Of course, natural vitamins are great, but be aware that some kinds of fruit can have a negative impact on the baby or cause preterm labor.

1. Pineapples May Cause Miscarriage

Pregnant women, especially in the early stages, are forbidden to eat pineapples. This exotic fruit may affect the carrying of the fetus and cause a miscarriage. The ladies, who are on the final stage of pregnancy, drink pineapple juice to cause contractions and give birth sooner.

2. Pregnant Women Should Be Careful with Papaya

Expectant mothers are not recommended to eat unripe papaya. Such exotic causes uterine contractions. But ripe papaya is very useful, it is rich in vitamins that the baby needs and can protect the future mom from constipation and heartburn.

3. Grape May Raise Body Temperature

Grapes should be abandoned during pregnancy as they raise the temperature. In addition, grapes cause winds, and increased intestinal motility is contraindicated to pregnant women.

You should always wash fruits and vegetables, otherwise you will face the risk of becoming a victim of toxoplasmosis that is very dangerous for the baby.

Why Is Healthy Nutrition So Important during Pregnancy?

There is no need to convince anyone that proper nutrition for pregnant women is extremely important, because wrong nutrition (not balanced, not rational) can provoke the development of edema, increased blood pressure, impaired placental blood flow, nausea, vomiting, and so on. And it is not because of the woman being poisoned, but because of her vital processes being affected.

Consider the three super products for pregnant women, the regular consumption of which has a positive impact on the health of a woman and the formation of the fetus.

Rabbit Meat Is the Best for Pregnant Women

The first product is rabbit meat. It is in the rabbit meat that most protein is contained, which is 21% of the total weight. What is the function of the protein in the body? It contributes to construction, transportation, production of energy and performs the protective function of the enzyme. All immunoglobulins, all protective antibodies are proteins. And it is impossible to build a future body without protein!

Pregnancy is an amazing process, especially when you think what tremendous growth the fetus undergoes in a woman‘s body. From a completely invisible cell it turns into a human being weighing about 3 kg in just 9 months. Of course, this requires a protein. It is also worth saying that rabbit meat is the lowest in cholesterol and is the most hypoallergenic meat.

Eating Cottage Cheese during Pregnancy Provides Calcium

The second product is cottage cheese. Of course, the dairy products also include proteins, but the expectant mother and her baby are in special need of calcium, and cottage cheese is known to be a source of calcium. Calcium is the basis of bone formation, and its deficiency in pregnant women leads to two negative consequences: misformation of normal bones in the fetus and osteoporosis (calcium loss from bones) in the woman herself. Also, we should keep in mind that our bodies have tiny bones in the middle ear that are responsible for transmitting audio signals to the receptors in the brain. If the mother lacks calcium in the first three months of pregnancy, the child may be born deaf. And, of course, calcium is important for women during pregnancy because many women with the lack of calcium in the body start to suffer from crumbling teeth.

Broccoli Provides Pregnant Women with Folic Acid

The third product is broccoli. What is this product rich in? It is rich in vitamin B9 (folic acid). Folic acid is especially needed in the early stages of the fetus development (the formation of the nerve tissue and central nervous system). Moreover, formation of red blood cells and transfer of oxygen are impossible without folic acid. It turns out that there are two objectives to be achieved by introducing broccoli into the diet: forming the nervous tissue and fetal nutrition. In addition, this is a source of fiber, which is very important for the pregnant women, who are often predisposed to constipation.

How Much of These Foods Should a Pregnant Woman Eat Daily?

The question arises: what is the daily intake of these products? The diet of an expectant mother should contain a minimum of 100 grams of rabbit meat per day; there should be 100-150 grams of cottage cheese and 600 grams of broccoli. It will help to avoid constipation and will provide a solid foundation for the healthy cells of the future organs. The servings are small, but the expectant mother should eat varied foods to provide the child with all the components of biochemistry without gaining weight herself.

