pregnancy

PREGNANCy

Foods & feelings that grow beautiful happy babies

    >> what your baby absorbs

   >> important nutrients

   >> recipe ideas

   >> breast feeding - probiotics

   >> raw pregnancy & raw babies

    >> placentophagy - placenta

what your baby absorbs

Maybe it was just me, but it seemed that once pregnant, I tuned into a
whole new sub culture that I was previously blissfully unaware of.
The world of pregnancy!

The media thrives on advertising & creating 'needs' in order for us to feel 'safe'.
Who more vunerable than an expectant mum with her first child to grow & protect.

There seemed to be a ton of articles, books & vitamins to buy - as well as a long list of things
I should & shouldn't do in order to make sure my baby was not harmed.

Having done a degree in media & communications & working in PR & marketing for 12 years -
I tend to not believe anything I read in the papers.

happy baby is healthy mummy
I believe the best thing you can do for your baby is to love yourself & emotionally understand that all of your emotions are being absorbed by your baby from the very moment of incarnation. A happy baby is a reflection of a healthy mother.

People talk about the guilt of a mother & the huge responsibility. It is all of our responsibility to feel all of our emotions & let them flow! If you push them back down because you don't like them - you'll just have to watch your kids act them all out for you.

how to make sure mummy is healthy
If not expressed & released, emotions can cause us all sorts of physical problems.
It is known that, if repressed, stress can manifest physically in a variety of forms: ulcers, hair loss or nervous system problems. Sadness can lead to depression, turning into fear & loss of confidence.

Anger is generally the result of us not acknowledging how we really feel.
We can get snappy, projecting our frustrations onto other situations in order to release some of the steam. This is not a happy mummy.

eating well
Eating simple raw foods allows our bodies to rebalance their natural levels. Eating a diet rich in healing foods allows the body to release any toxic build ups & ensure all cells are operating at their optimum. Supplement your diet with as much raw food as you can.

recipe ideas

Nettles have an amphoteric effect of breast milk production, increasing flow if scare or decreasing flow if too much.
Nettle tops can be harvested in the spring when young shoots are at their most tender.
To make nettle tea, use a couple of nettle tops in a teapot per cup of boiling water & allow to infuse for 15 mins.

simple salad dressing

Base oil: Hemp, flax or olive oil (or mixture of all 3)
Zest: Squeeze some lemon juice
Bite: Organic apple cider vinegar
  Zing: Press some garlic or grate some ginger

tahini dressing

   Base: your choice of either hemp or olive oil (or both)
   Zest: Squeeze some lemon juice (or lime)
   Flavour: Add some pesto & tahini & press some garlic
   Season: Sprinkle in some rock salt & pepper to taste

   Shake it like a poloroid picture

anti-oxidant salad - feel like a rainbow

Chop up some lovely colourful foods to make you feel zingy
   & your insides smile like a big healthy rainbow

Try red & yellow peppers, beetroot, carrot, cauliflower,
cabbage, romaine, spinach & some cheeky sprouts


salad, soup, sandwich, ice cream sprinkles

Sunflower seeds * Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds * Hemp seeds * Pine nuts

avocado & tomato salad

Chop some vine tomatoes, an avocado & a bunch of
coriander & parsley.

Dressing: squeeze a lemon & press some garlic

Season: pepper & celery salt to taste

nibbles

Dried fruit: apricots

    Nuts: cashews, almonds, brazils

    Fruit & crudites in raw dips (tahini, houmous, guacamole)

smoothies

Fruits: banana, kiwi, strawberry, mango, blueberrry

  Greens: spinach, kale, romaine, watercress

  Flaxseed oil - slip into smoothies for extra oils
Cold milled flaxseed - add to smoothies for added fiber

*	important nutrients to grow happy babies Instead of relying on vitamin pills & supplements for nutrients - feed your baby the best foods you can from day one. Include these raw foods in your diet, minimise excessive weight from fatty nutrient poor foods. Look & feel on top of the world.	**

