Health

Pomegranate Health Drink for Pregnant Women {Pregnancy}

Swathy · October 7, 2012 · 30 Comments

As I have mentioned earlier that I had severe nausea during my pregnancy so I could never eat properly. Consequently, I became very weak. Looking at my condition, my doctor husband suggested this extremely healthy, even if it sounds nauseating, juice.

Ingredients

1 medium size pomegranate
Few black grapes
Half beetroot

Method

Grind all of them in a juicer. Add pinch of black pepper and black salt and bit of sugar, if you like.

Nutritional Information

Pomegranate is a rich source of iron and folic acid (remember my post on Importance of Folic Acid) which are really important for baby.

Beetroot is a great source of iron, folic acid, anti-oxidants, calcium (again very important for pregnant women) and other nutrients including potassium, magnesium, sodium, Vitamin C among others.

Contradiction : Important

Black Grapes

I had somewhere read that this fruit should be avoided during pregnancy coz it produces heat in the body which is harmful for the mother and the baby. But, in my experience, I had this juice for whole 9 months of my pregnancy and even after delivery and it did not harm me at all, instead it improved my health.

If it causes constipation to pregnant women, one can use it after peeling the skin of the grapes (which is quite a bit of a work). Black grapes are also used as medicines to treat many diseases like cardiovascular, diabetic complications, constipation and chronic fatigue symptoms.

They help in suppressing the growth of breast cancer cells due to the anti-oxidants. They are also rich source of flavonoids and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and Vitamin C.

Results

This juice gave a lovely pink glow to my skin. This is a low calorie, low cholesterol and low fat juice. And, extremely beneficial for both mom and baby.

Punam is a mom to one and half old baby girl who is very naughty which I can make out while just talking to Punam on phone. And, she really sounds adorable too. And, another advantage Punam has is having a orthopaedics doctor as a husband. And, she has recently put up an amazing post on homemade mosquito repellant on her blog. Do check it out.

Other posts by Punam:
How to deal with nausea?
Dealing With Heightened Sense Of Smell
Importance Of Folic Acid
Using laptop and mobiles during Pregnancy
Lakme Perfect Radiance Intense Whitening Capsules Treatment

Heart and Cardiovascular Diseases in Women? {Women Stuff}

Swathy · September 28, 2012 · 2 Comments

Today is World’s Heart Day. So, I am borrowing this article from The Hindu Magazine, September 23, 2012. They had published a small article on how to take care of the heart. I shall try not to infringe on the copyright and am again asserting that this post may end up being a copy of the article. So, the entire credit for the post goes to the Hindu newspaper.

Symptoms of CVD in women

feeling of discomfort between breasts or behind breastbone

pain radiating over arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach

shortness of breath, weakness or fatigue

unusual anxiety or nervousness

indigestion or nausea

sudden sweating, dizziness and collapse

Cardiovascular diseases are getting more prominent in women. Its no longer a man’s disease!!!Its especially dangerous if you smoke, drink or lead a sedentary life or have high blood pressure or sugar or cholesterol levels or are under huge amount of stress due to personal and professional problems.

In fact, even children are at risk from the condition called Cogenital Heart Defect. The improper development of heart during the pregnancy can result in this. Mothers who do not take care of themselves or their diet during pregnancy have a high risk of having children with this defect. Also, if you are a diabetic, your child is prone to heart-related problems.

How to Prevent?

Be physically active!!! Walk or exercise daily.

Avoid salt, sugar and fatty foods. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Quit smoking and avoid respiratory irritants.

Limit or stop alcohol.

If you have lung problem, get influenza vaccination annually.

The reason for these heart diseases are mainly the fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries. Interestingly, these deposits may occur on both the inner walls as well as the outer walls. And, in fact, there is absolutely no cure to remove the deposits on the Outer walls of the arteries so that makes weight management and diet a very important consideration in life.

If the arteries are blocked even partially due to these deposits, the blood flow is not smooth to the heart and heart may fall short of adequate oxygen and other nutrients needed to function properly. When this blockage gets severe, it can result in heart attack. Women of 50-52 are at more risk and especially if there has been a family history of coronary diseases.

So, how do you take care of your heart?
Related Posts:
Why should you take proper sleep?
Reducing Belly Fat
Daily Body Massage to cleanse your body
Sexy @ Sixty

Do you stop in middle of your exercises? {Your Opinion}

Swathy · September 26, 2012 · Leave a Comment

This question is prompted by two facts. One of my friends with whom I regularly go for a walk always gets tired by the end of fourth round and prefers to sit down before continuing. We walk on a walking track of around 750 metres on which we prefer to take four rounds every night. Also, I have another friend whom I used to accompany occasionally on her walking trips and she used to totally halt in between the walks because she used to get tired. And, no it never used to be brisk or on a very difficult terrain either and not long even (around just 1km) and she always had jogging shoes on!!!

Yes, I do feel bad for people who are young and can’t walk even that much. This is when I always realize how important it is to be physically active because I do not desire to be in either of my above-mentioned friend’s place. I am lazy and that’s where it all ends. But, I just wanted you to ask if you stop in between when you are doing any mild form of exercise. Also, it opens up an interesting theory which I have been meaning to share with you all since quite long.

Did you know that when you are exercising, it is advised to vary your paces with time. So, for example, if you are walking, start slowly and then work up to a brisk walking pace and then suddenly slow your pace to slow walk and then keep on varying the speeds of your walk. Likewise, when you are cycling, going from vigorous to light to medium to heavy to vigorous is recommended. The reason is it improves stamina and burns more calories. But, at any point of time, stopping the exercise in between is never EVER recommended. If you are used to doing so, never ever do that!!! Always start slow and end slowly and if you feel you are tired, slow down but NEVER STOP.

So, for how long do you take your walks or keep your exercises going? Do you prefer to stop or vary your paces?

PS: For all the book lovers, check out my review of “The Krishna Key”, the latest anthropological thriller by Ashwin Sanghi here. Looking forward to seeing you there 🙂