Cheese

Do not eat:

• soft cheese with mold, such as brie, camembert and other kinds of cheese with a similar composition and type of skin, such as goat cheese;
• cheese with mold-like pale blue streaks, such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort.
• Cheese with mold may contain Listeria, the bacteria that cause listeriosis. Even a mild form of this infection in pregnant women can cause miscarriage, birth to a stillborn child and severe diseases of the newborn.

Eggs

Do not eat raw or undercooked eggs, avoid foods that contain them, such as homemade mayonnaise.
Before use, make sure that the eggs are thoroughly cooked, that yolks and whites are hard. This prevents the risk of salmonella.

Milk

Do not drink raw (not pasteurized) milk, including not pasteurized goat or sheep milk. Do not eat any food that contains it, such as goat cheese. The milk should undergo thorough heat treatment or pasteurization.

Pasty

Avoid all types of pasty, including vegetable pasty, as they may contain listeria, which were mentioned above.

Meat

Do not eat raw or undercooked meat. Boil the meat and poultry thoroughly to have no traces of blood and no “pink colored meat”. Be especially careful with sausage and ground meat.

In some countries, pregnant women are not advised to eat smoked meat or fish, because there is also a risk that the food may contain listeria bacteria. However, pregnant women in the UK are not given such advice, because they believe that the risk is very, very low.

Liver

Do not eat liver or products containing liver, such as liver pasty or liverwurst, as they may contain large amounts of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby.

Foods Containing Vitamin A

Do not take:

• high-dose multivitamin supplements;
• fish oil;
• any supplements containing vitamin A.

Fish

Eating some species of fish should be limited. These include tuna and other fatty fish species. In addition, you can not eat raw shellfish, as it can cause food poisoning. It is best to also give up going to sushi bars.

Alcohol

You should not drink alcohol, if you are pregnant or trying to conceive. Alcohol can seriously and irreversibly affect the development of your child.

Caffeine

You should limit caffeine consumption during pregnancy – no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day. High levels of caffeine can lead to the birth of an infant with low birth weight. Too much caffeine can also cause a miscarriage. Be careful: except coffee and tea, caffeine is naturally found in some foods and is added to some non-alcoholic beverages.

But do not get disappointed, if your favorite foods are included in the “black list”. You have a unique opportunity to discover other dishes, while eating the favorites is impossible. So, you are sure to broaden the list of your most desirable foods and dishes after pregnancy.

The researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Development (USA) have analyzed the data on health status, lifestyle and diet of more than 13,000 women aged 22 to 45 years. Approximately 6% of the participants of the study reported that they were diagnosed with “gestational diabetes” (diabetes of pregnant women) during pregnancy. This disease is characterized by the period of gestation, it is accompanied by a breach of carbohydrate metabolism and increases the risk of complications during pregnancy. The disease may also affect the health of the newborn baby.

After analyzing the statistics, the researchers found that the women, who liked much animal fats and foods high in cholesterol before pregnancy, had a twice higher risk of getting ill with gestational diabetes.

The experts recommend that the women, who are preparing for pregnancy, reduce the consumption of foods containing large amounts of fat and cholesterol. For example, if the number of animal fats is reduced by at least 5%, the risk of gestational diabetes is reduced by 7%.

Scientists believe that the reason can be pesticides, hormones or contaminants found in the feed for livestock. The chemicals can accumulate in the fat of animals that eat contaminated feed or grass. In addition, the cattle are regularly given hormones to stimulate their growth.

The sons of the women, who had eaten beef in large quantities (more than seven beef meals per week), demonstrated 24.3 percent below normal sperm concentration. This was stated in the article published in the journal Human Reproduction.

The Specialist Group from the University of Rochester Medical School in New York has studied the data on 387 partners of women who sought to become pregnant. The data on five U.S. cities were presented. The information on them was verified by both the mother and the father. The study was conducted between 2000 and 2005.

