Food for Good Health

Many common grains and nuts are full of beneficial vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that are especially important for you and your baby during pregnancy and can help relieve many unpleasant pregnancy symptoms. So try adding the following foods to your diet for better health. (Always talk to your doctor before adding anything unusual to your diet while you are pregnant.)
Walnuts
Walnuts not only improve the flavor of salads, soups and entrees, they are also highly nutritious and even medicinal. Raw walnuts are loaded with vitamin E and antioxidants, as well as folic acid, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and omega 3 fatty acids. They are also are an important source of monounsaturated fats and pack a lot of protein and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6 inside that little shell. They also help to lower levels of LDL cholesterol in the bloodstream, and have been used to calm hysteria and reduce morning sickness. Because they provide many of the elements that the body requires but cannot manufacture, walnuts are considered an essential food to include in a healthy diet.
Flax Seed
Mixing 1 to 2 tablespoons of flaxseed or ground flaxseed powder into foods up to three times per day is a gentle way to treat constipation. Flaxseeds contain essential fatty acids and DHA (docosahexanoic acid), which are important for fetal and infant brain development.
Almonds
Chewing on raw almonds and swallowing the liquid can relieve heartburn. They also provide a nutritious snack packed with dietary fiber, protein, more vitamin A and E than any other nut, and the most powerful and absorbable form of vitamin E. Not least of all, almonds are cholesterol free!
Alfalfa
Because of its deep root system, alfalfa is a great source of protein and important nutrients such as vitamins K and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and chlorophyll. Research suggests that it may remove from your liver and small intestines chemical carcinogens found in food before they have a chance to do your body any harm. Alfalfa is also effective as a digestive stimulant and may help ease morning sickness, as well as fatigue and muscle tenderness when used directly on the skin or added to a bath. Although it has a flavor that may not appeal to everyone, it is safe to eat in moderation throughout pregnancy; however, many alfalfa extracts contain high amounts of alcohol and should be avoided during pregnancy. Alfalfa may be particularly beneficial in late pregnancy because the vitamin K it contains promotes blood clotting, which reduces the risk of postpartum hemorrhage.
Bran
The National Cancer Institute recommends eating 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily, yet the typical American diet contains only 7 to 8. Eating a fiber-rich diet is especially important during pregnancy because it can help prevent and treat two common pregnancy conditions: constipation and gestational diabetes. One of the best ways to get enough fiber in your diet is to consume bran and bran products every day. Wheat bran is a good source of insoluble fiber, which can relieve constipation; while oat bran is a good source of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber breaks down as it passes though the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps and removes cholesterol, which may decrease your risk of heart disease.
Dandelion Root and Leaves
Dandelion root and leaves (taraxacum officinale) traditionally have been used to alleviate nausea, calm an upset stomach, and gently promote bowel movements. Dandelion greens are also considered to be highly nutritious, containing more beta-carotene than carrots and more iron and calcium than spinach. They are also a great source of vitamins B 1,2,5, 6 and 12; vitamin C, E, and D; biotin and inositol (promotes the health of cell membranes); potassium; phosphorus; magnesium and zinc. In addition, the dandelion root promotes the flow of bile, reduces inflammation of the bile duct, helps eliminate gallstones, reduces liver swelling, and serves as a gentle diuretic that aids kidney function.

Learn more: http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol07/pregnancy_health_fitness.asp

Brooding Squid Discovered

The mothering instinct is inherent in many animals, but completely absent in others. For instance, humans care for their children for 18 (or more!) years, while the giant tortoise lays her eggs on a moonlit beach and then abandons her progeny to make their own way in their watery world. Scientists have always considered the squid to be a follower of the latter style of parenting; however, deep-sea explorers were recently surprised to discover a female squid caring for a large sac of eggs.
This protective behavior was demonstrated by the female Gonatus onyx squid, a common species found in surface waters, and was caught on tape by marine biologist Brad Seibel of the University of Rhode Island and his colleagues. The video evidence of the squid puts to rest a long controversy, said squid expert Eric Hochberg of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History in California. Hochberg was part of a team of researchers that proposed the existence of brooding squid five years ago based on the retrieval of a trawl bucket in 1996 that contained a relatively small number of extraordinarily large eggs along with an adult Gonatus onyx squid. "We just always had assumed that octopuses carry eggs and squids lay them on the bottom," said Hochberg. But the discovery of the Gonatus onyx changes these previous assumptions and, according to Hochberg, "there may be other deep-sea squids that are carrying their eggs."
These particular squids care for their precious cargo between 5,000 and 7,000 feet below the surface off California's central coast, just above the inky abyss of the Monterey Canyon. Because surface waters and the ocean floor are considered the two most productive depths for marine life, this middle-depth location may explain why the squid's parenting behavior was not observed until now. According to Siebel, "Researchers tend to skip this zone." The squids are probably brooding in this area to hide from predatory whales and seals, which also tend to ignore the middle depths while hunting.
Most squids lay 10,000 to 100,000 small eggs and leave them on the ocean floor where only a few survive to adulthood. But by watching over their eggs for six to nine months until they hatch, the newly discovered brooding squid enhances the survival odds of each egg, thereby allowing them to lay fewer and larger eggs.
The female Gonatus onyx carries approximately two to three thousand eggs in an open-ended sac she holds with hooks in her arms and keeps oxygen flowing to the eggs by circulating water through the sac. But after the eggs are ready to hatch, the mother probably dies, said Seibel. "Most squids lay eggs and die in one season," said Seibel. Because the egg sac blocks the squid's mouth, it's very difficult to eat with it and there's no evidence she can release it to feed and then pick it up again. Scientists have compared squids that are carrying freshly laid eggs to those holding older eggs that are ready to hatch. The squids with mature eggs are physically wasted and ready to die, whereas those with younger eggs look much healthier. The female squids accumulate fat stores while they grow and then expend it during the brooding period, which may last up to nine months. Scientists theorize that the squids' metabolism slows considerably during brooding to conserve energy and that prolonged muscle degeneration gradually provides increased buoyancy to support the eggs. They also believe the high lipid content of the females' digestive gland provides the fuel necessary to survive the brooding period.
This discovery is a prime example of how an important food source for shallow-water species and birds can also require deep waters for its survival. For this reason, Siebel says, it's important for people to think twice before signing on to any disposal project or other plans that can pollute deep ocean waters.
Click here to watch a video of a squid carrying a tubular pouch of thousands of eggs.

