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Rosemary is a member of the mint family and the name is derived from its Latin origin to mean “dew of the sea.” Rosemary is a perennial herb with fragrant evergreen needle-like leaves. It is native to the Mediterranean region and commonly found in Mediterranean cuisine. It has somewhat a bitter astringent taste and compliments oily foods very nicely. A tisane can be made from the Rosemary leaves and that is also very popular when cooking.

First it is burned and then added to a BBQ to flavor various foods. Sage, unlike many other herbs has a high nutritional value to it and is rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6 and is more nutritional in its dried form rather than fresh. Rosemary should be harvested just as you are going to use it because it truly loses its flavor once dried. Gardner’s swear that if you plant some Rosemary plants in and around your garden, the Rosemary will fend off moths, beetles, and carrot flies.

Older Europeans loved Rosemary and believed that it improved memory and also used it as a symbol of remembrance and was often tossed into fresh graves before they were buried over. Traditionally it has been said that Rosemary, left untrimmed, would grow for thirty three years where it will reach the height of Christ when he was crucified.

Many would also place sprigs of Rosemary underneath their pillows to ward off evil and nightmares. Often the wood that comes from the stems of the Rosemary plant was used to make musical instruments. Remember that people back then liked to utilize every piece of something as not to waste. Today, many wreaths are made from Rosemary as a symbol of remembrance.

Today, Rosemary is still used for many things besides cooking as it is in potpourris, air fresheners, shampoos, and cosmetics. There has also been scientific evidence that Rosemary works very well as a memory stimulant. Rosemary has also shown some cancer prevention properties in animals. But further Rosemary has shown a strong relationship in relaxing muscles, and to soothe stomach upset as well as menstrual cramps. The main thing to remember when using Rosemary for this purpose is that if you use too much it can actually cause a counter effect.

When made into a tea it is ingested for calming nerves and anxiety and as an antiseptic. Many people find Rosemary to taste very refreshing when used as a tea. Making Rosemary tea is quite simple, just pour boiling water over the leaves and steep for 10-15 minutes. A little sugar can be added, don’t add any cream though as this will take away its good taste. A few sprigs can be added to oils and vinegars to flavor the products which add a nice taste for cooking.

When used cosmetically, it can lighten and tone human hair. It has been known to strengthen hair too when mixed with equal parts of shampoo. It also makes for a nice additive in hot bath water. Rosemary has many usages and benefits, however, it’s more often used for cooking than anything else nowadays.

health benefits of rosemary, usage of rosemary

Tags: Herbal Health by leon
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Typically a psychological disorder patient would get his treatments through medication and services from a mental health institution or facilities. However, advocates of Complementary and Alternative Medicine believe that more holistic approaches could also be rendered to patients in conjunction to their medical treatments.

While there are no conclusive proofs or approved therapeutic claims that these alternatives really work, they have been practiced for years and have yielded significant positive results in their own fields. Here are some the suggested alternative solutions to mental health care:

Slowing down

Daily stressors contribute to the development of several mental health disorders. In fact, stress itself is considered as a threat to mental health. It disrupts sleep, thinking and rest and it could affect the way we function everyday. Hence it is important to learn and adopt several methods that could help lessen the negative stressors we are exposed to everyday.

Biofeedback – This method is normally used in treating mental health disorders such as phobias, panic and anxiety. This works by controlling the involuntary muscle functioning such as skin temperature and heart rate and by controlling muscle tension.

Massage therapy – Advocates of this method believe that tapping, rubbing, and brushing the skin and muscle groups could relieve pent up emotions and internal tension. People suffering from severe cases of stress and post-traumatic disorders are usually advised to have massage therapy regularly.

Visualization – Another method to lessen tension and stress is to redirect the perception and the individual techniques on visualization. This works by entering into a deep state of relaxation where the person could create relaxing and “friendly” images that will contribute to his well-being and lessen the occurrence of unwanted thoughts that are detrimental to one’s mental health.