Of the 51 men, whose mothers were actively eating beef during pregnancy, 18% had the amount of sperm, which, according to the classification of the World Health Organization, was not enough for normal fertilization.

The physicians believe the problem is that today’s children do not want to drink plain water – the most useful drink on the planet. They do not drink it even as they grow a little older. They do not have this culture, and their parents are guilty of it, since they offer their children juices, smoothies, cocoa and other sweetened natural substitutes from an early age, instead of giving their children the most natural liquid for a human being, plain water.

Britain’s leading dentist Catherine Hurley explains that fruit juices and cocktails, as a rule, are very acidic, and their pH levels range from two to three. And every time the environment in the mouth is more acidic than pH 5,5, the teeth get vulnerable to “acid attacks”. Parents, of course, understand that their child’s uncontrolled use of sweets can lead to tooth decay, but they do not know anything about acidity. Propaganda is certainly to be blamed for this, since it makes an emphasis on the harm of sweets, and juices are declared healthy drinks. According to Hurley, the most interesting thing is that the terrible picture of the “deterioration” of children’s teeth is observed more frequently in affluent families where parents do not spare money on healthy eating: fruit juices, smoothies, milkshakes…

So if Hurley’s message is heard, in the near future the manufacturers may be obliged to warn about the harm caused by fruit and sugary drinks, rather than tell about their health benefits. In the meantime, a good way is to offer your kids a straw if they are so fond of drinking juice instead of water. In addition, if the juice is drunk together with food, its negative impact on the teeth is greatly reduced. And this is the doctors’ second recommendation. It will also be good if you drink some plain water after juice, or rinse your mouth with water.

This phenomenon is quite common among children. For example, 70% of the kids, who participated in the study conducted by American scientists in the laboratory for the study of obesity, said that they would rather be drawn to an apple or a banana than eat lettuce or even less desirable Broccoli.

Dr. Jennifer Orlet Fisher, who led the study, says that the gene TAS2R38, which is responsible for the way we perceive the bitter taste, should be blamed for it.

What does the doctor recommend to the parents, whose children fail to eat useful vegetables? One should just reduce their taste with low-fat yogurt or buttermilk and add applesauce or hummus to the salad.

Cook delicious dishes – from the point of view of your children, – and then your kids will eat broccoli, lettuce, and other vegetables.

This is the conclusion made by Australian researchers from the Ramsay Health Care medical center after conducting a special study published in the Obstetrics & Gynecology journal.

As recommended by the US Institute of Medicine, the women with normal body weight should gain 11-15 kg during the period of pregnancy, the women with excess weight – 7-11 kg, and obese women – 9.5 kg.

However, for many pregnant women with evident signs of obesity it is useful to get rid of extra pounds rather than to gain weight during this period. This will not harm their health and the health of the child and will also reduce the risk of possible complications during pregnancy, such as diabetes and hypertension, associated with overweight.

The researchers have analyzed the data from four randomized clinical trials in which 537 pregnant women received advice on healthy eating and were told to keep daily records and count their calories. It was found that the pregnant women, who took care of their diet and controlled body weight, gained 6.4 kg less weight on average, compared with those, who did not. Also it has been revealed that a decrease in body weight during pregnancy causes no harm to the health of children.

According to Dr. Raul Artal, head of the department of obstetrics, gynecology, and women’s health at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, women with obesity can maintain body weight during pregnancy, or even lose up to 4 kg, without any damage to their health and that of a child.

The scientists do not advise pregnant women to have a strict diet. Instead, they recommend to consult a doctor and find the right diet and physical activity level.

Pregnancy is the perfect time to start a healthy lifestyle and approach healthy weight!

The decrease in sperm concentration is caused by poor nutrition and obesity. These factors also affect the motility of sperm. Proper diet makes pregnancy much more likely.

Fruits and grains are an important component of men‘s nutrition, which increases the quality of sperm. But one should avoid red meat, coffee and alcohol.