Garlic and Ginger

Many cultures use garlic not only as a fragrant and flavorful ingredient in dishes, but also as a medicine. Research confirms that garlic has numerous healing properties and can be especially beneficial to expectant mothers.
Garlic has a veritable grocery-list of general health benefits, including its ability to:
Protect against cardiovascular disease.
Reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke by lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol while elevating HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Reduce triglycerides and blood pressure.
Increase circulation in the capillaries.
Prevent LDL oxidation and reduce clot-forming platelet activity and inflammation, thereby preventing coronary plaques.
Protect against free radical and carcinogen-induced DNA damage.
Stop the growth of a wide variety of human cancer cells including breast, colon, prostate, melanoma and erythroleukemia.
Prevent neuron death, and enhance memory by stimulating growth and branching of neurons in the brain.
Protect against fungal, yeast, and viral infections.
New research shows that consuming garlic during pregnancy can reduce the risk of preeclampsia and may help boost the birth-weight of growth-retarded fetuses. The research, performed at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital in London, demonstrated that when extracts of garlic were added to placental cells of women who were likely to suffer from these conditions, growth was stimulated. In addition, the activity of key enzymes whose activity is reduced in such abnormal pregnancies was significantly increased when garlic was administered.Ginger
For morning sickness relief, try a piece of ginger! For over two thousand years traditional Chinese medicine has used ginger to treat a variety of health problems, including abdominal bloating, vomiting, diarrhea, and rheumatism. And now research has found that ginger can help reduce nausea related to motion sickness, post-operative recovery, and pregnancy.
Ginger's nausea reducing benefits are attributed to its ability to absorb and neutralize toxins and stomach acid, while increasing digestive fluids and bowel activity. Ginger also causes the blood vessels to dilate (which is why you feel warm after eating it), and blocks the serotonin receptors in the stomach that cause nausea.
Ginger has general health benefits in addition to its anti-nausea properties. The fresh root's ability to induce sweating is believed to dispel pathogens and it has been used to treat asthma, cough, colic, heart palpitation, swellings, dyspepsia, loss of appetite, and rheumatism. Researchers have also found ginger to be a more potent blood clotting agent than garlic or onion, and that it reduces the stickiness of blood platelets which may help reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. However, ginger is not recommended if you suffer from gall bladder disease.
Try grinding or chopping fresh ginger and adding it to your favorite dishes tonight!

Dark Chocolate for the Heart

Finally, some good news about a favorite sweet indulgence! Recent studies examining the health benefits of dark chocolate confirm that this delicious treat is actually beneficial for your heart.
According to research, dark chocolate contains more antioxidants and plant flavonoids (chemicals that provide antioxidant and antibiotic properties and control inflammation) than any other type of chocolate. These components prevent cholesterol from collecting in blood vessels, reduce the risk of blood clots, inhibit the immune response that can lead to clogged arteries, lower blood pressure and platelet activity, and eradicate free radicals and other destructive molecules in the body that can cause heart disease.
Standard processing of chocolate destroys up to half of its beneficial flavonoids, negating virtually all of its natural nutritional benefits. However, as evidence of the benefits of raw or minimally-processed dark chocolate mounts, chocolate producers have developed a way to turn out dark chocolate that retains up to 95 percent of its natural flavonoids
In fact, according to Mary Engler, PhD, RN, of the University of California, San Francisco, eating a small, 1.6-ounce bar of dark chocolate every day is very good for you. Engler and her colleagues studied the effects of dark chocolate on a group of 21 healthy adults. One half of the group was given a Dove Dark Chocolate bar every day for two weeks, and the other half was given a dark chocolate bar that had the flavonoids removed. Like other dark chocolate bars with high-cocoa content, the Dove bar is loaded with epicatechin, which has been found to be a particularly active type of flavonoid. All of the test subjects were evaluated to determine how well their blood vessels dilated and relaxed - an indicator of healthy blood vessel function. Those who ate the full-flavonoid chocolate showed significantly better results. "This is the longest clinical trial to date to show improvement in blood vessel function from consuming flavonoid-rich dark chocolate daily over an extended period of time," Engler said. "It is likely that the elevated blood levels of epicatechin triggered the release of active substances that ... increase blood flow in the artery. Better blood flow is good for your heart. Many people don't realize that chocolate is plant-derived, as are the fruits and vegetables recommended for a healthy heart."

Learn more:

http://www.parentingweekly.com/pregnancy/breathingspace/vol04/dark_chocolate.asp