Traditional alternative approaches

Ayurdeva – Imported from Indian Traditional Medicine, Ayurdeva is a holistic approach to caring your mental health. This seeks balance on the body energies rather than on the symptoms that affect the body. This system of traditional treatments includes yoga, a widely practiced alternative solution in the Western world these days. Yoga makes use of postures, exercises, stretches and meditation to achieve the balance of body energies.

Native American approaches – Cleansing rituals and chants are part of the Indian Health Services Programs that are focused on treating people suffering from depression, stress-related disorders and anxiety disorders.

Acupuncture – Used in treating many other ailments in the body, acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical approach that could also be used as treatment to mental disorders. It makes use of needles with various sizes that are inserted to different pressure points in the body to enable the flow of energy.

Diet and Nutrition

According to studies, diet and nutrition affects the manner by which our brains work. If it is deprived with certain nutrients, the brain may fail to function the way it should be.

Vitamin and nutrient intake – According to some studies, there are specific vitamins that our brain needs in order to produce other chemicals that are crucial in maintaining our moods. Also, some vitamins are important in preventing the development of neurological and degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, proper intake of these vitamins and minerals plus supplementation of essential nutrients are highly recommended to maintain mental health.

Mental health care does not only include medical treatments, support of other approaches is also needed to maximize the possibility of patient recovery.

alternative mental health care, mental health care, mental healthcare

Tags: Mental Health by leon
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If you want to lose weight, whether it be for a special occasion or you just want to feel better about yourself than you have probably at some point encountered many false claims regarding weight loss. There is so much conflicting information on what to do, what not to do and so on that it can become overwhelming. This article intends to cut through this and to make it clear what you should be doing to help you lose weight.

One of biggest myths that will you come across is the idea that eating snacks between meals is detrimental to your diet. This is not true. Having a snack between meals can actually help your diet. If you starve yourself between your set mealtimes then your body will conserve energy by storing fat. Moreover, if you ignore hunger between meals, you are far more likely to overeat at lunchtime.

Eating in between meals is fine if you choose the right food. Instead of relying on the vending machine, take fruits and other low-fat products to work. A successful diet plan is based on your calories intake, not the amount of meals that you eat in a day.

Another myth is the idea that all carbohydrates are bad for your diet. This is not the case. Instead what is important to understand is that there different kinds of carbohydrates available. They get a bad press because of the carbohydrates that contain calories such as sugar. If you choose carbohydrates with low fat and low sugar such as wholegrain bread and grain pasta then you will not put on weight. Perhaps you might find it interesting to know that when exercising the body will use carbohydrates to burn fat.

You will hear some people argue that if you skip breakfast then your diet will fail. Again this is not true. What counts is your daily calorie intake. It is perfectly OK to not eat as soon as you wake up and this is entirely your preference. However you do not want to allow yourself to go too long without food as this increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day. A light snack such as fruit or a low-fat yogurt is fine.

Another myth is that you should avoid all fat-based food. If you do this you will be harming your diet. This sounds contradictory but your body needs a certain amount of fat. This is good for you as it makes you feel full after you have eaten. By eliminating fat from your diet you increase your hunger levels and so at some point you will eat more. Fat intake in moderation as part of a diet that monitors calories will be beneficial to your overall health.

The next two myths go hand in hand. Some people argue that there is no need to count calories and instead you should just focus on exercise as this is what will help you to lose weight.

These are half truths. You need to be methodical about your weight loss program. If you do not record your calorie intake then you are more likely to underestimate it. By recording this information you can calculate what your projected intake will be in proportion to your exercise routine.

Reductil, Acomplia and Xenical are two products that helped me lose weight.

Tags: Weight Loss by DanielMillions
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How much water should you drink? If you keep up with health trends, you’ve probably heard something like eight glasses per day. There are some books that advocate even more, saying that most people are seriously dehydrated and do not know it.

