johncsnider

Have you felt that afternoon or mid-morning lack of energy? Do you reach for something sweet or caffeinated to give you a jolt? That's right, we all know it. As good as they taste, those sweets and caffeinated foods/beverages give you a cheap thrill of energy then they drain you the rest of the day. Here are 10 ways to increase you energy without sugar or caffeine from my days at Integrative Nutrition (amended for you moms): 1) Reduce or eliminate caffeine:  The ups and downs of caffeine include dehydration and blood sugar ups and downs, making mood swings more frequent. If you need something to get you going in the morning try some hot lemon water, a decaf or herbal tea or a weak coffee/tea until you adjust. 2) Drink water: Most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Pregnancy and breastfeeding requires you to consume even more water. Before you go to sugar or caffeine, have a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see what happens. Caution: Soft drinks are now Am...

So now that you have some in-person mother's groups to join  (most have great online communities too), here are some great online only references: Mothering.com -- This used to be a wonderful magazine that is now out of print but has great online forums and blog postings. DrMomma.org (Peaceful Parenting) -- There are inspirational stories and great resources here from prenatal care to birth and parenting. Kellymom.com -- While you are bookmarking sites, this is also a must.  It helps get you ready to breastfeed, helps you get started breastfeeding, breastfeeding troubleshooting and excellent charts of medication harm levels while breastfeeding (PLEASE check these charts no matter what your doctor says.  I know way too many nursing moms that had a traditional doctor try to prescribe a medication that affects the baby and the doctor only offered a safer alternative after the mother informed her doctor). Leave a comment if you know of other good ones so we can grow this li...

Image: kratuanoiy FreeDigitalPhotos.net As you know, I do not believe that you should double your consumption (eating for "two") while pregnant but you should be aware that you are eating for "two" living beings that have nutritional needs. Eating habits are a very sensitive topic since there are so many food sensitivities and dietary styles.  My professional experience and personal experiences have meshed into these viewpoints. You are eating for the sole purpose of nourishment and you will not feel satisfied if you are eating foods that your body does not want. That is why you can eat a whole pint of ice cream or a whole bag of chips and feel sick but not satisfied.  It is important to be aware of how balanced your daily foods are and to know if your body is telling you that you are missing something. Protecting your Own Health The woman's body is made to take care of the baby first.  So if the mother is not consuming her nutritional needs during pregnancy, th...

So pregnant mamas are supposed to exercise daily to keep themselves and their baby healthy.  This is great on a good day but in reality, most pregnant women spend time in one part of their pregnancy or another feeling uncomfortable, sick or exhausted.  So how can you find time to be in shape? You can continue the type of exercise that you were doing pre pregnancy if your body is used to it. Your body will tell you if it is too much for you. I have seen pregnant mamas jogging and that is great for them (but not me!).  Swimming is great during pregnancy but I have not had access to anything other than the baby pool while watching my other kids. When I am not pregnant, I usually find yoga to either be too hard or a bore.  During all three of my pregnancies I found prenatal yoga to be healing. My first two pregnancies in NYC, Melissa Feldman made me laugh and love going to class.  I connected with fellow pregnant mamas who I shared a very special time with and learn...

As you know, I took my journey to removing beauty toxins in baby steps starting with what I use most: moisturizer . I now have more and more skin to cover with moisturizer and it all gets absorbed through my skin into my bloodstream which passes nutrients (and toxins!) to my baby. What can you not live without? My lips have always been pale and I like to tint them. Most of my lip color enters my mouth which seems like a gross place for traditional lipsticks filled with lead and other nasty chemicals. I found that I like Hemp Organics lipstick but it is rather pricey to have collection of colors. I use it sometimes but not often because my older daughters are always going through my purse and I don't want them wasting this lipstick! Instead I discovered that my local target has a lot of  rather natural tinted lip glosses/balms that really perk my lips up. Then I discovered that I could order them cheaper online at Vitacost  (disclosure: we both get a referral bonus if you buy ...

image: www.care2.org It is widely published that pregnant women should stay clear of cleaning products so the chemicals released into the air and put on the skin do not harm the unborn child.  Most women shout for joy and gladly hand over the task of housekeeping to their partners.  That it what I did when I was pregnant with my oldest child.  But I was on that holistic mission and learning more and more about why I didn't even want my husband exposed to those toxins . It was really hard for me to part with Mr. Scrubbing Bubbles and his effortless bathtub cleaning. This whole holistic journey was a lot for me so I needed to start with baby steps. I started by replacing the most used products with products that were safer.  The first item that I changed was the dish soap since my hands were in it all day long.  After a long experimentation period, my beloved Dawn was replaced with Seventh Generation dish soap. I was blown away by the price differences of everythi...

