Posts Tagged essential fatty acids
Everything Conceivable from Conception to Pregnancy
Posted by in Pregnancy on February 13th, 2010
Pregnancy is a truly wonderful time. It is a perfectly normal physiological event, another cycle in your sexual and reproductive life. Preparing for pregnancy is a wise consideration. Experts differ, but nutrient replenishment after taking the Pill can help conception.
Although it would be nice to think that we could get all the essential nutrients from our food, unfortunately this is not the case. Calcium, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, iron, and essential fatty acids are amongst the most important, but a blend of the supplement spectrum is an important addition to ovulatory and pre-conception health care.
Remember too that partners have a role to play! A healthy diet for both partners is fundamental and following healthy recipes will make this easier and more enjoyable. Particular attention should be given to the balance of carbohydrate, protein, good fats, as well as the acid/alkaline balance of the diet, because acidity can adversely affect sperm health. A healthy egg and healthy sperm will improve your chances of having a really healthy pregnancy and
a healthy baby and those healthy cells don’t just happen overnight!
Ovulation can be confirmed by a take-home test and confirmation of ovulation time can enhance the chances of conception. The best time to have intercourse is in the later afternoon, as ovulation and peak sperm count most frequently occur then.
Confirming a pregnancy is easily done with a suitable pregnancy test. Don’t become dominated by these tests, but use them to confirm your suspicions. During your pregnancy, you should continue to take your supplements and maintain a healthy food intake. Exercise, stress management and avoidance of toxins continue to be important.
Pregnancy is a time of joy and happiness. You are not just “pregnant” with new life, but pregnant with the anticipation of what that new life will mean. When you are pregnant, you should feel physically, mentally and emotionally on top of the world. The discomforts of morning sickness, stretch marks, heartburn, skin pigmentation and fluid retention are real and can be distressing, but they should be offset by the knowledge that your baby is developing and growing in an optimally healthy environment.
Trust your instincts. Your intuition will help you discover strong maternal feelings, and regain some sort of spiritual understanding of what you do when you create life and become a parent. Involve your partner. This baby is very much the product of you both!
Affirm these attitudes every day. You can make an enormous difference to your own general health during your pregnancy. Everything positive that you do will contribute to a much more positive outcome. Make it a better outcome. The responsibility for the healthy development of your baby rests largely with you.
Chelsi Woolz writes about nutrition, healthy recipes, health care, skin care, raising children & parenting.
Article Source: Everything Conceivable from Conception to Pregnancy
Taking Fish Oil During Pregnancy is Beneficial for Fetal Development
Posted by in Babies on October 25th, 2009
Congratulations on your pregnancy! What an exciting, special time of waiting for that new little one to arrive. I’m sure you are doing all you can to have a healthy, full-term baby by seeing your doctor regularly, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise, and taking your pre-natal vitamins. Doctors and scientists alike are now advising that you should add a supplement of fish oil during pregnancy along with your pre-natal vitamins.
Prenatal vitamins do not contain the omega 3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) which is so vital for your baby’s brain development, retina formation, and nourishment of the nervous system to name a few. Fish oil contains the omega 3 fatty acid DHA along with other essential fatty acids that aid in good health. The placenta utilizes DHA during fetal development, with DHA making up 50% of the retinal structure and 30% of the brain.
There are intervals of concentrated nerve cell development as growth occurs in the womb where the DHA needs actually double. The Mayo Clinic recommends that women add a fish oil supplement during pregnancy to their normal dietary intake in order to ensure healthy growth of their babies since 98% of them aren’t getting enough of the omega 3 fatty acid DHA in the foods they eat.
Along with helping your baby’s development, taking fish oil during pregnancy has proven to be equally healthful for you, the mother. Studies have shown that supplementing with DHA helps reduce the risk of toxemia or pre-eclampsia, a rapid rise in blood pressure that affects 7% of pregnancies. This same research has also shown significantly less cases of postpartum depression.
Since the FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency have issued warnings for small children and women of childbearing age not to eat more than 12 ounces of seafood per week because of possible contaminants in fish, and have gone on to state that large doses of mercury can damage developing brains, it is no wonder that pregnant women aren’t getting enough of the DHA they need from eating fish.
It is good to know that you can still get the health boost of fish without the threat of contaminants in the process by getting the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids in the form of these dietary supplements. It is important to read the manufacturers information on the package to be sure you are getting the omega 3 fatty acid DHA. For example, flax oil capsules contain ALA, which is a different form of omega 3 fatty acid, and isn’t as effective.
The recommended daily intake of fish oil during pregnancy is 300-1400 mg of DHA. This is critical during the third trimester and supports the healthy development of the fetus’ brain and nerve cell membranes.
After the baby is born, and while breast feeding it is still crucial to continue to take this same dosage since our bodies don’t produce this essential nutrient and it is easy for the mother to become deficient after giving birth. By being health conscious and pro-active in caring for your body during pregnancy, you can be confident that you have done your part in delivering a full term, healthy baby.
To find out more information about this needed nutritional supplement check out my web site listed below in the bio section.
Elizabeth Ruby is passionate about good health and is a firm believer in taking quality nutritional supplements. She has extensively researched Omega 3 fatty acids for optimal health. Check out her web site at http://www.omega-3-health.com/ to find out how she keeps her mind and body young and active, functioning fully with the help of Omega 3 Fish Oil.
Article Source: Taking Fish Oil During Pregnancy is Beneficial for Fetal Development
Breast is best for our Children (so far…)
Posted by in Pregnancy on October 25th, 2009
Today I read about a recent study into infant formula. The results implied quite strongly that formula fortified with essential fatty acids (in this case DHA) improved the cognitive brain development of the baby. This is yet another piece of evidence to support the far reaching benefits of essential fatty acids for the brain, from infant through to the elderly.