There are two aspects to the water and health equation -quantity and quality. That is, how much water should you drink and what kind of water is best to drink. My own conclusion from the research I have done is that quality is the more important of these factors. This is especially true today, when so much of our water, including most bottled and even filtered water, is contaminated.

Now obviously quantity is important as well. In fact, at the most basic level, you need a certain amount of water to survive. So when I say quality is more important I am assuming you are not in an extreme situation where any kind of water at all is scarce. So assuming you have access to enough water, how much should you drink? I am going to resolve this question with a previously concealed secret scientific formula that you may not understand without advanced knowledge of mathematics and physics. Ready? Okay, here it is: “as much as you want.”

Yes, I’m going to say that, as an advocate of a natural approach to nutrition and health, the best indicator in most cases is your body’s own natural mechanism of thirst. There are some cases, such as if you are preoccupied with a strenuous activity, such as physical work or some highly aerobic exercise, and you simply forget to drink enough. This can be dangerous and lead to dehydration. So you do have to pay attention to your body’s need for water. Yet if you do pay attention, you will find that you are indeed thirsty when you need water.

So what about the quality aspect of the equation? This is a bit trickier, and cannot be reduced to a fake scientific formula, as I did for quantity. The fact is, you really cannot rely on the purity of most tap or bottled water. It is generally better to drink water that has been purified to any extent than plain tap water, but in the long run you are definitely better off investing in a good quality water purification system.

What about distilled or reverse osmosis water? Both of these de-mineralize water. This is a controversial subject, but once again I will come down on the “natural” answer. You will not find distilled water anywhere in nature; it is a laboratory creation. Now distilled water is certainly better than water that is seriously contaminated, but I’d prefer to drink pure water with the many beneficial minerals that nature intended.

So, when it comes down to it, the solution to the “healthy water” equation is fairly simple -drink as much pure water as your body asks for.

Larry Christopher is a writer and researcher on many topics, including the arts, metaphysics, cultural issues and health and wellness. For more about this topic, go to Healthy Water

Tags: Wellness, Fitness and Diet by LarryChristopher
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When a person is experiencing psychological or emotional difficulties (hereafter called “mental health problems”), they may well attend their GP. The GP will interview them and based on the nature and severity of the persons symptoms may either recommend treatment himself or refer the person on to a specialist. There can seem a bewildering array of such specialists, all with rather similar titles, and one can wonder as to why they’ve been referred to one specialist rather than another. In this article I give an outline of the qualifications, roles and typical working styles of these specialists. This may be of interest to anyone who is about to, or already seeing, these specialists.

The General Practitioner

Although not a mental health specialist, the GP is a common first contact for those with mental health problems. A GP is a doctor who possesses a medical degree (usually a five-year course) and has completed a one-year “pre-registration” period in a general hospital (six-months on a surgical ward and six-months on a medical ward as a “junior house officer”). Following this a GP has completed a number of six-month placements in various hospital-based specialities – typical choices include obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, psychiatry and/or general medicine. Finally, a year is spent in general practice as a “GP registrar” under the supervision of a senior GP. During this period, most doctors will take examinations to obtain the professional qualification of the Royal College of General Practitioners (“Member of the Royal College of General Practitioners”, or MRCGP). Others qualifications, such as diplomas in child health, may also be obtained.

The GP is thus a doctor with a wide range of skills and experience, able to recognise and treat a multitude of conditions. Of course the necessity of this wide range of experience places limits on the depth of knowledge and skills that they can acquire. Therefore, if a patient’s condition is rare or, complicated, or particularly severe and requiring hospital-based treatment, then they will refer that patient on to a specialist.

Focusing on mental health problems it will be noted that whilst the majority of GP’s have completed a six-month placement in psychiatry, such a placement is not compulsory for GP’s. However, mental health problems are a common reason for attending the GP and, subsequently, GP’s tend to acquire a lot of experience “on the job”.

