of vitamins and minerals and fiber that keeps your bowels moving.

Protein is essential for almost all tissue development and repair, hormones, enzymes and antibodies.

Morning smoothie 1Litre, 285calories:
• 1 1/2C Filtered Water    • 1C Blueberries    • 1/2C Raspberries
• 1 Scoop (30g) Protein powder (whey isolate)    • 1Tbsp flax seed oil

Weight gain during pregnancy
Everything is trial by error it seems. During the 50's women were only permitted to gain 15lbs during a full-term pregnancy, and still allowed to smoke and drink. In the 80s friends of mine were allowed to ‘gain as much as you want’ thinking it was good for the baby. Now the attitude is to keep your weight gain within a healthy range to avoid complications. Remember losing weight during pregnancy is not an option, you need to keep a healthy weight gain throughout the pregnancy so that you and or your developing infant to remain healthy. Gaining too much may also make you more uncomfortable, especially during the third trimester.

Here is a general guideline for healthy weight gain during pregnancy.
• 27-37 lbs- If at a healthy weight prior to pregnancy (2300-2500/day)
• 28-35 lbs- If underweight prior to pregnancy (2500-2800cal/day)
• 15-25 lbs- If overweight prior to pregnancy (2500-2800cal/day)

Gaining too much weight during pregnancy does have it’s drawbacks, it takes a lot of effort to lose the excess weight after pregnancy, you may experience increase edema, increases C-sections, increase of UTI infections during pregnancy and premature labour and it does put you at risk for gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Gestational diabetes can put you and your child at risk for diabetes occurring later in life. Keeping your weight within a healthy range is the best plan.

Hydrate
Water is the best option at any time of life, but especially in pregnancy. It’s the oil that keeps our engine going, so try to drink at least 2L/day of caffeine free liquids. Fruit juices are ok in small amounts but add a lot of calories without the fiber and are high on the glycemic index. Other caffeine free liquids include: decaffeinated green tea, peppermint, ginseng, lemon, chamomile and Rooibos teas.

Caffeine content in 8 ounces
• Black tea, 40mg     • Oolong tea, 30mg    • Green tea, 20mg (high in antioxidants)
• Herbal Infusion, 0mg

Supplements
It’s normal for most health care providers to suggest folic acid and a daily multivitamin prior to and during pregnancy. It’s very important that you get as many nutrients as you can during this time, but remember that supplements are not a replacement for nutrient dense whole foods, they’re more of a back up plan.

Calcium, magnesium, vitamin D are important if you have a low calcium intake in foods, a vegan or have low bone density. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids helps maintain your immune system you could take up to 4000mg/day, pending on your current health status. Taking a good probiotic during pregnancy is very important, it maintains a healthy gut flora for Mum, which is important to your immune system and your baby’s, keeps Mum regular and reduces incidence of infant skin issues (eczema) by more than 60%*.

Lifestyle
Even an uncomplicated pregnancy can result in some stress during pregnancy. Stress can however be particularly harmful during pregnancy, thus it is important that you work to reduce your stress and anxiety levels during pregnancy as much as possible.

Negative Effects of Stress During Pregnancy
There are many negative side effects of stress during pregnancy. Cortisol released during periods of stress have been shown to cross the placenta into the developing infant. Studies have shown that high levels of cortisol may contribute to an increased risk of premature delivery or low birth weight babies. Still other studies suggest that overly high stress levels can increase your heart rate, blood pressure and produce chronic anxiety and issues with brain and emotional development in the infant. It is important that you minimize your stress and anxiety during pregnancy to provide your baby with an optimal environment in which to grow.

Stress management includes caring for yourself, feeling rested and regularly finding healthy outlets to relieve stress and anxiety. Most women will not suffer any ill effects from stress during pregnancy, especially when they take adequate steps to cope with their stress.

1. Get plenty of sleep.
It’s essential that you allow your body to recover at night, without a good nights sleep you can feel even more overwhelmed the following day. Ways to help you start your bedtime are: take a relaxing bath or have a cup of chamomile tea prior to bed, eliminate ambient the light in your room and if necessary use ear plugs to keep out sounds that may interrupt your sleep. Use a body pillow to aid your sleep if your baby belly makes it a bit uncomfortable to sleep on your side.

2. Exercise regularly.
Low impact exercise like yoga or pilates helps you burn off stress and maintain energy. Even walking 20 minutes two times a day will help with circulation and edema and help you sleep better at night. If you take a subway bus or streetcar to your office get off a stop or two before and walk in, do the same at night and you've already worked in 40-60 minutes of exercise without even trying.

3. Meditate.
Deep breathing and calming your mind is an immeasurable coping mechanism and reduces acidity in your body by releasing CO2. Sit quiet on the floor or your favourite chair, focus on your breath and breathe from deep in your stomach in through your nose and out through your mouth. When your thoughts wander to the daily chores, bring them back to your breath. "Breath in relaxation, breathe out stress"," breathe in health, breathe out illness", repeat what your feeling and you'll feel better and think clearer with more oxygen in your blood. Even if it’s only for 10 minutes a couple of times a day, it helps with stress, fatigue and concentration throughout the day.

4. Talk it out.
Discussions with your partner can help you cope with stress and comfort you in times where your anxiety seems to be taking the best of you. With your excess emotions and hormones you may lose perspective and your partner can bring an objective point of view, without being judgmental. Remember your partner is there to support you and make sure you and baby remain healthy.

5. Reduce your workload.
Focus on what you can get done everyday at the home or at the office, delegate what you can’t get to. Raising a flag for help if you’re overloaded is better than not being able to deliver on deadlines. Don’t feel bad that you have to share your workload, no one is superhuman.

Focus on balance during pregnancy, balanced diet and balanced lifestyle and you'll remain healthy during your pregnancy with a happy healthy infant in return.


*DouglasLabs InfantSkin study