Power Foods for Pregnant and Nursing Women

These foods are great for pregnant and lactating women, along with their families. When it's important to make every bite count, depend on these nutritional powerhouses. In case any of these don't suit your taste buds or your dietary choices, we've included alternative sources of key nutrients as well.

Yogurt

Why? Calcium needs increase during pregnancy and yogurt is an excellent calcium source. The need for calcium increases to approximately 1300 milligrams a day during pregnancy. If you are not obtaining this quantity from your diet or vitamin supplement, your body will meet your baby's calcium needs by pulling from your own supply, which makes calcium-rich foods like yogurt, dark leafy greens, sardines with bones, and calcium-fortified orange juice important at this time.

Did you know? In addition to calcium, yogurt is a beneficial fermented food that provides probiotic bacteria, which promotes intestinal and immune health for baby and mom. Probiotic bacteria are cultures of beneficial bacteria found in healthy gut microflora. Yogurt, probiotics and fermented foods help us to keep our intestinal ecosystems healthy.

How? There are many varieties of yogurt and fermented dairy. Yogurt can be eaten as a convenient snack or meal, as an ingredient in smoothies or dips, or as a healthy dessert. If presweetened yogurt is too sweet, mix together half plain and half sweetened, or sweeten plain yogurt with berries and a little sweetener of choice. Probiotic supplements are also available.


Dark Leafy Greens

Why? Dark leafy greens, such as kale and collards, are nutrient powerhouses, containing calcium, fiber, and vitamins A and C, and also rate high on the antioxidant scale. Dark leafy greens are also an important source of folic acid. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that all women in their childbearing years consume 400 micrograms (or 0.4 mg) of folic acid every day to help prevent neural tube defects in their children. Other foods high in folic acid include oranges, beans, asparagus, avocado, and berries. Many vitamin supplements contain folic acid as well.

Did you know? Dark leafy greens are an easy-to-absorb source of non-dairy calcium. This is because they contain the optimal phosphorus to calcium ratio to enhance calcium absorption. Important exceptions to note are spinach and Swiss chard, which contain compounds called oxalates that interfere with calcium absorption. Although spinach and Swiss chard are nourishing foods, do not think of them as a significant source of minerals.

How? Eat with a little fat for better absorption of nutrients. Add a little vinegar for optimum availability of minerals. Dark leafy greens are easily added to other dishes including soup, meatloaf or quiche, adding nutrients without excessive flavor.

Other Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium: Fortified orange juice, sesame seeds, almonds, dried fruit, corn tortillas, tofu, sardines with bones, legumes, fortified foods and supplements.


Eggs

Why? When it comes to value and high quality nutrition, eggs are a good choice since they contain important nutrients for pregnant women, including vitamin A, iron, and protein. Protein needs increase by 10 grams daily for pregnant women, and an adequate protein intake often helps to temper sugar cravings. Note that most of the nutrition in eggs is found in the yolk.

Did you know? For extra nutrition, look for DHA-enriched eggs. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid important for brain development. The chickens that produce these eggs have been given a special fed containing marine algae, which increases DHA levels in the egg.

How? The simplest way to prepare eggs is hard-boiled. Other easy dishes include omelets and quiches.


Fatty Fish

Why? Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, black cod, anchovies, herring and trout, provide omega-3 fatty acids, which are the primary components of brain tissue and are vital for brain and visual development. Studies have shown women who eat fish during pregnancy have children with better visual acuity, higher IQ, better in language and communication skills, and decreased rates of allergies and asthma.

Did you know? The FDA recommends that pregnant and lactating women have no more than 12 ounces (2 servings) of low mercury fish a week. Pregnant and nursing mothers are also advised to avoid larger, long-lived fish with more dark meat - particularly tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish - as they contain high mercury levels which may harm a baby's developing nervous system. As an alternative to eating fatty fish, fish oil supplements that have been processed to remove contaminants are available. See our Methylmercury Fact Sheet for additional information.

How? Look to our seafood department for a source of fresh fish as well as for frozen fish and soups to have on hand for busy evenings. For a quick meal or snack, top a green salad with canned salmon or heat up a frozen salmon burger or fish cakes. Vegetarian Sources of DHA: Microalgae DHA supplements, DHA-enriched eggs.

Lamb

Why? An excellent source of vitamin B12 and a good source of highly accessible iron and zinc, lamb provides important nutrients for pregnant women. Zinc, in particular, is vitally important for growth and development, because it is required for cell division, DNA/RNA synthesis, and protein synthesis. Adequate zinc levels also ensure optimal bone growth in developing babies and are necessary for immunity. Because zinc is difficult to absorb from plant foods, you may consider supplementing if following a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Did you know? Minerals compete with each other for absorption in the small intestine. It is best to eat calcium-rich foods and zinc-rich foods at different times for optimal absorption of these important nutrients.

