Nutrition by CN | Health & wellness website
Nutrition by CN
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10.01.2022 Our brains grow at the fastest rate they ever will before we’re even born up until early childhood. If you’re looking to support your babies brain development, it really starts at pre-conception where we’re able to set strong foundations. The number one, most important thing we can do is provide loving, nurturing and consistent relationships for our baby; this offers protection from the negative effects that stress has on the brain. In a perfect world, baby would really bene...fit from having the same primary caregiver caring for them full time up until atleast 3yrs and when this isnt possible, they should be left with someone they’re very familiar with who cares for them just like you do - someone they can trust, that responds to their needs and provides them with a healthy environment to thrive and learn. Undivided attention is so important. With this point, I cannot stress enough how important it is to lean on your ‘village’ when you’re feeling touched out, overwhelmed and unable to give your all. This happens, it is normal and completely okay. Ask your partner, siblings, parents or friends if they can take care of the baby for a few hours so you can take a breather (you may not even last before you start missing baby and come running back ). Have all the fun with your baby; make eye contact when they’re willing to engage with you (babies can be real snobs and refuse to look at you when they’re disinterested ), talk them through what you’re doing, smile at them heaps, laugh, read, sing, dance! Monkey see, monkey do; a happy parent makes a happy baby. Your baby does not need the most expensive educational toys and educational TV shows. There is no research to back up that babies learn through the passive activity that is watching baby shows on TV and it is not recommended for children under 2yrs of age. You may even find baby has more fun exploring and learning the function of everyday house hold items over their toys! Lastly, where our role as nutritionists really come in! We need to provide our babies (and ourselves! Particularly a breastfeeding mother) with a good diet. Feeding time is also bonding time, make eye contact, smile and encourage baby. Make meals a positive experience. Toys may interfere or they can be a positive distraction to get the veggies down; find what works for you. Do not place pressure on your baby/force them to eat. Keep in mind they need to learn how to eat and exposure to the same food that they constantly reject may eventually lead to them accepting that food the 12th time round! Offer them iron and zinc rich foods, wild fish for omega 3’s and fruits and veggies for a wide variety of neuroprotective phytochemicals. If you are concerned about your babies food intake or health in general, first and foremost, seek advice from your GP/paediatrician. A qualified nutritionist specialising in this area may assist you in the diet side of things!
09.01.2022 Have you ever fell victim to the OCP? Or know someone that has? Some young women get along fine on it (at the time) and some find it helpful in managing the symptoms of an underlying condition (e.g. endometriosis pain and PCOS). This post is targeted at those who initially went on the pill for non-contraceptive issues (such as heavy periods and acne). Unfortunately, the OCP can be a bandaid solution for issues that will resurface once you come off it. It does this by shutting... off two of our sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone and replacing them with two steroid drugs. These replacement drugs are not like our own hormones at all and the bleed you experience whilst on the pill is not a real period. Instead, it is a withdrawal bleed where your uterine lining is stimulated but ovaries are shut down from releasing an egg. Having a real (and healthy) period that is regular (approx. every 28 days) is one of the vital signs which reflects good, overall health. If you swipe you can see the impact the pill has on some nutrients. This may not look or seem like much, however, these nutrients are key various functions in the body. Deficiency or even sub-optimal levels of these nutrients may result in: increased muscle soreness, energy loss, mood disorders, decreased skin elasticity, just to name a few All types of hormonal birth control come with their own risks and side effects, these include: clots, cancer, depression, libido/sex drive loss, hair loss, weight gain and reduced thyroid function. Another issue with long term use of the pill is the reduction of progesterone produced throughout your reproductive life time! Real progesterone is necessary for the prevention of CVD, dementia and may also prevent breast cancer. I highly highly recommended all women of reproductive age to educate themselves on their cycles. Lara Briden’s book the ‘Period Repair Manual’ is the perfect start.
08.01.2022 Breastmilk is known to provide all babies nutritional needs up until 6 months (when they start requiring more iron and zinc rich food sources) and is promoted for atleast the first year of life. However, breastmilk typically contains low amounts of vitamin D; previously, the thought was that breastmilk naturally contains low vitamin D due to poor transfer but in reality, there’s simply insufficient levels to transfer from the breastfeeding mother to begin with. The World Hea...lth Organisation (WHO) therefore recommends supplementation of 400IU-800IU vitamin D to breasted infants starting soon after birth till 1year. Babies tend to have sensitive skin; being more prone to burning quickly limits sunlight exposure which is the bodies most bioavailable source of vitamin D. An alternative to directly administering vitamin D to your baby, is supplementing yourself (breastfeeding mother) with 6400IU vitamin D! This amount has been found to boost vitamin D levels of breastmilk sufficiently to cover babies AND mothers needs. Participants of the 6400IU group compared to control (breastfeeding mother taking 400IU) were also found to have lower rates of vitamin D deficiency; suggesting supplementation for the mother may be the better option considering the numerous roles vitamin D plays in immunity, mental health, bone health, thyroid function etc. Vitamin D is a fat soluble nutrient, unlike our water soluble vitamins (B’s and C), it can accumulate in the body. 6400IU is a quite a large dose. However, the amount transferred through breastmilk and what is left after you uniquely process and metabolise a supplement (or even food) should be taken into account. Supplementation should be done under the guidance of your health care practitioner. PMID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26416936
05.01.2022 There are a few key nutrients that are dependent on the lactating mothers nutrient intake in order to be present in breastmilk. Some of these nutrients the majority of women may easily meet through a good diet. However, inadequate intake is common in other nutrients. Here are some of the key inadequacies and what you can eat to raise them. vitamin D: getting sunshine, egg yolk, oily fish vitamin B12: animal products or nutritional yeast as a plant based option choline...: eggs (in particular, the yolk which has more bioavailability when runny and from), liver, peanuts iodine: seaweed, some dairy products and fish selenium: Brazil nuts, pork, turkey chicken DHA: oily fish, like salmon, ocean trout, mackerel, sardines. I also recommend continuing a good quality, practitioner grade prenatal vitamin throughout your breastfeeding journey and minimum 3months post-partum during the healing and sleep-deprivation days. See more