Most GP’s feel able to diagnose and treat the common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety. The treatments will typically consist of prescribing medication (such as antidepressants or anxiolytics) in the first instance. If these are ineffective, alternative medication may be tried, or they may refer the patient to a specialist. GP’s are more likely to refer a patient to a specialist immediately if their condition is severe, or they are suicidal, or they are experiencing “psychotic” symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions.

The Psychiatrist

This is a fully qualified doctor (possessing a medical degree plus one year pre-registration year in general hospital) who has specialised in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems. Most psychiatrists commence their psychiatric training immediately following their pre-registration year and so have limited experience in other areas of physical illness (although some have trained as GP’s and then switched to psychiatry at a later date). Psychiatric training typically consists of a three-year “basic” training followed by a three year “specialist training”. During basic training, the doctor (as a “Senior House Officer” or SHO) undertakes six-month placements in a variety of psychiatric specialities taken from a list such as; General Adult Psychiatry, Old Age Psychiatry (Psychogeriatrics), Child and Family Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry (the diagnosis and treatment of mentally ill offenders), Learning Disabilities and the Psychiatry of Addictions. During basic training, the doctor takes examinations to obtain the professional qualification of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (“Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists” or MRCPsych).

After obtaining this qualification, the doctor undertakes a further three-year specialist-training placement as a “Specialist Registrar” or SpR. At this point the doctor chooses which area of psychiatry to specialise in – General Adult Psychiatry, Old Age Psychiatry etc – and his placements are selected appropriately. There are no further examinations, and following successful completion of this three-year period, the doctor receives a “Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training” or CCST. He can now be appointed as a Consultant Psychiatrist.

The above is a typical career path for a psychiatrist. However, there are an increasing number of job titles out with the SHO-SpR-Consultant rubric. These include such titles as “Staff Grade Psychiatrist” and “Associate Specialist in Psychiatry”. The doctors with these titles have varying qualifications and degrees of experience. Some may possess the MRCPsych but not the CCST (typically, these are the Associate Specialists); others may possess neither or only part of the MRCPsych (many Staff Grades).

Psychiatrists of any level or job title will have significant experience in the diagnosis and treatment of people with mental health difficulties, and all (unless themselves a consultant) will be supervised by a consultant.

Psychiatrists have particular skill in the diagnosis of mental health problems, and will generally be able to provide a more detailed diagnosis (i.e. what the condition is) and prognosis (i.e. how the condition changes over time and responds to treatment) than a GP. The psychiatrist is also in a better position to access other mental health specialists (such as Psychologists and Community Psychiatric Nurses or CPNs) when needed. They also have access to inpatient and day patient services for those with severe mental health problems.

The mainstay of treatment by a psychiatrist is, like with GP’s, medication. However, they will be more experienced and confident in prescribing from the entire range of psychiatric medications – some medications (such as the antipsychotic Clozapine) are only available under psychiatric supervision and others (such as the mood-stabiliser Lithium) are rarely prescribed by GP’s

without consulting a psychiatrist first.

A psychiatrist, as a rule, does not offer “talking treatments” such as psychotherapy, cognitive therapy or counselling. The latter may be available “in-house” at the GP surgery – some surgeries employ a counsellor to whom they can refer directly.

Psychologists and allied mental health staff typically provide the more intensive talking therapies. Some senior mental health nurses and CPNs will have been trained in specific talking therapies. It is to a Psychologist or a trained nurse that a psychiatrist will refer a patient for talking therapy. These therapies are suitable for certain conditions and not for others – generally, conditions such as Schizophrenia and psychosis are less appropriate for these therapies than the less severe and more common conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, phobia(s) and addictions. In many cases, a patient will be prescribed both medication and a talking therapy – thus they may be seen by both a therapist and a psychiatrist over the course of their treatment.