Here is the stereotype: Back in the old days, women used midwives and almost always gave birth at home (true).  Then modern medicine came along in the 20th century and doctors provided a supposedly healthier way of giving birth in hospitals. Now we are in the 21st century and only crazy hippies would use a midwife so they could give birth at home without medical support.  THIS IS SO WRONG!  GET THIS OUT OF YOUR HEAD NOW! Don't get too comfy with your OB. One of the most common things that I hear from women is that they love their pre-pregnancy OBGYN so they stick with that care provider because they feel comfortable.  Or they know one friend who just gave birth with an OB so they use that doctor.  Although this makes sense to these moms, I challenge all of you pregnant moms to look at the data and hear the birth stories of women on both sides of the caregiving spectrum. Lower your chances of a cesarean by using a midwife! The World Health Organization says that ...

Get your mind out of the gutter, I am not talking about THAT kind of lubrication!  I am talking about your skin! If you take care of your body during pregnancy, you can look awesome afterwards! I believe that the female body comes in all shapes and sizes so don't get me wrong.  I also believe that women should be proud of their bodies and if that means showing off some skin then why not (it must be my European blood talking). During pregnancy, your skin is stretching and making amazing (seemingly strange) changes. Many women find that their skin never goes back to its original state although it can.  Maybe the skin is extra stretched or it has stretch marks from the skin stretching too fast. There are four factors that cause the women's skin to change: Genetics -- The good news here is that more and more each day, it is being proven that we can change our genetics by diet and lifestyle!  So don't blame genetics too much as you stuff you face during pregnancy! ...

Have you ever heard of pregnancy brain? It is a real thing that happens to us pregnant ladies. Our minds are filled with thoughts of juggling family, work, chore, bills, and our cute unborn baby while our body has extra hormones raging through us. Maybe you go grocery shopping and forget to buy half the things on your list or you blurt out "T igers love to tug on purple ducks" as you walk past the duck pond.  You can control this pregnancy brain by making new and realistic expectations of yourself and staying focused on one thing at a time. That way, you can complete one area of your life and be present in your current area. How can you do that report at work if you mind is still thinking about those dirty dishes that you left at home and how you will have to juggle 10 things when you get home from work. Write down what you have to do to get it off your mind then go back to work and put your full attention at your work.  Take breaks and go for walks as often as you can. Of co...

Some women get it and and some don't.  Some women get physically sick and others have nausea.  Some women have it all day and some just have it in the morning.  Here are some things that I learned to help morning sickness: Keep your toilet clean.  There is nothing worse than puking into a dirty toilet! Stay in bed for 10 minutes after you wake up without moving.  Eat a few saltines or other bland and simple crackers (depending on what your stomach allows) that you keep on your nightstand.  If I did this in the morning, I usually would not have to vomit and would have less nausea throughout the day. This was really hard for me this third time around because I often have older kids crying for me in the morning and they keep eating all of my crackers! Eat small simple meals.  Basic carbs worked best for me and I snuck in some hidden protein, fruit and veggies to make sure that I was staying balanced.  I never feel like cooking in the first trimester...

I highly recommend that you track your weight gain for your entire pregnancy.  I am normally not a fan of weight tracking but rather being happy in your body.  Pregnancy is my exception.  The reason is that caregivers really know what they are talking about when they advise you about how much you should gain (some people are advised to lose weight).  The reason is that there is a magic number range*.  If you gain more than this amount then you are gaining more than the baby needs and it is pure weight that you will have to lose later.  If you gain the recommended amount (25-35 pounds for a single baby normal BMI) then you will have very little weight to loose after pregnancy.  PREGNANCY IS NOT A TIME TO EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT AND NOT WORRY ABOUT WEIGHT GAIN!  You need to eat nutrient dense foods that your body will use to nourish the baby and not store as extra fat.  At the same time, part of the recommended weight gain incorporates your body...

Who knows that you are pregnant?  Before you should decide to tell anyone that you are pregnant, there are a few things for you to think about.  There are two main reasons why it is suggested to wait until your second trimester to announce your pregnancy to the public. Testing for problems If you choose to do any tests to check that the baby is healthy, you will need to think what you would do if the test results show potential issues.  Yes, all of these tests are optional even though many caregivers forget to tell their patients that.  Personally, I have not had any sort of blood test or the down syndrome ultrasound done on my pregnancies because I had already thought through that I would not terminate the pregnancy if there was an issue.  Other moms want the test results so they can prepare themselves if there is an issue.  This is something to really think about.  I know other moms who have waited until their test results came back okay before annou...

Congratulations if you are pregnant.  From the day you find out that you are pregnant, life changes.  There is a whole list of things that you are not supposed to eat and if it is not your first pregnancy then you will probably feel your body changing immediately.  Below is my top list of what needs to change and some useful tips on what to do/use. Prenatal Vitamins made from Whole-Foods These are more than just multi-vitamins and it is best to start taking them before conception.  They are higher in folic acid and often contain omega-3s or other useful ingredients to pregnancy.  Most vitamins are made from  synthetic chemical isolates that are hard for the body to identify and absorb properly.  There are a few brands like New Chapter and Nature's Plus Source of Life that make the vitamins using whole-foods so the  phytonutrients  appear in the vitamin the way your body is used to seeing nutrients in food.  You and the baby will better...