The so-called “male factor” is currently very important in the treatment of infertility. Previously it was thought that almost everything depended on the woman, and the inability to conceive was often associated with obesity, smoking, and alcohol. Now, it seems that the same requirements should be presented to both partners.

The researchers insist that the sperm concentration is negatively influenced by such factors as body mass index and alcohol consumption. A positive effect on the concentration and motility of the sperm is observed after consuming grains, as well as practicing split meals (when the number of meals per day increases, and the size of the dishes gets smaller). This has been proved by the leading IVF researcher Edson Borges, working in Sao Paulo, as well as his colleagues in the UK. He studied 250 men, who had passed the IVF procedure. The results were encouraging! A diet with a lot of fruits and grains increases the chances of conception because the quality of sperm is improved by more than 40%.

The scientists from the National French Agricultural Research Institute have discovered that when expectant mothers consume a certain group of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the intestinal walls of their children become more permeable. This allows a greater number of substances and bacteria pass into the bloodstream, causing the immune system to produce antibodies.

Dr. Gael Boudry believes that due to this impact the children’s immune system can develop and mature faster. As a result, the child gets sick less often.

Source of the image: Photl.

Attention, young mothers! It is better not to give cow milk to babies till the age of 12 months! In comparison, the content of salt in breast milk is 15 mg per 100 ml, while cow milk has 55 mg per 100 ml. If your infant drinks about 750 ml of cow milk a day, it will receive 385 mg of salt, and that is almost half the maximum daily salt intake recommended for the infants under one year.

Accordingly, the researchers advise to reduce the amount of salt in other foods for the infants that drink cow milk instead of breastfeeding.

In general, the nutritionists from Bristol University, who have discovered how salty cow milk formula is, claim that consuming too much salt can lead to health problems in children. A large amount of salt in the diet increases blood pressure and causes kidney disorders.

The scientists advise mothers to give their children breast milk or special mixtures, but not cow milk!

Source of the image: Photl.

Philadelphian scientists from Monell Chemical Senses Center came up with the discovery that babies form their food preferences while they are in the womb. The study that was published in the Pediatrics journal shows that flavors are transferred from the mother to the fetus in the amniotic fluid.

Lead researcher Julie Mennella explained to NPR News that a number of flavors were proven to find their way to the baby via the amniotic fluid or breast milk, among them garlic, mint, vanilla, anise and carrot.

Experiments were conducted in which women were given garlic capsules and sugar capsules before they had their amniotic fluid sampled routinely. Then researchers gave the samples to people to smell – and the flavor of garlic proved to be easily recognizable. So these smells are carried to the babies in the womb who certainly taste them since small accounts for 90% of taste.

The next stage was to establish whether the children retain memories of the tastes they were exposed to. For this three groups of pregnant women were made up, one group drinking carrot juice daily while they were pregnant, members of the second group taking juice while they were breastfeeding, and the third group took no carrot at all.

As soon as their children could eat solid food, researchers offered them portions of cereal made with and without carrot juice. Those babies who had already been acquainted with carrot flavor via breast milk or the amniotic fluid showed definite preference for carroty cereal.

Therefore it’s highly natural that children begin to get accustomed to foods and tastes they are likely to get when eating together with their parents later from the earliest time possible.

Linda Bartoshuk, taste researcher at the University of Florida, is one of those scientists who are deeply interested in Dr. Mennella and her team’s findings.

In her interview to NPR News she said these results go a long way towards the possibility of building up children’s health from the very beginning. Exposing a baby to healthy flavors – carrots, broccoli, lima beans and the like – while in the womb may be a sure way to set most salubrious food priorities for the whole life, she said.

Source of the image: Photl.

Obesity Stats

The problem of obesity cannot be called purely American. “The epidemic of overweight” has embraced not only the USA, but Europe and Asia as well. 38% of European children aged 5 to 18 are overweight, and in China 20% of children suffer from excess pounds.