The Psychologist

A qualified clinical psychologist is educated and trained to an impressive degree. In addition to a basic degree in Psychology (a three year course) they will also have completed a PhD (“Doctor of Philosophy” or “Doctorate”) – a further three-year course involving innovative and independent research in some aspect of psychology. They will also be formally trained in the assessment and treatment of psychological conditions, although with a more “psychological” slant than that of psychiatrists. Psychologists do not prescribe medication. They are able to offer a wide range of talking therapies to patients, although they typically specialise and become expert in one particular style of therapy. The therapies a particular psychologist will offer may vary from a colleague, but will usually be classifiable under the title of Psychotherapy (e.g. Analytic Psychotherapy, Transactional Analysis, Emotive therapy, Narrative therapy etc) or Cognitive Therapy (e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) or Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) etc).

The Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN)

These are mental health trained nurses that work in the community. They will have completed a two or three year training programme in mental health nursing – this leads to either a diploma or a degree, depending on the specific course. They are not usually “general trained”, meaning their experience of physical illness will be limited. Following completion of the course they will have spent a variable amount of time in placements on an inpatient psychiatric unit – this time can range from twelve months to several years. They can then apply to be a CPN – they are required to show a good knowledge and significant experience of mental health problems before being appointed.

CPNs are attached to Community Mental Health Teams and work closely with psychiatrists, psychologists and other staff. They offer support, advice and monitoring of patients in the community, usually visiting them at home. They can liaise with other mental health staff on behalf of the patient and investigate other support networks available (such as the mental health charities).

Some CPNs will be formally trained in one or more “talking therapies”, usually a cognitive therapy such as CBT (see “Allied Therapists” below).

“Allied” Therapists

Many “talking therapies” are offered by non-psychologists – for example, mental health nurses and mental health occupational therapists, can undertake a training course in a cognitive therapy like CBT. After successful completion of the course, the nurse will be qualified and able to offer CBT to patients. The length and intensity of these courses can vary dramatically, depending on the type of therapy and the establishment providing the course. Some are intensive, full-time one or two week courses; others are part-time and can extend over months and years. Perhaps a typical course will be one or two days a week for two to three months. Formal educational qualifications are not necessary to undertake these courses, and they are open to “lay” people with little or no experience of the NHS mental health services. Of course this is not necessarily a problem - it may even be considered a positive point!

Some of those therapists thus qualified will offer their skills as part of their work in the NHS – for instance, a nurse, CPN or occupational therapist may offer cognitive therapy to a patient that has been referred by a psychiatrist. Unfortunately this is relatively rare at the moment, presumably due to the reluctance of the NHS to pay for such training for their staff. As a result these therapies are more accessible on a private basis.

Summary

An individual with psychological difficulties will normally attend their GP in the first instance. The GP will usually have encountered similar problems with other patients and can offer a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. If the condition is unusual or particularly severe, the GP can refer the patient to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist is able to access a wider range of treatments (medications and hospital care) and can, if necessary, recruit other mental health professionals to help the patient. This system perhaps works best with the severely mentally ill such as those with psychotic symptoms or who are suicidal.

The Mental Health Services in the NHS are generally less well suited to those with psychological problems of a less severe nature – the moderately depressed, the anxious, the phobic etc. The availability of “talking therapies” is limited in the NHS, with long waiting lists or even no provision at all in some areas. This appears to be due both to the cost of training staff appropriately and the time-intensive nature of these therapies.

For those with such conditions, the main option is to seek help outside the NHS. There are some voluntary organisations that offer free counselling for specific problems such as bereavement or marital/relationship difficulties, but more intensive therapies (such as CBT or NLP) are typically fee based. Your GP or local Community Mental Health Team may be able to recommend a local private therapist.

Karen is an Occupational Therapist. Karen has worked in the NHS and her specialist area is Mental-Health. Karen also practises privately in edinburgh. She offers therapies such as NLP, and Hypnotherapy for emotional, psychological and behavioural problems. Visit http://www.karenhastings.co.uk

Tags: Mental Health by KarenHastings,
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Eucalyptus is an aromatic herb that has properties that provide great relief as a decongestant and an expectorant. For centuries Vick’s which is made as a Eucalyptus rub is applied to the back and chest of a person who has a common cold or any other respiratory distress. It is known to loosen the mucus in the chest so that it can be coughed up and expelled.