The experiment involved 229 infants. One group were given formula from birth and were split into two groups – one given a traditional formula and the other given a formula with added DHA. A second group split in the same way were given formula from 6 weeks (after breastfeeding) and a third group from 4-6 months. At 9 months the babies were given a problem solving test. In both the “from birth” and the “from 6 weeks” groups, the babies from the DHA supplemented groups performed better in the test.
This certainly suggests that if you do choose to formula feed over breastfeed for either health or logistical reasons (for example, many mums are unable to breastfeed) it is worth choosing a formula that does supplement with essential fatty acids (and probiotics too, based on the results of other studies). However, as a mum who breastfed both my children for 9 months, what about the mums who do choose to breastfeed? Is there anything they can learn from study and other studies like this?
Of course there is. Their diet is our diet, and we must make the right choices in what we eat to ensure our children get the optimal start in life nutritionally. Breastfeeding is currently known to be the best option for the pre-weaning stage, but as infant formulas improve every year in what they have to offer, is there a competition on?
Yes there is, and so there should be! Anything that means our children get an improving nutrition has to be a good thing. So if you choose to breastfeed, that is brilliant, but don’t rest on your laurels. Make sure you have a well balanced and healthy diet that includes lots of essential fatty acids through oily fish, seeds and vegetable oils. Limit your saturated fat but ensure your diet is high in calcium. Unlikely high sources of calcium include broccoli, bok choy and oranges.
But my advice would be to also take a high quality supplement that is formulated specifically for breastfeeding women. Of course we want to eat healthily, but the truth is we’re often tired, usually in a rush and regularly eating on the hoof between feeds, sleeps and so on. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to steer clear of high, refined sugar foods such as biscuits and chocolate, as much for the mother’s energy levels as for the child’s health, but I understand that sometimes a healthy, home-cooked meal is hard to come by.
When I was breastfeeding I took a Pregnancy & Lactation Formula but many friends had recommended that i did. Of course I will never know if it made a difference to my children’s’ development with nothing to measure it against. But at the time it was nice to know that I had a buffer, on those nights I fell into bed after just a bowl of cereal.
Sam worked in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and became more interested in the role diet and nutrition plays in people’s health, so her studies took her in a more nutritional direction. She now works at a company who sell health products such as Pregnancy & Lactation formula, as well as, breastfeeding supplements. For more information please visit, http://www.totallynourish.com.
Article Source: Breast is best for our Children (so far…)
How to Get Pregnant Fast – Achieving Pregnancy Quickly by Improving Your Diet
Posted by in Pregnancy on October 17th, 2009
The food that you eat has an impact on every single cell in your body and the old adage, “You Are What You Eat” certainly rings true. If you are wanting to know how to get pregnant fast, then your diet probably has more of an impact than you will ever realize.
Good nutrition certainly does not mean giving up all the foods which you love, but it is about making the right choices most of the time, whilst recognizing that you can still have occasional treats without beating yourself up about it. When you are trying to conceive quickly, you do have a very good reason to improve your diet and the thought of getting pregnant faster should be the motivation which you need.
Dietary changes are unlikely to have an immediate noticeable impact, but as soon as you begin to make the proper changes, you are increasing your chances of getting pregnant quickly. Ideally, dietary preparation should begin around 3-4 months before you are hoping to conceive as it can take three months for a new batch of sperm to be produced and up to three months for your ovum to mature.
Fats
Although in some respects, fat has got a bad name, there are both healthy and unhealthy fats and if you are wanting to know how to get pregnant fast, you should include essential fatty acids in your diet as these are a vital component of every human cell and play a large part in regulating hormones. To ensure that you get a good intake, try to have a portion of nuts or seeds, such as flax seeds, daily plus some oily fish, such as salmon or mackerel. Whilst trying to conceive, you may wish to consider taking an essential fatty acid supplement.
Fiber
We all know that enough fiber is essential to help to regulate our bowel movements and prevent constipation, but did you know that fiber can also help to regulate estrogen, by preventing excreted estrogen being reabsorbed into the bloodstream. Contrary to popular belief, the best form of fiber is not necessarily bran, as this can block the absorption of certain nutrients. It is better to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, beans, nuts and seeds.
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are those which have not already been broken down prior to being eaten, for example, wholegrains, beans and pulses and vegetables. To optimize your health, it is important to avoid simple carbohydrates, such as sugar, fruit juice and honey and stick to eating the unrefined versions.
Soya
For those wanting to know how to get pregnant fast, it is believed that soya can play an important role which should not be overlooked. It can both lower cholesterol and prevent cardio-vascular disease. In addition, it has a role to play in balancing both male and female hormones. Over the last few years, there has been a rise in conditions which are believe to be related to the increase in estrogen-like chemicals, including breast cancers and prostrate cancers. These increases are also thought to be related to reproductive and menstrual problems which impact directly on fertility.
The Phyto-Estrogens in soya, are thought to be able to block estrogen, an excess of which is implicated in various fertility issues, such as fibroids, endometriosis and, crucially, the disruption of the second half of the menstrual cycle, making conception difficult. Try adding soya milk to your diet, along with Tofu, ensuring that all forms are not genetically modified and organic where possible.
Despite researching and putting into practice tips on getting pregnant quickly, some couples still do not conceive after several months.Rather than leaving matters completely to chance, it makes sense to implement a tried and tested method which is guaranteed to work.
Dietary measures are just one of a number of proactive steps you can take and if you would like to see details of a holistic system which will eliminate infertility and give you the baby you so want, please visit How To Get Pregnant Fast.
Article Source: How to Get Pregnant Fast – Achieving Pregnancy Quickly by Improving Your Diet
