Food and Nutrition - Pregnancy

<h2>Do You Need Omega 3s?</h2>
Omega 3s are one of the essential fatty acids that the body cannot produce on its own. The inability of the body to produce omega 3s, means we have to consume foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids in order to keep our bodies running at optimal levels, but why? What is it about Omega 3s that improve health? Does the body really need something it cannot produce?
<h2>Understanding the Function of Omega 3s in the Body</h2>
Omega 3s are used by the brain and in the growth and development of the body. The inflammatory properties of these healthy fats is the main function in the body. Taking a look at the health conditions that can be treated by increasing the consumption of Omega 3s can actually teach us how they work in the body.
The heart, for instance, is healthier when Omega 3s are part of the everyday diet. Researchers have found that a diet rich in Omega 3s helps to prevent the onset of heart disease later in life. Why? The Omega 3s work with the body to reduce bad cholesterol levels and blood pressure (the inflammatory properties kicking in). With a reduction in blood pressure and cholesterol, the chance of heart disease naturally decreases.
Taking a closer look at cholesterol, Omega 3s are full of HDL or high density lipoproteins. These are often referred to as good cholesterol. Eating more Omega 3s will increase the amount of good cholesterol in the blood, but it also helps to reduce the bad cholesterol, or LDLs, in the blood as well. This is due to the DHA and EPA found in Omega 3s. DHA and EPA are acids found in Omega 3s that work with the body to reduce LDL and triglycerides. Once the bad cholesterol is lowered and the good cholesterol is raised, the chance of suffering from heart disease drops dramatically.
Omega 3s can also work with the heart to reduce blood pressure. Research has noted a link between inflammation in the body and hypertension, or high blood pressure. According to one study by Dr. Haidong Zhu of the Medical College of Georgia, hypertension is a condition very closely related to inflammation. Omega 3s have a natural ability to relieve inflammation, thus the power they have in reducing high blood pressure.
<h2>Eating Just the Right Omega 3s for Better Health</h2>
There has been some debate in recent months over the best source of Omega 3s for ultimate health. Fortified foods will often contain DHA and EPA which are two important acids in the body, as stated earlier. However, these fortified foods utilize supplements as the source of the Omega 3s in many cases. Supplementation of Omega 3s may improve health, but some doctors believe the best source remains foods that are rich in Omega 3s.
Foods that are rich in Omega 3s include salmon, walnuts, flaxseed, canola oil and soybeans. The great thing about the foods that are rich in Omega 3s is that children and pregnant women can take advantage of these rich oils simply by adding the foods to their diet.

Omega 3s are used by the brain and in the growth and development of the body and they are especially important before and during pregnancy.

Omega 3 Before and During Pregnancy

Search of literature about Pregnancy diet and weight gain
PubMed Literature Search:
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Search of literature about Pregnancy diet and weight gain

Pregnancy Weight - Literature

Q: Are there any side effects of FertilAid?
<a name="effects"></a>A: FertilAid for Women has no known side effects. However, as with any dietary supplement, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, we recommend that you discuss taking FertilAid with your doctor.&nbsp;
The scientifically-validated herbal-nutritional components of FertilAid for Women have been selected for their roles in promoting reproductive wellness.

The scientifically-validated herbal-nutritional components of FertilAid for Women have been selected for their roles in promoting reproductive wellness. But are there any side effects?

Does FertilAid Have Any Side Effects?

Q:&nbsp;Are there any side effects of FertilAid?
<a name="effects"></a>A:&nbsp;FertilAid&nbsp;for Women has no known side effects. However, as with any dietary supplement, if you have a pre-existing medical condition, we recommend that you discuss taking FertilAid with your doctor.&nbsp;
The scientifically-validated herbal-nutritional components of FertilAid for Women have been selected for their roles in promoting reproductive wellness.