Eucalyptus also has some antibiotic association with it. Eucalyptus has both internal and external uses. Internally it is the leaves that are used for herbal teas that are able to assist people by acting as a diuretic, an anti-diabetic and also has some anti-tumor properties. The Eucalyptus oils are almost never used internally or ingested but on rare occasion a doctor might use a miniscule amount for nasal congestion, bronchial disease and other respiratory problems.

Externally, Eucalyptus is used as a vapor rub and while it is recommended that it be rubbed on the chest and back area it is also good for inhalation in such ways as steam vaporizers. Some even boil water and drop a teaspoon of vapor rub into it so an ill person can breathe in the fumes which will help to break up the congestion in the lungs. Quite often people have used the very same rub for sprains, bruises, and muscle aches and pains.

Never underestimate the power of Eucalyptus oil as it can be beneficial for many reasons. First it is a very powerful antiseptic, it is used to treat pyorrhea which is a gum disease. It is often used to treat burns too. One thing you can bank on is that insects do not like Eucalyptus so if you mix some with water and put it in a spray bottle you can be sure that bugs will stay away.

A small drop on the tip of the tongue is said to take away nausea. Many people will soak a cloth in Eucalyptus and put them in their pantries or closets to fend off bugs and roaches. Another quick tip is a few sniffs of Eucalyptus… It’s said to help someone who has fainted and when mixed with cinnamon is known to alleviate the symptoms of the flu.

Eucalyptus is also commonly used for aromatherapy too because when mixed with other oils it is extremely beneficial. The effects of Eucalyptus are stimulating and balancing and the scent is very woody. For the purposes of aromatherapy it blends well with Juniper, Lavender, and Marjoram. Eucalyptus when used in aromatherapy does the body good as it helps to relieve mental fatigue, improves mental clarity and alertness, sharpens the senses, refreshes and revives, stimulating, and energizing.

It also has great effects on the body as it feels cooling; it relieves pain and sore muscles, breaks up congestion, and reduces inflammation. Eucalyptus incorporated with aromatherapy offers pure enjoyment. Inhaling the fragrance of Eucalyptus can reduce stress and lessen depression. It makes for an overall sense of better well being. Eucalyptus is great for both bathing and also for massage oils.

eucalyptus health tips, health benefits of eucalyptus

Tags: Herbal Health by leon
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The surgery has steps taken to modify the amount of digestive tract that is available for the absorption of nutrients thus limiting the amount of nutrients the body absorbs. There are many types of procedures that can be carried out and they are as varied as the approaches they take to lessen the absorption factors. Though some have limitations and not everybody can undergo these procedures maybe due to underlying diseases but patients who do succeed and are candidates do get manageable results to remedy their severe obesity. Grouped into three major areas; Malabsorptive Procedures, Restrictive procedures, and mixed procedures which can attain the effects from a combination of the two previous processes.

Malabsorptive procedures are generally done to lessen the stomach area that is available to absorb and digest nutrients. This can be a bilo-pancreatic division procedure where the stomach is made smaller and the small intestine is then connected to that smaller pouch. This is now loosing appeal due to some problems associated with malnutrition in patients who fail to eat proper diets, succumbing to the opposite of obesity. Another procedure, the Jejuno-ileal bypass is no longer performed due to complications. The act of lessening the area of the stomach is usually permanent and the tissue is absorbed by the body as it is no longer used.

The next group of bariatric surgery, are the restrictive procedures which can have the stomach either permanently made smaller with stapes or have an elastic adjustable band attached to it allowing adjustment of the volume it can contain. The last group, are the most successful for they combine the good points of all the previous procedures, making the stomach shorter and bypassing most of the intestines lessening the absorptive powers of the digestive tract. Gastric bypass surgery, has the stomach stapled making it smaller then the intestines is cut and attached to that smaller pouch. This has seen the most success for it still maintains the function of the whole digestive tract and just diminishes the ability of the organs within to absorb nutrients through volume reduction and bypassing most of the intestines through re-attachment.

