Yummy and Health Recipes for Pregnant women-2

Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A that it plays important roles in reactions involved in cell differentiation. Adequate beta-carotene food intake such as pumpkin and carrot can prevent malformations of the fetal lungs, urinary tract, and heart.

Shallow-fried Onion and Pumpkin Cake

Ingredients:

150g pumpkin

1 oniion

1 egg

2 tbsps flour

Seasoning:

1 tsp salt

Grounp white pepper

Method:

1)      Rinse onion. Skin and cut into shreds. Heat oil in a pen and stir-fry the onion until soft. Set aside to let cool.

2)      Rinse, peel and shave pumpkin into fine shreds. Mix with egg, onion shreds, seasoning and flour to make the egg paste.

3)      Heat a little oil in a work. Shallow-fry the egg paste into a vegetable cake of 5 cm in diameter until both sides are golden brown. Serve.

Reference:

Register Dietitian, Leslie Chan and Nutritionist, Grace Lam. Nutritious Recipes for Pregnancy

Yummy and Health Recipes for Pregnant women-1

Last Week I read a book - Nutritious Recipes for Pregnancy, the author is a Registered Dietitian, Leslie Chan.  I would like to share two delicious and health recipes to you.

If you are a lactose intolerance pregnant woman, you can choose low lactose food to absorb calcium such as cheese that can prevent you to suffer from gastrointestinal malaise.

Cheese and Eggs Pita Bread

2 pieces pita bread

2 eggs

2 slices low-fat cheese

2 slices lettuce

1 avocado

Ground black pepper

Hard-boil eggs. Shell and cut into small dice.

Peel and dice avocado. Dice cheese and set aside.

Mix egg dice, avocado dice, cheese dice and ground black pepper.

Open the pita bread. Stuff in lettuce and fillings. Bake in an oven over medium heat (200℃) for 3 minutes. Serve.

Reference:

Registered Dietitian, Leslie Chan and Nutritionist, Grace Lam. Nutritious Recipes for Pregnancy

Pregnancy weight gain

Wonderful pregnant woman

Source: http://amys-nonsense.blogspot.com/

Do you know how much weight gain there is in the average pregnant woman?

source: http://newbornbaby.com.au/pregnancy/pregnancy-health-and-fitness/pregnancy-weight-gain/weight-gain-during-pregnancy/

The answer is …………..30 pounds.

Do you know where this additional weight distribution is in the average pregnant woman?

Now, I will show you how the additional 30 pounds is distributed in the average pregnant woman.

Fetus:                                      7.5 pounds

Placenta:                                1.5 pounds

Fluid volume:                            4 pounds

Uterus:                                     2 pounds

Breast tissue:                           2 pounds

Blood volume:                          4 pounds

Maternal stores of fat,

protein and other nutrients:    7 pounds

Amniotic fluid:                         2 pounds

TOTAL:                                     30 pounds

Actually, pregnant women have a recommended weight gain which is different based on BMI level prior to pregnancy to prevent low weight gain and excessive weight gain.

BMI Level                       weight gain recommendation                       

Low (<19.8):                    28-40 pounds

Normal (19.8-26):           25-35 pounds

Overweight (26-29):       15-25 pounds

Obese >29):                    15 pounds

If you have low weight gain, you are at high risk of perinatal mortality and fetal growth restriction. For example, if your BMI is low or underweight before pregnancy, the recommended gain is 2-5 pounds in the first trimester and 1 pound each week thereafter.

Source:http://obstetricblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/growth-restricted-baby-patient.html

If you are  obese, you are at high risk of increased blood glucose levels, high C-reactive protein levels (a key marker of inflammation), increased blood concentration of insulin, insulin resistance, increased blood pressure, increased birth weight, prolonged labor, complicated delivery, birth trauma, and asphyxia. For example, if your BMI is is very high before pregnancy , the recommended gain is 2-5 pounds in the first trimester and 0.5 pounds  each week thereafter and you should never attempt weight loss during pregnancy.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6423649.stm

Reference:

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/aboutpregweightgain.html

Nutrition Through The Life Cycle, BrownISBN 9780538733410Copyright 11Publisher Wad Edition 4

http://amys-nonsense.blogspot.com/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6423649.stm

http://obstetricblogs.blogspot.com/2011/06/growth-restricted-baby-patient.html

http://newbornbaby.com.au/pregnancy/pregnancy-health-and-fitness/pregnancy-weight-gain/weight-gain-during-pregnancy/

Do you know what zinc is?