FertilAid Side Effects

<h2>How can I keep my baby safe throughout my pregnancy?</h2>
When you first hear you are pregnant, your initial&nbsp;excitement may be followed by worry. Are you eating right? Is your lifestyle healthy enough? What medications should you keep or stop taking? Can you travel, play sports, get X-rays? Knowing a baby is on the&nbsp;way can bring about many pregnancy concerns.
Keep in mind that pregnancy is a natural, normal, and wonderful part of life, and should not be consumed with worry or apprehension. With the&nbsp;right information, you can enjoy a healthy and happy pregnancy. Here are some of the most popular pregnancy concerns and information on each to help alleviate your fears and help you refocus on this exciting period in your life!
<ul>
<li><a title="Alcohol and Pregnancy" href="/food-and-nutrition/alcohol-and-pregnancy">Alcohol and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Beauty Products &amp; Body Care and Pregnancy" href="/beauty-products/are-your-beauty-products-toxic-your-pregnancy">Beauty Products &amp; Body Care and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Caffeine and Pregnancy" href="/coffee-and-pregnancy">Caffeine and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a href="/laptop-computer-and-wifi-during-pregnancy" target="_self">WiFi and Laptop Computer Use During Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Daily Living and Work and Pregnancy" href="/daily-living/working-during-pregnancy-dos-and-donts-office-life">Daily Living and Work and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a href="/hormone-fertility-and-pregnancy-disrupting-chemicals" target="_self">Household Chemical Exposure During Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Food and Pregnancy" href="/tag/food">Food and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Medications and Pregnancy" href="/medications/medications-pregnancy-general-principles">Medications and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Recreational Drugs and Pregnancy" href="/fertility/link-between-alcohol-drug-use-smoking-and-stress-during-pregnancy">Recreational Drugs and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Smoking and Pregnancy" href="/pregnancy-safety/smoking-and-pregnancy">Smoking and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Sports &amp; Leisure and Pregnancy" href="/top-level-keywords/sports-and-leisure">Sports &amp; Leisure and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="Travel and Pregnancy" href="/pregnancy-safety/travel-and-pregnancy">Travel and Pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a title="X-Rays and Pregnancy" href="/tag/x-rays">X-Rays and Pregnancy</a></li>
</ul>

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Learn about the top concerns in pregnancy, such as food, daily living, working, travel, sports, and more!

Top Pregnancy Concerns

More than half of American women between ages 25 and 55 are overweight or obese, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. And many women pursue the "perfect bump" by restricting how much they eat. But in reality many pregnant women are gaining way too much weight, a side effect of the nation's obesity problem. An estimated 40 percent of pregnant women have "super-sized pregnancies," in which they're gaining more than the recommended amount of weight.
The recommended weight gain is based on a woman's pre-pregnancy <a title="Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator" href="/body-mass-index-calculator-calcuates-bmi">body mass index (BMI)</a>, which compares weight to height. The <a href="pregnancy-weight-gain-and-bmi-recommendations-and-tracker">Institute of Medicine </a>recommends that:
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<li>women of normal weight should gain between 25 to 35 pounds and</li>
<li>underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds</li>
<li>overweight women should limit their increase to 15 to 25 pounds &nbsp;</li>
<li>obese women should gain about 15 pounds.</li>
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More about Pregnancy Weight Gain:
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<li><a href="tools/pregnancy-weight-change-calculator">Pregnancy Weight Change Calculator</a></li>
<li><a href="tools/pregnancy-weight-gain-calculator-by-week">Pregnancy Weight Gain Calculator By Week</a></li>
<li><a href="pregnancy/what-is-the-normal-pregnancy-weight-gain">Normal Pregnancy Weight Change</a></li>
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Search the Literature:
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<li>Pubmed: <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=pregnancy+weight+gain" target="_blank">Pregnancy Weight Gain</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;cmd=Link&amp;amp;LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&amp;amp;from_uid=15226475">Pregnancy and diet</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;cmd=Link&amp;amp;LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&amp;amp;from_uid=15051610">Pregnancy outcome and weight gain</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;cmd=Link&amp;amp;LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&amp;amp;from_uid=15024282">Weight gain and nutrition in pregnancy</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;amp=&amp;amp;cmd=Link&amp;amp;LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&amp;amp;from_uid=2004057">Patterns of maternal weight gain in pregnancy</a></li>
</ul>
Among women who gain more than the recommended amount, several studies have found significantly higher odds of being overweight a year after delivery.
Gaining too much weight can pose serious health problems for both mothers and their babies. Hefty moms-to-be run the risk of developing gestational diabetes, preeclampsia and having complications during delivery. Babies born to overweight mothers are more likely to be premature or have birth defects. A 2003 study published in the journal Pediatrics found that the babies of obese and overweight women faced greater risks of heart abnormalities or other birth defects like cleft palate.
Although national birth weights for single babies have changed little in the last few decades, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, some doctors say that excessive weight gain during pregnancy is leading to larger babies and an increased number of Caesarean sections. In 2002, C-sections accounted for a record high 26 percent of all births, according to ACOG.
Watch the ice cream Some women who have dieted all their lives may be relieved when they get pregnant, thinking it's finally OK to stop counting calories. But the reality, experts say, is that women need only an additional 100 calories a day during the first trimester and an average of 300 extra calories during the second and third trimesters.
Even though doctors are concerned that women stay within the weight guidelines and not pack it on nor restrict too much, the issue of how to monitor a woman's weight during pregnancy is controversial.
In England, women are weighed only at the beginning and end of the pregnancy, with medical experts citing the lack of evidence that monitoring weight promotes healthier births.
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How much weight should women gain in pregnancy depends on their prepregnancy body mass index the BMI

Weight Gain in Pregnancy - How much?

Moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legumes can lead to longer life.

