Women's Health and Nutrition
Healthy Eating for Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
It is a rare woman today that is not constantly juggling many roles, and therefore often not able to do any of them as well as she would like! The family diet often suffers, with little time for home cooked meals and so too does our health. Busy and stressed women can often find themselves running on empty. I can help you work out ways to make improvements to the way you and your family eat in order to be as well as possible, without spending hours on food preparation!
Some common health concerns nutritional therapy can help with are:
Some common health concerns nutritional therapy can help with are:
- Low energy
- Low mood
- Hormonal problems
- Coping with stress
- Digestive concerns or bloating
- Supporting digestive conditions (IBD & IBS)
- Skin problems
- Allergies
- Fertility issues
- Supporting auto-immune conditions through diet
Pregnancy and breastfeeding are two of the most nutritionally demanding times during a woman's life. Whilst there is only a modest need for increasing calories or quantity of food, most importantly there is an significant increased need for certain vitamins, minerals and healthy fats during these times. By achieving this, you will go a long way towards keeping your energy levels high and generally feeling well throughout your pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding. It will also make the journey back to your pre-pregnancy figure a lot easier. So ensuring a good supply of a range of nutrients by having a healthy varied diet is essential for both you and your baby.
*Some nutritional facts to consider:
*Sourced from Zimmerman (2001) Handbook of Nutrition & More (2013) Infant Children and Adolescent Nutrition
*Some nutritional facts to consider:
- Deficiencies of some B vitamins, folate, vitamin A and zinc may increase risk of birth defects and miscarriage.
- Vitamin D requirements more than double during pregnancy.
- During the 3rd trimester and breastfeeding, the baby requires high levels of calcium. If sufficient levels are not being consumed daily by the mother then the shortfall will be drawn from the her bones.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding can 'drain' mothers nutrient reserve causing deficiencies that may contribute to postnatal depression, excessive fatigue and osteoporosis in later life.
*Sourced from Zimmerman (2001) Handbook of Nutrition & More (2013) Infant Children and Adolescent Nutrition
Men's Health and Nutrition
Some of the most common reasons, men seek advice from me for, include:
- Low energy
- Stress related poor health or 'burn-out'!
- Weight Loss or muscle gain
- Problems sleeping and sleep apnoea
- Digestive concerns or bloating
- Supporting digestive conditions (IBD & IBS)
- Skin problems
- Allergies
- Fertility issues or prostate health
- Heart health, including high cholesterol or blood pressure
- Supporting Auto-immune conditions with diet