  

Source: http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/vitamins-minerals-phytonutrients/artid/zinc-supernutrient/

Do you know what zinc is?

Zinc is an essential trace element that is vital for growth and development. Animal studies of zinc levels during gestation have shown that zinc deficiency is highly teratogenic in rats and leads to the development of various congenital malformations.

In addition, zinc is essential for normal brain development. If a pregnant woman has zinc deficiency, that can lead to overt fetal brain malformations. Zinc deficiency during gestation increases the risk for behavioral/neurological disorders in infancy, adolescence, and adulthood. (Adamo AM, Oteiza PI, 2010 ).

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Zinc [2]
Age	Male	Female	Pregnancy	Lactation
0–6 months	2 mg*	2 mg*
7–12 months	3 mg	3 mg
1–3 years	3 mg	3 mg
4–8 years	5 mg	5 mg
9–13 years	8 mg	8 mg
14–18 years	11 mg	9 mg	12 mg	13 mg
19+ years	11 mg	8 mg	11 mg	12 mg

* Adequate Intake (AI)

Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

The 2001 RDA for zinc is 11mg for those ages 19 and older during pregnancy (IOM 2001). Maternal zinc status may be inversely related to the degree of prenatal iron supplementation because excess iron ingestion inhibits zinc absorption (IOM 1990). Moreover, milk is a good source of zinc and calcium, however, high intakes of calcium may interfere with the absorption of iron and zinc.

Source: http://wechoosehealthy.com/tag/zinc/

Selected Food Sources of Zinc [11]
Food	Milligrams (mg) per serving	Percent DV*
Oysters, cooked, breaded and fried, 3 ounces	74.0	493
Beef chuck roast, braised, 3 ounces	7.0	47
Crab, Alaska king, cooked, 3 ounces	6.5	43
Beef patty, broiled, 3 ounces	5.3	35
Breakfast cereal, fortified with 25% of the DV for zinc, ¾ cup serving	3.8	25
Lobster, cooked, 3 ounces	3.4	23
Pork chop, loin, cooked, 3 ounces	2.9	19
Baked beans, canned, plain or vegetarian, ½ cup	2.9	19
Chicken, dark meat, cooked, 3 ounces	2.4	16
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 ounces	1.7	11
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce	1.6	11
Chickpeas, cooked, ½ cup	1.3	9
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce	1.2	8
Oatmeal, instant, plain, prepared with water, 1 packet	1.1	7
Milk, low-fat or non fat, 1 cup	1.0	7
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce	0.9	6
Kidney beans, cooked, ½ cup	0.9	6
Chicken breast, roasted, skin removed, ½ breast	0.9	6
Cheese, cheddar or mozzarella, 1 ounce	0.9	6
Peas, green, frozen, cooked, ½ cup	0.5	3
Flounder or sole, cooked, 3 ounces	0.3	2

* DV = Daily Value. DVs were developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help consumers compare the nutrient contents of products within the context of a total diet. The DV for zinc is 15 mg for adults and children age 4 and older. Food labels, however, are not required to list zinc content unless a food has been fortified with this nutrient. Foods providing 20% or more of the DV are considered to be high sources of a nutrient.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nutrient Database Web site [11] lists the nutrient content of many foods and provides a comprehensive list of foods containing zinc.

Source: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

Reference:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20333753

Adamo AM, Oteiza PI.(2010) Zinc deficiency and neurodevelopment: the case of neurons. Biofactors. 2010 Mar-Apr;36(2):117-24.

L. Kathleen Mahan. Sylvia Escott-Stump. Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/nutrition/vitamins-minerals-phytonutrients/artid/zinc-supernutrient/