Preparing for pregnancy

My partner and I are planning to start a family next year, other than folic acid is there anything else I need to do to prepare my body for pregnancy?

 

There are a number of nutritional measures that can be undertaken to enhance the chance of conception. Many studies have found that a better diet and lifestyle can boost the chance of conceiving, one study carried out by the University of Surrey found that diet and lifestyle changes could enhance the chance of conception by up to 80 per cent!

It takes at least three months for immature eggs (oocytes) to mature enough to be released during ovulation. It also takes at least three months for sperm cells to develop, ready to be ejaculated. When you are preparing your body for pregnancy, it’s beneficial to have a three-month preparation period before trying to conceiving. This is called 'pre-conception care' and it's as important to take as much care during this period as it is during a pregnancy itself.

Here are five simple steps to help prepare your body for a baby.

1. The first place to start is to look at your current weight, are you a healthy weight for your height. Research has highlighted that women who are overweight or underweight at the time they fall pregnant are at greater risk of experiencing problems in pregnancy, than women of a healthy weight. If you are either above or bellow a healthy weight it is advisable to reach a healthy weight before trying to conceive.

2. Eat a healthy well balanced diet with a range of different foods to ensure the widest range of natural nutrients.

Include:-

-Low glycemic load carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, wholegrain bread, basmati rice, vegetables and fruit.

-Healthy amount of protein ideally from organic or grass fed animals, eggs, nuts, seeds, eggs and legumes.

-Healthy fats, by ideally eating two servings of oily fish per week and a small handful of mixed seeds/nuts per day.

3. Drink plenty of water. Water is essential for hormone balance and helps nutrients travel to your organs including your reproductive organs, it is also important in the removal of toxins. Eliminate or severely reduce caffeine. Drinking more than 300mg is linked to a higher rate of miscarriages. Men aren’t immune either and studies indicate that problems with sperm health increase with caffeine consumption.

2. Eat at least five portions of vegetables/fruit a day. Fruit and vegetables help supply your body with valuable vitamins, mineral and antioxidants as well as fibre. A study of a thousand pregnant women found those who ate 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day were 46% less likely to miscarry so this is a habit that you want to develop early. Fruit and vegetables also supply vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and studies show that it could protect against DNA damage.

3. Eat high fiber foods. Fiber is important as it helps to keep the reproductive system in optimal condition as it clears out toxins and old hormone residue. Eat plenty of vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts and seed, wholegrain bread, oats, quinoa, basmati rice, these are also packed with fertility boosting nutrients such as zinc, selenium and many B vitamins

4. Stop drinking and smoking, Research has shown that in men alcohol can cause a decrease in sperm count, lowering proportions of motile sperm and increasing chances of abnormal sperm. In women it could affect her ovulating or decrease her egg quality. Alcohol is also classed as an anti-nutrient so, as well as causing the loss of nutrients, it can block the absorption of them.

5. Zinc is essential for conception; deficiencies in zinc can impair both male and female fertility. It is an essential component of genetic material and a zinc deficiency could potentially cause chromosome changes, leading to reduced fertility and an increased risk of miscarriage. Zinc is essential for the female hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. It is also required to make the outer layer and tail of the sperm its essential for the health sperm and, subsequently a healthy baby. Zinc is found in almonds, fish, beans, yogurt, corn, eggs and peas.

Food to help heal bones

Q. I have broken my leg and want to make sure I eat enough protein to mend it fast, could you tell me what foods I need to include?A. Good nutrition is one of the important influences on fracture healing. The healing time for broken bones is influenced by a number of variables and good nutrition will certainly have a huge impact.

It is well documented that calcium is essential for bone health; calcium improves bone density and can also reduce the risk of fractures. One of the key roles of calcium in the body is to act as a neutraliser. When you eat too much acid food – such as protein – your body calls up calcium reserves from the bones to counteract the acidity, too much acid is neutralised by the bodies’ release of calcium, an alkane mineral that is stored in your bones.

The best way to make your diet more alkaline is to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables each day, and choose good quality animal protein such as fish or eggs. Avoid caffeine and soft drinks as caffeine causes the loss of calcium, and soft drinks will also cause a leaching effect from your bones as they are high in phosphorus.