The term detoxification is a misnomer for the body has its natural detoxification system which is the liver and there is no more need in boosting or augmenting it. The liver is the best detoxification system in the human body which filters out all the body’s toxins sending them out as waste. Another area of artificial fashionable fat loss/reduction products, contain herbal ingredients that over stimulate the body leading to heat stroke due to the loss of too much fluids from the blood which can lead to shock and even death. Choose a diet and exercise regimen that allows loss of a pound or two a week which is more normal and allows the body to re-adjust to the new diet and body mass accordingly. Nothing that is promised to work in a few days that promises tens of pounds off is safe so be healthy.

The stories come out right before awards nights with many celebrities swearing to their effectivity, fasting and detoxification diets. They say they work, yet experts say they’re dangerous. First, depriving your body of the full myriad of minerals contained in the various foodstuffs we eat can cause the body’s natural balance to become erratic leading to mood-swings, loss of energy and more serious effects to one’s health. The variety of foods we eat contains more or less the total amount of minerals fiber and compounds that allows us to stay healthy which is why doctors recommend a well balanced diet from all the food groups. Take away one and it would be similar to pulling one leg from a table and your body tumbles down. There is no quick way to loose weight and you weigh what you eat. The more active a person is the more calories is burned off.

Jon Caldwell is a professional content manager. Much of his articles can be found at http://everythingaboutweightloss.net

Tags: Weight Loss by JonCaldwell
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Eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is the greatest gift you could give to your unborn baby as well as yourself.  It’s common for many moms to forget that they also benefit in eating healthy during their pregnancy.  What you eat has a direct effect as to how well your body copes and recovers from all the physical changes it goes through.  It also helps with the physical and emotional challenge of carrying and delivering a baby.

The truth is, most pregnant women rarely walk around all nine months with that rosy glow everyone talks about.  In the first three months some of us walk around a nasty shade of green and in a hazy fog.  The second three months are a little better, and we are no longer green but we deal with other issues such as varicose veins and leg cramps.

In the third trimester, we are back to the hazy fog again and have other issues such as swelling and heartburn as well.  Some of these can be avoided with a good diet.  Eating foods that have some complex carbs can help reduce your tiredness and staying away from fatty foods will help with the heartburn.

Research has shown that pregnant women who eat healthy throughout their pregnancy usually have a safe and uncomplicated pregnancy. Studies have also shown that some pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or high blood pressure can be directly related to deficiencies in a pregnant woman’s diet.  High amounts of sugar and polyunsaturated fats increase this risk as well as having a low intake of vitamin c, e and magnesium.

Perhaps the biggest benefits of eating healthy during your pregnancy is that it could help you during labor and delivery.  A well balanced pregnancy diet has been said to help prevent preterm labor, which is labor before 37 weeks.  A good diet can also help you cope with labor and delivery better.  Any woman who has given birth knows how much energy it takes to endure hours of contractions and sometimes hours of pushing.   Eating healthy will ensure that you have the energy and the stamina to get through the entire delivery process.

Once you have delivered your little one, it is still important to continue your good habit of healthy eating especially in the postpartum period.  Your body needs a lot of resources to recover from all the stretching, blood loss and sleep deprivation.  Not to mention you still need to take care of the newborn.  It is just as important in the months following your delivery to continue to eat well.  It is essential to eat as though you were pregnant for at least three months after delivery.

A final added bonus to eating healthy throughout your pregnancy is that you may never stop eating healthy.  This is setting up the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy living for yourself and your children.  If you continue to eat and live healthy you are setting a great example for all your kids and those who are close to you.

healthy diet during pregnancy, healthy eating during pregnancy

Tags: Pregnancy Nutrition by leon
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