Vitamin D prevents preeclampsia

Hot Mama Alert! Are you getting enough vitamin D? The amount in your prenatal vitamins may not be enough to prevent preeclampsia.

Women with a Vitamin D deficiency in the first trimester have a five fold greater risk of preeclampsia according to a university study recorded in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Stats on Preeclampsia:

- Effects up to 7% of first pregnancies

- Often results in necessary pre-term delivery

- Leading cause of premature delivery and maternal and fetal death worldwide

- Occurs late in second trimester or in third trimester

- Symptoms include the following: high blood pressure, high levels of protein in urine, swollen hands and feet, and sudden weight gain.

Researchers stressed that even slightly low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy may double the chance of having preeclampsia. Prenatal vitamins typically have 200-400I.U. of vitamin D. This amount may not be enough to protect a Hot Mama.

1000 I.U. of vitamin D may be a more protective dose, especially for pregnant women living in Northern climates where sun exposure is low and those with darker skin. For optimal absorption, take 500 I.U. twice a day.

Body Bugg vs. Go Wear Fit, Gadgets for Weight Loss

Hey Hot Mama! Need a little extra motivation to help you shed that baby weight? Out of all the pedometers, heart rate monitors, and calorie counters, these two devices win the top prize: the Body Bugg and Go Wear Fit. These devices are not pedometers, which only measure the amount of steps that one takes. Both these little gizmos measure the amount of calories burned by measuring motion from different perspectives so time on an elliptical trainer, a dance class, an aerobics class, or a boot camp class is more accurately accounted for. Both devices are worn on an arm- band (which is easily disguised under most short sleeve shirts). The premise is this: You wear your arm band all day, you then log on to their respective site to record your food intake for the day, you plug the device into your computer via a usb cable and the program lets you know if you are over or under your allotted daily calories dependent on information about yourself that you have uploaded. If you are at a calorie deficit for the day, you are on the road to weight loss. If not, it just may motivate you to take Fido for a few laps around the block or to get out for an early morning walk tomorrow. For an extra fee, both companies offer a wrist band that lets you know how many calories you have burned without having to plug your device into your computer.

Both devices cost about the same depending on which site you go on. Both look nearly the same and are the same size. Both offer a complementary session with a “coach” to help you get acquainted with your device. Both offer a few complementary months of membership to their site where you can keep track of your food intake. Here are the few differences that I have found:

1. The Body Bugg

This company’s site has a more diverse, easy to use, and comprehensive list of food. This makes food journaling more precise and user-friendly.

2. Go Wear Fit

This device has the unique feature of measuring quality of sleep. Research has confirmed that lack of adequate sleep inhibits weight loss.

Vegetarians and Pregnancy

If you are a Vegetarian Hot Mama who is pregnant, planning on getting pregnant, or nursing, your days of living on rice cakes and grilled cheese sandwiches may need to be put on hold. Special considerations for Pregnant Hot Mamas need to be considered.

1. Make sure you are getting enough protein. Dietary needs for protein increase considerably during pregnancy and lactation. Quality protein is necessary for building strong and healthy muscles, organs, and tissue for your developing fetus and baby. Good sources of protein include whey protein powder, vegetarian wheat meat such as seitan, organic cottage cheese, greek yogurt such as Fage and Oikos, tempeh, and legumes such as lenitils and black beans.

2. If you are a vegan and do not include cold water fish in your diet, you may be deficient in Omega-3's which are vital for optimal fetal brain growth and development. Make sure to add omega-3 rich walnuts, flaxseeds, flaxseed oil to your diet. I would also highly recommend adding an omega-3 supplement to your diet as this is such a crucial nutrient for your baby's developing brain.

3. Vegans are almost always deficient in vitamin B-12, which can cause anemia. Vitamin B-12 is only present in animal protein. If you are a vegan, be sure to supplement with vitamin B-12.

4. Other nutrients that are also usually deficient in vegetarians include zinc and iron. Adding lots of green leafy vegetables to your diet with some lemon juice squeezed on them will increase the rate of iron absorption. Pumkin seeds are a tasty snack and are also high in zinc. Supplementing both iron and zinc is advised.

Lo-Carb Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Lo-Carb Crust-less Pumpkin Pie Recipe

If you are a Hot Mama trying to shed those post-baby pounds, overindulging in a huge Thanksgiving meal can cancel out a week’s worth of sweating on the treadmill! Yikes! To avoid this potentially way ward moment on the Friday morning scale, I suggest sticking to skinless turkey breast sans gravy, baked sweet potatoes, and loading up on salad and vegetables. To avoid eyeing the 800-calorie per slice pecan pie, I am arming you with a recipe for a Crust-less Pumpkin Pie that is less than 100 calories per serving, lo-carb, and full of skin nourishing vitamins A and C. The best part is that it’s a cinch to make!

