johncsnider

I don't judge. You made your own decision based on their own knowledge or were forced to make through adoption or your own health. If you are still pregnant or struggling with breastfeeding, please read everything and don't be shy to ask for help. You want the best nutrition for your baby because what you feed your baby will affect them and their longterm IQ . What happens if you eat cake for dinner versus a well balanced meal? Babies get their first exposure to taste and nutrition while in the womb. They eat what their mom eats. Their nutritional habits continue to form by your food choices now that the baby is born. Think how you want your child to eat when they are three years old and what steps do you have to make in order to make that happen? It is overwhelming to stand in the infant formula aisle. How do you know which infant formula to buy? What is the difference between ingredients? Why are there such price differences? Is generic really the same as non-generic? Can yo...

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...

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...

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...