There's no doubt that calcium is imperative to build up and maintain the strength of our bones, but high levels in our diets or in supplements do not necessarily mean that the calcium is actually reaching our bones. When we consume calcium we need both stomach acid and vitamin D in order to absorb calcium properly. Many other nutrients are similarly critical for healthy bones, and these include magnesium, vitamin C vitamin D, zinc and boron. This is why it is imperative not to focus exclusively on calcium, but to take a range of nutrients that are important for the bones.

Magnesium, helps to metabolise calcium and in turn converts vitamin D – which helps regulates calcium absorption and excretion, especially when calcium intake is low – to the active form necessary to ensure that calcium is efficiently absorbed. Richest food source include - curly kale, broccoli, spinach, okra, peas, brown rice, quinoa, oatcakes, figs, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, Brazil nuts, prawns and lentils. Vitamin C is important in the manufacture of collagen, the 'cement’ that holds the bone matrix together. Richest food source: Citrus fruits, kiwi fruit, black currants, berries, tomatoes and peppers. Vitamin D is important for proper calcium metabolism and low levels have been shown to reduce bone density. Richest food source: Oily fish, egg yolk, molasses, wheat germ, broccoli and kelp (vitamin D is also formed by the skin from UV sunlight). Zinc is needed for the proper formation of osteoclasts and osteoblasts, the two cells which are essential for bone repair. Richest food sources include - peas, chickpeas, prawns, squid, chicken, turkey, lean red meat, white fish, oatcakes, oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat noodles, pine nuts, cashew nuts, pumpkin seeds, crab, lobster and sardines. Boron, a trace mineral, is also needed as it plays a crucial part in the conversion of vitamin D into its active form. Richest food sources of boron: include pears, prunes, pulses, raisins, tomatoes, and apples.

Once the plaster cast is removed, usually after approx 6 weeks, Mobilization, i.e. weight bearing exercises and isometric exercises should be undertaken to ensure that healing and strengthening continues.

 

Which rice is healthier ?

Which Rice is Healthier? There are an increasing number of different types of rice to choose from these days at the supermarkets long-grain, short-grain, white, brown, basmati, instant, wild, it can be a mind field to know which one to choose.

Brown rice still has the whole grain intact, this meaning that both the germ and the bran parts of the grain have been preserved. In contrast these are removed in white rice. When the germ and bran are removed rice is quicker to cook and flutter and lighter in taste.

As you would expect brown rice is higher in vitamins and minerals when compared to white rice. It also has more fiber. Fiber has many benefits, one of the benefits is that it slow down the speed at which carbohydrates are converted into blood sugar, fiber lowers the “glycemic load” of a food.  Fiber also helps sends your brain the signal that you're full. But if the fiber is taken out (as is the case with refined carbohydrates  such as white rice, this results in a fast-rise in blood sugar which triggers your pancreas to release a flood of insulin, the hormone that not only lowers blood sugar but also signals your body to store fat. A study from Penn State University compared how much belly fat people lost when they ate whole grains instead of refined grains, and the results were significant: The whole-grain eaters lost 2.4 times more fat!

Another study published looked at the importance of choosing whole grains such as brown rice rather than refined grain, i.e., white rice, to maintain a healthy body weight. In this study the Harvard Medical School / Brigham and Women's Hospital study, collected data on over 74,000 female nurses aged 38-63 years over a 12 year period, weight gain was inversely associated with the intake of high-fiber, whole-grain foods but positively related to the intake of refined-grain foods. Not only did women who consumed more whole grains consistently weigh less than those who ate less of these fiber-rich foods, but those consuming the most dietary fiber from whole grains were 49% less likely to gain weight compared to those eating foods made from refined grains.

There is however an exception to the rule and this is basmati rice, because this has the lowest glycaemic load, this is because of its higher amylose content.  Amylose is a type of carbohydrate that is more resistant to digestion, thus giving it a lower glycemic index. So over all brown rice is the more nutrient rich rice to go for however white basmali rice is better than long grain America rice.

Anderson JW, Hanna TJ, Peng X, Kryscio RJ. Whole grain foods and heart disease risk. J Am Coll Nutr 2000 Jun;19(3 Suppl):291S-9S. 2000. PMID:17670.