Ingredients:

1 large can Libby pumpkin

1 cup unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk (40 calories)

5 packets Truvia sweetener (splenda can be substituted)

2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbl. Vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Bake in a glass pie-pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Leanest Cuts of Red Meat

Many of my Hot Mama clients report craving red meat during pregnancy, sometimes even if they were vegetarians prior to pregnancy. When you are fully in tuned with your body, it will usually tell you what it needs. If you are craving food with no nutrient value such as sugar, white flour, or soda, there is usually an imbalance in the body. However, if you are a Hot Mama who all of a sudden can't wait to get her hands on a juice steak, your body (and baby) may be putting in an order for some extra iron and amino acids.

Before you head to the local drive-through, check out the list of lower fat cuts of meat that I've compiled for you below. Also, when ordering a steak at a restaurant, beware! Most meat in restaurants (especially the finer establishments) is soaked in butter prior to cooking which accounts for a more tender, flavorful, and fat-ladden piece of meat.

1. Lean cuts of beef include round, chuck, sirloin, or tenderloin. Choose beef that is labeled "choice" or "select" and avoid the higher fat "prime".

2. When buying ground beef at the supermarket, look for packages with the highest percentage of lean meat (ninety percent or better). I recommend making hamburgers at home when you have control over the cleanliness of the meat and your kitchen. Most e-coli outbreaks have come from hamburger eaten at fast food restaurants, fairs, and restaurants. Most hamburgers at these establishments are made from beef with the highest fat percentages.

3. Don't be fooled if it's a turkey burger! Unless the turkey burger comes from all white meat turkey, it will have just as much fat in it as a regular hamburger. Ground turkey often contains the skin and dark meat.

4. Try a bison burger! Bison is the leanest red meat on the market and is not full of questionable anti-biotics and hormones.

Vitamin D, best natural protection against swine flu in pregnancy

If you are a pregnant Hot Mama or a Hot Mama with a new baby, the possibility of contracting the swine flu is not a happy thought. Pregnant women are more at risk because if they contract the flu, it is a much stronger and potentially more dangersous virus. In my past blog, I wrote about my apprehensions about the swine flu vaccine, due to the fact that it contains thimerosol. Thimerosol is a mercury containing perservative used in some vaccines. While the research is inconlusive about the damaging effects of mercury exposure on a developing baby's brain, there are many healthcare professionals who strongly believe that there is a definite link between autism and mercury exposure.

If you are a Hot Mama who has made the choice not to get vaccinated, there is new evidence that Vitamin D offers significant protection against the Swine Flu. Vitamin D is a powerful immune booster and has shown to fight several germs, including viruses and bacteria. In one study, it was shown that Americans with the lowest vitamin D levels were 40% more likely to have reported respiratory infection than those with normal levels.

How does a Hot Mama get enough Vitamin D? Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get enough vitamin D from food. The skin absorbs vitamin D if exposed to the sun without sunblock. If you are trying to prevent premature aging and skin cancer and are wearing sunblock with at least an SPF of 15, 99% of all Vitamin D will be blocked. Also, if you are a Hot Mama living in the upper half of the United States from November-March, it is impossible to get enough vitamin D even if you are sunbathing sans clothing or sunblock.

I recommend that my Hot Mama's take a supplement that contains somewhere between 400-1000 IU of Vitamin D a day. This amount is safe for pregnant women. Vitamin D levels can easily be tested by your doctor. If you are deficient, your doctor or nutritionist may want you to take more. Make sure you don't overdose on Vitamin D, however. Taking too much for too long can be toxic.

Postpartem depression and natural cures

If you are a Hot-Mama with the post baby blues, here are some ideas that may lift your mood without having to resort to taking anti-depressants:

1. Eat animal based omega-3 rich foods such as salmon and sardines regularly. If fish is not your thing, try a supplement like krill oil which has not been contaminated with pcb's. Omega-3 fat supports healthy brain function and a deficiency can lead to depression and anxiety.

2. Exercise! Studies have shown exercise to be as effective in treating depression as prescription anti-depressants. Remember, the best time to exercise is when you don't feel like it!

3. Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates such as white rice, white bread, commercial breakfast cereals, crackers, cakes, and white pasta. Over-eating sugar and carbohydrates causes a drastic rise and drop in blood sugar levels, which can seem like an emotional roller-coaster. Sugar is the first thing we want to eat when we are over tired, so do your best to rest when you are tired and take naps when your baby is napping.

4. Get outside for at least twenty minutes a day. Being exposed to the sun is necessary for the production of serotonin in your brain which is the "feel good" neuro-transmiter. Sun exposure also insures that you are getting enough vitamin D. Studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency can lead to depression and moodiness. If you are unable to spend enough time in the sun, take a quality vitamin D supplement daily.