The saddest statistics still comes from the homeland of fast food: every other American child has a problem with overweight. If previously 50% of the population suffered from excess weight, the figure has now risen to 68%. The doctors are especially frightened by the fact that 17% of children older than 2 years suffer from obesity.

In China, the problem of excess weight has become especially acute after the introduction of the “one family – one child” policy. Together with the increasing income of the population, the number of children with the “little emperor” syndrome is also growing. They lead a sedentary life, spending all their time at the computer with a delicious meal.

How to Treat Obesity in Children?

Different countries have different methods of fighting against excess weight. In the UK, all children of pre-school age are prescribed physical education classes. China has created “diet” camps for children who are overweight. Guides and former military people force the children to be engaged in intensive physical training.

How to Treat Obesity the Radical Way?

But the staff at the Harvard School of Public Health believe that only stress will lead to the desirable result. The scientists have called termination of parental rights the most effective way of struggling with childhood obesity. School activists believe that temporary withdrawal of children from families would benefit all. On the one hand, the child will probably try to lose weight and get back home, and on the other hand, this will make the parents seriously change their lifestyle.

The experts support their opinion with evidence. Their theory has been tested on a girl suffering from obesity. The parents could not provide her with a balanced diet, and the child was sent to a foster family. A year later, she lost 52 kilos and was able to return to her parents.

It is quite clear that this initiative has ardent opponents. Art Caplan, the biologist of the University of Pennsylvania, contradicts the scientists from the Harvard School and believes that one just needs to change the culture of food consumption. Separating the child and the parents can be justified only in one case – if the child is in mortal danger.

What Causes Obesity?

Previously it was thought that excess weight is only present in the countries with high incomes. However, now there is a sharply increasing number of overweight people in the countries with low living standards.

• food intake exceeds energy expenditure;
• disturbances in the systems of the pancreas, liver, small and large intestines;
• genetic disorders.

What Contributes to Obesity?

• sedentary lifestyle;
• consuming simple (easily digestible) carbohydrates, such as sugar, pastries, and cakes;
• endocrine disorders (hypogonadism, hypothyroidism, insulinoma);
• being prone to stress;
• lack of sleep.

Source of the image: Photl.

This was proved by the Danish researchers from Aarhus University during the experiments on animals. The researchers had been forcing the mice to a low-protein diet for ten weeks before mating. While the mice were bearing their offsprings, they received their usual diet. The mousekins were born underweight and had an increased sensitivity to insulin which in the future could lead to a highly probable problem with type 2 diabetes. Also, it is proved that sensitivity to insulin often causes obesity in males.

The scientists believe that the results of the experiment may be relevant for people as well, though with some precaution. At least, when examining the influence of nutrition on the health of a future baby, the doctors obtained the same results from studying mice and human beings. That is why the women who are planning a child in the future are recommended not to stick to a strict diet for at least a few months before the alleged conception.

Source of the image: Photl.

According to the experts, these substances are found mainly in genetically modified crops and can substantially harm the health of pregnant women and their future children.

The study was conducted by the scientists from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Sherbrooke. The experts have taken tests of dozens of women to see what can badly affect the health of mothers and babies. The traces of toxic substances were found in more than 93% of pregnant women and 80% of yet unborn babies. The studies indicate the presence of the chemicals in a woman’s body, which get there due to such food as meat, eggs, milk and other products of farm animals which are fed with genetically modified crops.

The results of the study, according to the scientists, show the danger of producing genetically modified products, even though the manufacturers believe that no potentially harmful and dangerous chemicals can harm the health of a woman. It has been proved today that these chemicals can cause allergic reactions and lead to the most terrible consequences such as abortion or even cancer.

Source of the image: Photl.

Such a conclusion has been made by the researchers from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. According to the results of this new study, the children who were eating balanced food under the supervision of dietitians and were getting a sufficient amount of orange vegetables rich in vitamin A, such as carrots for example, began to grow more intensively than their peers.