How? A tender, flavorful and nourishing meat, lamb is easily prepared on the grill or in the crock-pot.

Vegetarian sources of zinc: legumes (especially adzuki, navy beans, and split peas), nuts and seeds (especially pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and cashews), whole grains (fortified cereal and wheat germ), fortified soy foods, supplements.
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Stretch Marks

Stretch Marks are a form of scarring which occurs as a result of rapid stretching of the skin. They initially appear as red or purple lines, and then eventually fade to a light pink or white hue. The affected area is usually very soft to the touch.

While stretch marks can appear anywhere on the body, they usually appear in locations where the body stores more fat. Common places therefore include the stomach area, breasts, arms and armpits, thighs, hips, and buttocks. In most cases, stretch marks do not pose any health risk and are mainly an annoyance.

Stretch marks are caused by rapid stretching and tearing of the skin, usually as a result of rapid growth. Common reasons include:
Puberty
Pregnancy
Rapid weight gain or obesity
Fast muscle growth due to exercise.

While the scarring is permanent, a stretch mark can diminish slightly over time. Some home remedies can also be used to reduce the visual appearance of affected skin areas.

Home Remedies and Natural Cures for Stretch Marks Treatment

While it is not known why, many people have found that massaging cocoa butter into skin areas affected by stretch marks can help reduce the appearance of the scars. This works particularly well for individuals with darker skin tones. A suggested remedy is to massage cocoa butter over the stretch marks once a day. The stretch marks should begin to appear lighter in about a month.

Researchers speculate that the massaging of scarred areas helps stimulate blood flow and distributes collagen evenly in the affected areas. Collagen is a protein responsible for skin strength and elasticity.



Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps reduce scar tissue on both the inside and the outside of your body. Therefore, a simple home remedy is to massage Vitamin E oil onto the stretch marks each day after showering. Many women have found this treatment to work well on stretch marks after a pregnancy, although results vary significantly.

For Happiness, Seek Family, Not Fortune

Money might buy happiness for some, but for most people having strong family ties is a much bigger predictor of contentment than income, a new study shows.

When researchers analyzed data tracking married people over a decade, they found that while income did contribute to happiness up to a point, the quality of family relationships was much more important.

The study is one of the first to examine the impact of economic and family changes over time.

"Much of the research on money and happiness has shown a strong association up to the point where basic needs are met, and that is what we found," researcher Rebecca J. North tells WebMD. "But after this point income has a diminishing impact on happiness."

Money, Family, and Happiness
North and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin analyzed data from a study involving 274 married adults living in the San Francisco Bay area who were followed from 1981 to 1991.

Each of the participants completed surveys at four different time periods over the decade-long study designed to measure changes in family income, family support, and happiness.

The surveys indicated that while happiness was strongly tied to changes in the quality of family relationships over time, it was much less strongly tied to changes in income.

"If you ask people about this, I think most would say that family relationships are more important than family income for happiness," North says. "But if you look at the way people allocate their time, you might get a different idea."

The findings may also have implications for how we measure our well-being at a national level, North and colleagues write in the June issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.

"Implicit in conventional policy making is an assumption that a strong economy can be equated with a society's well-being," they note. "Our findings underscore the importance of additional policy indicators that can tap the well-being of individuals and families at the psychosocial level to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a nation's well-being."

Different Perspective on Happiness and Money
The study adds to a growing body of happiness research, but it is far from the last word on the topic.

In a paper presented in April at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., economists Betsey Stevenson, PhD, and Justin Wolfers, PhD, concluded that income does seem to be directly related to happiness, within societies and in personal terms.

Using polling data from both rich and poor countries, the researchers found personal satisfaction to be highest among people living in the richest countries. Within the countries, people with higher incomes tended to be happier than those with less money.

In the U.S., for example, 90% of people in households making at least $250,000 considered themselves "very happy," compared to just 42% of people in households with incomes below $30,000.
"We looked at 35 years' worth of data and found the relationship between income and happiness to be very strong," Stevenson tells WebMD.

The findings seem to contradict the idea that money is only related to happiness up to the point where basic needs are met.

The research by Stevenson and Wolfers shows that people living in households with annual incomes of $250,000 tended to report higher levels of personal satisfaction than people living in households with annual earnings of $120,000.

"We didn't look at the super-rich, so we can't really say if Bill Gates is that much happier than the rest of us," Stevenson says.

About 1% of American families have annual incomes of $250,000 or more, while just 5% earn $120,000 or more.