*	folic acid - folate	Good sources:	*
**	Folate is a B vitamin essential for cell division & making red blood cells. In early weeks of pregnancy folate is important for the healthy development of the spinal cord, deficiencies can result in birth defects. There are lots of pregnancy supplements to choose from - but there are also a lot of folate rich foods.	Black eyes peas, chickpeas, bread, beetroot, okra, asparagus, dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce, brusell sprouts, spinach, parsley, lentils, cauliflower & blackberries & spirulina
	*
	omega-3 omega-6 fatty acids	Good sources:
	These are essential for the healthy linings in all of our cells. They also regulate inflammation, immunity & are said to affect childbirth contractions. It is important to make sure you up your omega-3 in take. Omega-3 is essential for babies eye sight, brain development & nervous system in later life.	Hemp oil, rapeseed oil, linseed, flaxseed oil, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, wheatgerm, dark leafy greens i.e. watercress, spinach, lambs lettuce, mint & spirulina
	*
	vitamin E	Good sources:
	Vitamin E protects your cells against the damage from free radicals. Vitamin E cream is great for keeping your skin all smooth & stretch mark free. Reducing stretch marks is always a good thing. Olive & almond oil are also great oils for rubbing into your tummy, boobs - anywhere you like! Those with nut allergies may choose to avoid almond oil.	Sunflower seeds, chard, almonds, spinach, watermelon seeds blended into a smoothie, flaxseed oil, hemp oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil & spirulina
	*
	vitamin D	Good sources:
	Vitamin D is essential for our bodies to absorb calcium. Essential to the normal development for the babies bones & teeth. Vitamin D also helps build a strong immune system.	The sunshine! Our body converts sunshine on our skin to vitamin D & stores it in our livers. Bee pollen also provides vitamin D.
	*
	magnesium	Good sources:
	Magnesium helps your body release energy from food. It also helps build strong rigid bones & works with calcium in muscle movement.	Leafy greens, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds & spirulina
	*
	iron	Good sources:
	Iron makes new cells, including red blood cells. Your body absorbs more & more iron throughout your pregnancy. You lose less iron by not bleeding while you are pregnant. If you are iron deficient you may suffer from anemia which can make you tired. Drinking a glass of vitamin C rich juice with your food helps your body absorb iron from plant sources.	Peas, beans, lentils, quinoa, wholemeal bread, dark greens leafy greens i.e. kale, watercress, spinach, rocket & spirulina
	*
	calcium	Good sources:
	Helps maintain healthy bones & teeth. Also helps keep muscles & nerves healthy & stops blood clotting. If your diet is deficient your baby will make sure it gets what it needs - even if it means your body taking calcium from your bones. Vitamin D helps your body do this - very, very clever.	Dried figs, baked beans, chick peas, alonds, tahini, sesame, greens i.e. broccoli, bok choy, kale, watercress, bread & spirulina
	*
	protein	Good sources:
	Protein is key to the growth of muscle, tissues & organs. Clearly growing a baby will require some of this.	Nuts, seeds, greens, fruits, eggs & spirulina
	*
	tryptophan - happy foods	Good sources:
	Tryptophan is one of ten essential amino acids & is used by the body to utilise the proteins it needs. With the help of vitamin C it is turned into serotonin & creates a happy sense of well being & relaxation. Helps promote a good night's sleep. A deficiency may cause some of the following symptoms: depression, poor concentration, anxiety, slow growth in children, insomnia, carbohydrate cravings.	Pineapples, plums, eggs, sunflower seeds, sesame, banana, cheese & spirulina
	*
	serotonin - the happy hormone	Good sources:
	Serotonin is a hormone made in our brain using the essential amino acid tryptophan. Vitamin C helps conversion of tryptophan into serotonin. Low levels may cause some of the following symptoms: fear, depression, anxiety, apathy, worthlessness, insomnia & fatigue.	Plums, exercise & omega-3 fatty acids

*	breast is best It is reported that breast fed babies have 95% friendly bacteria in their gut - yet bottle fed babies only have 25%. When we are born our gut is sterile, the first bacteria we come into contact with is from the birth canal & then from our mother's milk. If a mother has poor gut flora, this will transfer to the baby through the breast milk. If a baby is bottle fed it has no way of populating its gut with friendly bacteria - unless its diet is supplemented. "...feeding your baby has an impact on his health, not just in infancy but in the long term, too. In the UK, most mums start off breastfeeding. Breastmilk supplies all the nutrients your baby needs for about first six months and it's the normal, physiological way to feed a human baby... Research shows that babies who aren't breastfed have a higher risk of infection, and are more likely to spend time in hospital during their first year. This difference does not depend on the social or economic status of the baby's family - the gaps in health persist even when these factors are taken into account." BBC Parenting

	raw pregnancy & raw babies
*	I discovered an inspirational family when I visited www.thegardendiet.com Jinjee, Storm & their 4 beautiful children are a raw family who run retreats & live in California, USA. Jinjee has written an ebook 'Ecstatic Birth - Raw Pregnancy & Childbirth' which I really recommend to anyone who is thinking about eating raw during pregnancy.	*