The study involved about 200 children aged from 3 to 16 years. It turned out that the children who were not tall but were getting balanced food rich in vitamin A, grew by a total of 8 cm during a year, in contrast to the children of the same height who continued to eat the same way as before and demonstrated the increase in their height of only 4 cm.

The scientists from the Hebrew University, who have conducted the study, say that most children with short stature are absolutely healthy, but suffer from a hidden lack of vitamins and various microelements. It is known that the lack of vitamin A, iron and zinc leads to the slowing down of growth. The way out is balanced food for children containing these elements.

Source of the image: Photl.

According to the author of this idea, Miriam Simun, the post-graduate student at the New York University, this product is a temporary trend because in future she plans to deal with the question of ethics of modern biotechnology, and the first step in this direction should be the revolutionary type of cheese produced by her.

As noted by Miriam Simun, the cheese made of women’s breast milk is a starting-point for an active discussion of this topic. From her point of view, some people like the product, and some of them find it disgusting. Mrs. Simun found three breastfeeding mothers who agreed to have their milk turned into cheese. She scanned the mammary glands of the women to diagnose possible diseases, and then the milk was subjected to pasteurization, and finally cheese was made of it.

3 kinds of cheese are presented in the gallery, and their taste depends on the predominance of a particular kind of food in the diet of a lactating woman. The cheese is of great demand, and many speak about its useful properties. Simun hopes that her cheese will make people think about the future use of resources of the human body – blood, hair, and sperm – to help those who will need it.

Source of the image: Momlogic.

By the age of seven years such falling behind is on average equal to 7 points of the classical IQ test. The difference is not dramatic, but still noticeable. And it is the prenatal period that is vitally important for the development of intelligence: if the pesticide-treated products are used in the babies’ complementary feeding, they do not affect their mental capacity.

The scientists advise pregnant women to eat organic or farm products when it is possible, and fruit and vegetables from shops should be thoroughly washed with a soft brush to wash away all possible traces of fertilizers.

Source of the image: Photl.

As demonstrated by their study, in such cases the body of the child experiences epigenetic changes: the activity of genes that regulate fat metabolism is suppressed. And it does not matter whether the expectant mother has excess weight. The child of a slender mother, who was eating incorrectly, runs a stronger risk of being ill with obesity than the child of a woman with overweight, who was having a balanced and substantial diet during pregnancy.

Source of the image: Photl.

At the age of one month more than fifty percent of the babies were receiving only breast milk for food, and more than forty percent were being fed only with artificial mixtures. Other children were being fed with descented milk of other women. After the children had reached the age of six months, only thirty percent of the mothers continued to feed them with their milk.

After that and during the period of childhood from six months to a year, the researchers asked the mothers about the frequency with which the children finished eating all the food offered to them. It turned out that only 26% of the children who had been breastfed from birth suffered from overeating. On the contrary, overeating was typical of more than 60% of the children who had been fed with mixtures or transferred to artificial feeding at the age of six months.

According to the scientists, the children’s food behavior during the first months of their life lays the foundation of the feeding behavior which will stay invariable for the rest of the person’s life. Accordingly, such an addiction can cause overweight or serve as effective prevention of obesity.

Source of the image: Photl.

According to the authors of the study, introducing complementary foods should take place before reaching the age of six months. And feeding with breast milk, in its turn, threatens with certain risks to the health of the developing organism.

• First of all, breastfeeding causes a high risk of iron deficiency anemia. Moreover, anemia can take a lot of time to discover.
• Apart from that, the researchers note that the child has a greater tendency to be allergic to foods after consuming only mom’s milk for a long time.
• In addition, the children who are breastfed for a long time may suffer from further problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

However, whenever the authors of the study suggest complementary foods, they do not mean artificial mixtures based on milk, but real “adult” food.

The authors also note that they are by no means opposed to breastfeeding of babies, they merely shift the starting date of using complementary foods from six months to four months.

Source of the image: Photl.

