09/28/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2022 00:15
A happy pregnancy starts with a healthy diet, a balanced lifestyle, and positive emotions. Welcome to our guide to pregnancy wellness, created with the help of Dr Cecilia Kitic-Director of The IVF Project and Fertile Gut. Follow our tips and advice for a happy, healthy pregnancy.
With Dr Cecilia Kitic-Director of The IVF Project and Fertile Gut.
Dr Cecilia Kitic
There are many aspects of lifestyle that can influence the health of our gut microbiome during pregnancy, including how much exercise we are getting, our mental wellbeing and the food we ingest.
Whether you are partial to an omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan diet during your pregnancy, eating healthy food while pregnant is your best bet to increase the diversity and resilience of your gut microbiome. The best pregnancy advice we can give you is to incorporate a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, wholegrains and legumes into your pregnancy meal plans. Try to include a few more plant or seed based meals each week and experiment with new ingredients until you find your favorite recipes!
Before and during pregnancy, Omega-3s-and particularly DHA-have many benefits.
While Omega-3s ensure the health of your cell membranes and their function, they also enhance intestinal immunity by fighting inflammation. Reducing inflammation helps reinforce the intestinal barrier, limiting the translocation of immune-stimulating endotoxins into the bloodstream. Omega-3 fatty acids essentially put the brakes on the inflammation cascade. This really goes a long way for fertility and pregnancy.
Vitamin D is essential in pregnancy. It contributes to healthy and effective reproductive organs and guts. Vitamin D helps regulate tight junctions in the gut, which ultimately results in a stronger gut barrier, less inflammation and better health overall. High vitamin D levels have been associated with improved outcomes from fertility treatments and reduced risk of gestational diabetes.
Dr Cecilia's tip for pregnant women and couples trying to conceive: a combination of Omega-3s, vitamin D and olive oil has been shown to improve sperm health and embryo development. Omega-3s combined with olive oil delivers synergistic support as the natural protective polyphenols in olives protect the Omega-3s from oxidation-enhancing their absorption and anti-inflammatory properties.
Consuming plenty of foods rich in Omega-3s during pregnancy has many benefits. The three main omega-3 fatty acids are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The first is found predominantly in plant oils (the main ones being flaxseed, soybean, and canola oil). The other two are mostly found in fish and other seafood, making them harder to include on a regular basis in a vegan or vegetarian diet. If you feel that your meal plan is lacking in these Omega-3s foods for pregnancy, you may wish to incorporate supplements to your diet.
Prenatal DHA helps reduce the risk of preterm birth and promotes healthy brain and eye development in the fetus. Omega-3s during pregnancy have benefits for the baby's health as well as for maternal mental well-being. They are crucial in a healthy pregnancy. A higher dietary balance of Omega-6:3 (DHA and EPA) at a ratio of 10:1 has been associated with a higher prevalence of depression during pregnancy and postpartum. Establishing and maintaining a healthy Omega-6:3 balance has benefits from preconception to birth and beyond. Including Omega-3s in your baby's or toddler's diet will be key to a healthy child.
DHA has other benefits. For example, supplementation during pregnancy may help counter childhood obesity. A 2018 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that mothers who took DHA supplements during pregnancy had children with a great extent of fat-free body mass compared to the placebo group.
Significant changes in the gut microbiome have been shown to lead to hormone imbalances, dysregulated immune response, gastrointestinal dysfunction, and gut barrier disruption. Nurturing your gut microbiome is vital to increased fertility and a healthy pregnancy.
Dr Cecilia Kitic believes there is an incredible bi-directional communication that happens between the gut and the rest of the body. It influences the health of eggs, sperm quality and even how receptive the uterus is.
The maternal microbiome plays a key role in pregnancy and baby's development. Nurturing your gut health prior to conception provides a foundation for conception and a healthy and happy pregnancy.
While diet is a potent modulator of our gut microbiota, exercise can also improve the diversity of our gut bacteria. Exercise during pregnancy increases the proportion of beneficial bacteria living in our gut-increasing beneficial metabolites for both the child and the mother.
A happy, pregnant mother is more likely to experience a happy, healthy pregnancy. Dr Cecilia Kitic has three main tips for pregnancy care:
Get Moving. Just as exercise is beneficial for fertility, exercise is important for a healthy pregnancy and baby. Some of the health and fitness benefits to you and your child include boosting baby's brain activity, improved muscle strength, reduced lower back pain, anxiety, nausea and faster recovery time from labor. Exercise is also good for your gut microbiome-promoting diversity and benefiting your overall health.
Diversity is Key. Our gut bugs love variety-particularly lots of different plant-based foods. Diversity in your diet will mean you are eating lots of different foods, each delivering their own special polyphenols, minerals, and vitamins. Make a list and see if you can count 30 different plant-based foods in your diet each week.
Prioritize Your Wellbeing. Our gut and brain are intricately connected. When we are constantly on the go or facing times of greater stress and anxiety, it is common to notice changes in your gastrointestinal system. Implementing strategies to calm our sympathetic nervous system helps nurture our beneficial microbes and lower inflammation. Exercising during pregnancy, singing out loud, deep, slow breathing and omega-3s all benefit our gut and nervous system to help build resilience.
Pregnancy is a special time for women, as the body prepares to host and deliver your bundle of joy. Nutritional needs of new mothers change too, and their diet needs to be adjusted to match the new pace. Various vitamins and minerals are needed for a healthy pregnancy and baby, including an adequate balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. To make sure pregnant women get everything they need, Zinzino has developed a pure, high-quality Omega-3 fish oil that will fulfill the vitamins and minerals required by a pregnant woman's body and in the early stages of an infant's life.
BalanceOil+ is an Omega-3 fatty acids supplement, high in olive polyphenols and vitamin D3. It safely adjusts and maintains EPA + DHA levels and the Omega-6:3 ratio in the body, while protecting cells from oxidation. A premium blend of oils derived from wild-caught small fish and pre-harvest extra virgin olive oil, BalanceOil+ contributes to normal heart, brain and immune function. BalanceOil+, a fish oil in a league of its own, is a morning ritual that will long outlast the pregnant, baby and toddler phases.
If you are looking for a vegetarian or vegan option, the solution may be Zinzino BalanceOil+ Vegan, which contains Omega3 DHA from seaweed, olive oil and chia seed oil. It holds no dangerous ingredients. BalanceOil+ Vegan ensures safe and effective dosing, as well as the optimal absorption of Omega 3 fatty acids.
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