When you’re pregnant, you get a whole lot of advice thrown at you. Some of it is perfectly sound, some of it is outlandish. Some of it is perfectly reasonable while some of it borders on witchcraft. Pregnancy is a time of tremendous physical, psychological and emotional change and upheaval and while it may well be the most natural thing in the world, it’s of little comfort when you’re racked with pelvic pain or struggling to tie your shoelaces.
When pregnant women are in pain or discomfort they face a difficult dilemma. They don’t want to suffer unnecessarily but neither do they want to risk any treatment harming their baby. While there are many solutions from acupuncture to prenatal yoga to meditation that can aid a pregnant woman towards a serene and pain free pregnancy, it’s often believed that they should (in the words of Hippocrates) let food be their medicine. Unless you’re experiencing severe pelvic pain, see patient.info for more information, any of the following will help to alleviate the everyday symptoms that make a pregnancy take its toll. Needless to say, all of these solutions are natural, healthy and vegan.
Bananas for heartburn
It may not be a matter of life or death but the near incessant heartburn that blights most pregnancies is really not much fun at all. Fortunately, nature has provided us with a convenient solution in the humble banana. These low acid fruits can help to balance your stomach acid levels while also facilitating good digestive health and preventing cramps and swelling.
Spinach for anaemia
Do you often feel fatigued and as though the tiny life growing inside you is hogging all the energy designed for both of you? If so, you might want to take a leaf (get it) out of Popeye’s book and grabbing some delicious and iron rich spinach. Many pregnant women are iron deficient which can lead to anaemia and a regular bouts of low energy but the easily assimilated iron in spinach will help to restore your energy levels. You can make soup with loads of spinach in for a big hit. It’s also imperative to stay well hydrated too.
Beans for constipation
Constipation is never much fun but when you’re pregnant the additional sense of bloatedness is really the last thing you need. Fortunately, fibre rich beans are just the ticket to regulate your digestive system. If you’re vegan you likely already lean on beans quite heavily as a source of protein but if you’re suffering from bean fatigue, eating lots of other fibre rich foods like broccoli and berries will also lead to sound digestive health.
Ginger for morning sickness
Ah, morning sickness. The bane of the expectant mother’s life. Fortunately, ginger is a perfect antidote to the feelings of nausea that come with the early stages of pregnancy. Some doctors advocate drinking flat ginger beer but if you’d rather keep it natural, a hot cup of ginger is the perfect solution. If the taste of ginger doesn’t much float your boat, try taking ginger capsules with water.
Who needs pricey and ineffective over the counter medications when nature provides a range of solutions for a happy and comfortable (as possible) pregnancy?
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