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Food in pregnancy

You may not think it but nutrition is very important in your pregnancy. So many women suffer or put up with certain conditions that can either be avoided or alleviated earlier through controlling diet and supplements.

Early pregnancy can become obvious if you feel sick or have nausea, but did you know that simple changes to your diet can actually make a big difference to how you’re feeling? Fancy not having to be sick or feel like you’re teetering on the edge of a sailing ship!
As nutrition plays a key role in a healthy pregnancy, good nutrition can also help alleviate some of the problems commonly experienced.
Morning Sickness
Blood sugar imbalances and dehydration are two of the contributing factors to morning sickness. To keep blood sugar stable it is important to eat little and often. Small complex carbohydrate snacks such as oatcakes, crackers, rye crackers can be eaten throughout the day. It is best to eat little and often and avoid stimulants such as tea, coffee and sugary snacks. Drinking plenty of water or herbal teas such as mint, ginger or rooibos can help to prevent dehydration.
Constipation
The growing size of the baby and hormonal changes all contribute to your digestive system being a bit more sluggish than usual. If constipation persists you may find yourself straining which can lead to haemorrhoids. Eating more natural soluble fibre helps to bulk up the stools and make them easier to pass. Soluble fibre is found in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. Sprinkling a tablespoon of linseeds a day on your cereals or salads is a good way of adding fibre.
Heartburn
The digestive organs become squashed as the baby grows in size and the extra hormones in the body relax the valve at the top of the stomach in some cases allowing some of the gastric juices to escape upwards. Eat little and often and try and stay upright after eating. Some foods may aggravate the condition so avoid spicy food, coffee and sweet sugary foods. Taking digestive enzymes with your meals and drinking peppermint tea after eating may help with this.
Leg Cramps
If you experience cramping in your calves then this may be an indication of a calcium deficiency. Make sure that you include plenty of calcium rich foods such as dark green leafy vegetables in your diet or consider taking a calcium supplement.
Gestational Diabetes
It is important to keep blood sugar levels at a constant level. Eating little and often and choosing foods that digest more slowly in the body such as complex carbohydrates can help to maintain blood sugar levels.
A qualified nutritional therapist would generally give advice on diet, supplements and lifestyle. Any advice given would be based on your specific requirements as an individual after taking a full medical history and diet and lifestyle analysis.