Some food groups in the Mediterranean diet are more important than others in promoting health and longer life according to new research published in the British Medical Journal in June.
Professor Trichopoulou, lead author of the study, concludes that the main reasons why the Mediterranean diet can lead to living longer are:
<ul>
<li>moderate consumption of ethanol (mostly in the form of wine during meals, as traditionally done in the Mediterranean countries),</li>
<li>low consumption of meat and meat products,</li>
<li>and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legumes.</li>
</ul>
Eating more vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses and olive oil, and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, while not consuming a lot of meat or excessive amounts of alcohol is linked to people living longer.
However, the study also claims, that following a Mediterranean diet high in fish, seafood and cereals and low in dairy products were not indicators of longevity.
While several studies have concluded that the Mediterranean diet improves chances of living longer, this is the first to investigate the importance of individual components of the diet.
Professor Dimitrios Trichopoulos at the Harvard School of Public Health explains that they have surveyed over 23,000 men and women who were participants in the Greek segment of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
Participants were given dietary and lifestyle questionnaires when they enrolled onto the study and they were subsequently followed up for around 8.5 years with interviews. Their diets were rated from 0 to 10 based on the level of conformity to a traditional Mediterranean diet.
As part of the interview process, participants were also asked about their smoking status, levels of physical activity and whether they had ever been diagnosed with cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The authors maintain that when high intake of vegetables, low intake of meat or moderate alcohol intake were excluded from the rating system, the benefits of following a Mediterranean diet were substantially reduced. They also note that there are clear benefits in combining several of the key components, for example high consumption of vegetables and olive oil.
Professor Trichopoulou, lead author of the study, concludes that the main reasons why the Mediterranean diet can lead to living longer are moderate consumption of ethanol (mostly in the form of wine during meals, as traditionally done in the Mediterranean countries), low consumption of meat and meat products, and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legumes.

Moderate consumption of alcohol, low consumption of meat and meat products,
and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and nuts, olive oil and legumes can lead to longer life.

Living Longer with the Mediterranean Diet

Food cravings are an intense desire for specific foods, often unusual ones, while food aversions are a strong sense of dislike or repulsion towards certain foods you previously enjoyed. These are common early symptoms of pregnancy and can persist throughout its duration. Almost all expectant mothers (and some partners) experience cravings and usually at least one aversion.<h2>What causes cravings and aversions during pregnancy?</h2>Hormones are a major factor in driving food cravings and aversions during pregnancy. Some doctors believe that these cravings hint at nutritional deficiencies your body is trying to address. It’s not uncommon for pregnant individuals to steer away from caffeine and alcohol, which suggests that aversions might serve a protective purpose.&nbsp;Environmental influences and our modern food landscape also play a role; where once a calcium craving might have driven someone to drink milk, today it might lead to a desire for ice cream.&nbsp;While this theory explains some aversions, such as turning away from coffee or alcohol, it doesn’t fully cover why you might suddenly detest salads or oatmeal, foods you previously enjoyed.&nbsp;Another perspective considers our detachment from natural food sources. Our bodies might struggle to accurately interpret nutritional needs, translating a need for vitamin C or calcium into a craving for less healthy options like a bowl of Chunky Monkey ice cream with Oreos, rather than fresher alternatives like cantaloupe and milk.<h2>Emotional causes</h2>Emotional fluctuations combined with hormonal changes can lead to depression and a heightened need for comfort and attention. This can trigger emotional eating. Instead of reaching for another piece of cake, consider seeking emotional support through hugs and cuddles.&nbsp;Choosing nutritious foods over high-calorie options is crucial for meeting the dietary needs of both you and your baby. Regular exercise also helps mitigate food cravings. Stay away from foods that trigger nausea or upset your stomach. However, if you have unusual cravings, such as for dirt, clay, or ashes, it's essential to contact your healthcare provider. This could indicate a severe deficiency in minerals like iron.<h2>What you can do about food cravings during pregnancy:</h2>It’s not always necessary to fight food cravings, especially if they are not unhealthy.<ul><li>Consult your doctor if you crave non-food substances (pica), like clay or laundry starch, as this may indicate a more serious underlying issue.</li><li>Moderation is key. Opt for a smaller portion of a less healthy craving, such as a mini chocolate bar instead of a king-sized one, or a glass of low-fat chocolate milk rather than a plate of brownies.</li><li>Distract yourself when cravings hit. Engage in physical activities, drink water, take a walk, read a book, or call a friend to divert your focus from the craving.</li><li>It’s okay to indulge in cravings occasionally, as long as the rest of your diet remains balanced and nutritious.</li><li>If food aversions limit your intake, find alternative sources for the nutrients you’re missing.</li></ul>

Food cravings are among the most typical early symptoms of pregnancy and often continue thoughout pregnancy.