Important Nutrients During Pregnancy
Nutrition is always an important equation for your optimal health, and in Pregnancy, it’s can easily be argued that nutrition is more important than ever since it impacts both the mom and baby.
Calcium for Strong Bones
• Dairy Foods
• Canned Sardines/Salmon
• Fortified Cereals/Breads
• Oatmeal
• Orange Juice (fresh squeezed/juiced)
• Collard Greens
Carbohydrates for Energy
• Whole Grains
• Vegetables
• Brown Rice
Folate (Folic Acid) for Preventing Birth Defects
• Lentils
• Fortified Grain Foods
• Dark-green leafy vegetables
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Green Peas
• Oranges
• Melons
• Chickpeas
• Spinach
Healthy Fats for Boosting Baby’s Brain Function and Health
• Fish
• Olive Oil
• Avocados
• Wild Pacific Salmon (low in mercury)
Vitamin A for Baby’s Skin, Eyesight and Bones
• Liver
• Eggs
• Vegetables (green and yellow)
• Milk
B Vitamins for Baby’s Brain and Vital Organs
• Beef
• Nuts
• Beets
• Chicken
• Potatoes
• Spinach
Fiber for Regularity
• Whole Grains
• Beans
• Water
• Fruits and Vegetables
Iron for Red Blood Cell Production
• Lean Red Meats
• Spinach
• Green leafy vegetables (such as Kale and Turnip Greens)
• Liver
• Molasses
• Canned Oysters
Vitamin C for Preventing Preterm Delivery
• Strawberries
• Red Peppers
• Cantaloupe
• Broccoli
• Citrus Fruits/Juices
• Mangoes
• Tomatoes
Vitamin D for Utilizing Calcium
• Sunshine!
• Milk
Vitamin E for Baby’s Muscle Development
• Sunflower Seeds
• Nuts
• Spinach
Protein for Cell Growth and Repair
• Chicken
• Yogurt/Greek Yogurt
• Nuts
• Beans
• Eggs
• Low-Mercury Fish
• Lean cuts of Beef/Pork/Lamb
• Seafood
• Dairy Foods
• Peanut Butter
Zinc for Enzyme and Insulin production
• Oysters
• Dairy products
• Meat
During pregnancy – as before and afterwards – your diet should consist of healthy foods. Every food you eat has a purpose, whether it’s directly for you, your developing baby, or both.
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Image Credit: Rodale.com
Choose Health
Exercise is for People of ALL sizes
It drives me nuts when people say that I don’t need to exercise or eat healthy because I’m already at a healthy weight. Depending on who is asking me, I’ll ask them two very important questions.
1) How do you think I became this weight?
2) How do you think I stay at this weight?
I answer my own question (because usually they are still thinking about what I just asked them) and I say, “Well, it didn’t happen by accident!”. I may say it jokingly, but it’s completely true. I have to work at it, and I’m not complaining by any means, it’s just the honest truth. I have completely revamped my eating habits as well as my exercise routine and it’s made a world of difference to my overall health.
Prevention is Key
“Just because you’re not sick doesn’t mean you’re healthy.” ~Author Unknown
I believe that you should do everything you can to prevent illness in the first place. You will more than likely still become sick now and again, but not nearly as often as you would be if you didn’t have a healthy lifestyle in place. Most people will completely neglect their body until they are forced to recognize that changes needs to be made. At that point, it might already be too late. I hope you all have another chance, but I realize that’s not always everyone’s reality.
Today
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have everything you need to make healthier choices in your life. Being a “healthy person” doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. Creating a healthy lifestyle means you are continuously making healthy decisions over and over again. It doesn’t mean you have to be perfect, it just means that more often than not you are making healthy choices.
To get started, make one change that will have a positive impact. For example, you can start drinking water instead of soda . You can start eating products that are whole grain instead of made with white processed flour. You can exercise every day for 5 minutes rather than nothing at all. It all starts with the first step.
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Tags: disease, Fitness, Health, illness, Nutrition, prevention
Healthy Holiday Traditions
I have a lot of fun traditions during this time of year, and I am sure many of you can relate. After I got married, my husband and I started a new tradition that I absolutely love – Ice Skating on Christmas Eve! I love knowing that we have created a healthy holiday tradition that’s fun for the whole family, something we look forward to every year! What healthy holiday traditions do you look forward to each year?
Happy Holidays from everyone at Skinny Twinkie!
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Tags: christmas
Health Benefits of Nuts
Nuts are a huge hit when it comes to snacking! We’ve been told that they are healthy for us, we know that the contain protein, but what else is in there? There’s a whole lot more to nuts than most people realize!
Here’s a list of some common nuts and their nutritional benefits:
Almonds
• Help aids weight loss
• Rich in heart healthy fat which helps lowers cholesterol.
• In every ounce, almonds contain 6 grams of protein, 3 grams of dietary fiber, and 80 micro grams of calcium, and phosphorus and vitamin E.
• Almonds have almost no carbohydrates, which makes them a great snake for diabetics.
Brazil Nuts
• Contain large amounts of selenium, which research has shown has a protective effect fights against many different kinds of cancers, helps with thyroid function, and may even help with men’s fertility.
Cashews
• Contains high amounts of heart healthy (monounsaturated) fat, which has been shown to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.
• Very mineral rich, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and copper.
• Compared to other nuts, cashews are slightly less amount of calories, while containing a slightly higher amount of carbohydrates.
Hazelnuts
• Rich in beta-sitosterol which lowers cholesterol and lessens the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (something men over 40 commonly experience: going to the bathroom multiple times throughout the night).
• Contain vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.
Macadamia Nuts
• Boasts the highest amount of monounsaturated fat (about 80% – more than olive oil!) than the other nuts. Monounsaturated fat is great for your heart health and has been associated with lower levels of heart disease and cancer.
• Contains calcium, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, and fiber.
• Very high in calories, so eat in moderation.
Pecans
• Loaded with monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, potassium, phytosterols, and beta-sitosterol.
• May help lower the risk for type 2 Diabetes.
Pistachios
• Improves lipid profiles, decreases coronary risk, decreases oxidative stress and improves both HDL and LDL cholesterol levels.
• Unsalted pistachio nuts have a favorable potassium-to-sodium ratio which is very helpful with normalizing blood pressure and maintaining a healthy water balance in the body.
• Contain magnesium, phosphorus, phytosterols as well as other vitamins and minerals.
Walnuts
• Contains the highest amount of omega-3 fat, compared to other nuts. Omega-3′s are a remarkable brain food, which supports brain function, improves mood, and helps lower triglycerides and reduce plaque.
• Rich in manganese, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium.
It’s no surprise that studies show that those who eat nuts consistently have significantly lower risks of having a heart attack or heart disease.
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Tags: Health, health benefits, Nutrition, Nuts
Lucky Sans Sucre Winner!
Congratulations bored2quickly! Our lucky reader just won four healthy baking mixes from Sans Sucre! After trying these desserts out myself (since they have no processed sugar), I know that they are quite delicious! Enjoy!
Thank you everyone for participating! We will have many more opportunities for you to win something, so stay tuned…
Winner’s next steps: Watch for our email! It will come from editor@SkinnyTwinkie.com, and we will need you to provide us with your mailing address so we can have your prize sent directly to you.
If you do not reply back to us within 48 hours after our email, we will have to choose another winner.
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Tags: contest, no sugar, Sans Sucre, winner