It became an unexpected discovery for the investigation organizers that childless families eat far more fruit and vegetables compared to those people who have experienced the joy of parenthood. However, it had been assumed to happen vice a versa, since the presence of children in a family seems to automatically imply balanced and nutritious meals.

At the same time the difference in this criteria was highly significant. According to the specialists’ calculations, husbands and wives, having no children, had eaten almost four kilograms more fruits and vegetables for thirty days than moms and dads in the same age category.

In other words, children’s presence in a family significantly reduces the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten by parents. The scientists believe that the main factor behind such a strange pattern is a “negative” impact on parents by their children who often refuse to eat broccoli or carrots. And the more children there are in the family, the less fruits and vegetables are consumed by their parents.

Source of the image: Photl.

Pregnant Women Should Eat Less and More Often

It is important to follow the regime: to eat little but often. It is recommended to reduce one’s usual size of meals and make them two or even three times smaller during pregnancy, but at the same time a pregnant woman should eat not less than 6 times a day. It is important to take care of the figure even during pregnancy. Firstly, it can make the process of childbearing and childbirth easier. Secondly, sharp increase in weight leads to an intensive appearance of stretch marks, not only in the abdominal area, but the breast and thighs as well.

Think of Postpartum Weight Loss

A lot of pregnant women allow themselves to relax and eat lots of sweet pastry. Try to restrain yourselves and think more often about how hard you will have to work to return to your previous shape after giving birth. Increase the caloric value of your diet gradually – in accordance with the growth of the fetus. Nutritionists recommend to eat virtually without changes during the first trimester of pregnancy – except for eating more healthy food, but the caloric intake at the same time should not differ from the average daily norm for women, 2800 calories.

How Many Calories Do Pregnant Women Need a Day?

During the first trimester the calories are almost unchanged, while the second trimester of pregnancy is characterized by a monthly increase by 70 calories which means that during the sixth month your calorie intake should not exceed 3000. During the last trimester the increase in calories should be in the same proportions, and during the last month of pregnancy you should eat not less than 3,200 calories per day.

Celebrity Moms’ Pregnancy Weight Gain

It is interesting to know that a lot of celebrities do not follow the advice of their own nutritionists and allow themselves to relax during pregnancy and eat a lot of superfluous food having a special fancy for the sweet. How many extra kilos of weight have celebrity moms gained during pregnancy?

• Britney Spears has gained 18 kg
• Jennifer Lopez, bearing twins, has gained 25 kg
• Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise’s wife, has put on 16 kg
• Milla Jovovich has beaten all records with her 30 kg of gained weight during pregnancy.

Source of the image: Photl.

For example, foods like soft kinds of cheese can bring on listeriosis, a dangerous infection caused by the listeria monocyotogenes bacterium that can be found in cheeses. During pregnancy this infection is particularly noxious and leads to various detrimental complications – it is likely to cause miscarriage, premature labor or stillbirth. Even if the birth has gone off successfully, there’s a chance of your baby developing septicemia, meningitis or pneumonia.

Therefore some eating tips are in order.

1. Drink only pasteurized milk. All foods prepared with unpasteurized milk should be avoided.
2. Soft cheeses that are definitely unsafe include Camembert, brie, feta, blue-veined cheeses, many Mexican cheeses (queso blanco fresco, for one). Semi-soft cheeses of the mozzarella type, pasteurized cheeses, various spreads, cream cheese, cottage cheese and all kinds of hard cheeses are all right.
3. If you hunger for luncheon meats, hot dogs and the like, heat them up well, make them steam.
4. Smoked seafood is better off the table, unless a little in cooked entrées.

Source of the image: Photl.

The scientists’ opinions vary as to the question of useful effect of the antioxidants on the process of conception. A recent experiment has proved that antioxidants reduce ovulation. In the course of the study, the scientists added antioxidants in the ovaries of laboratory mice, and as a result, the ovaries produced too few ovules, which in its turn would reduce the probability of conception significantly.

Source of the image: Photl.