7 Quick And Healthy Snacks For Pregnancy

You just had your full breakfast before leaving your home for work; however, your stomach is growling already. Pregnancy will significantly ramp up your appetite. The main challenge here is to get only a limited number of extra calories every day to play with, but make sure that you choose nutrition-dense snacks. Vital pregnancy nutrients can be met by consuming healthy snacks for pregnancy.

Top 7 Healthy Pregnancy Snacks

1. Apple – Women don’t usually get sufficient fiber in their diet, and pregnancy will increase your requirement to about 28-30g of fiber every day. Adding plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet can also help you stay hydrated. An apple contains 4g of fiber and is full of pectin, which is a soluble fiber that will enhance digestive health.

2. Cheese – Calcium is another must-have pregnancy nutrient. In fact, pregnant women need 1,000mg of this mineral per day. It will help keep your bones and teeth strong. Most importantly, this is very vital for your baby’s bone structure. Aside from consuming cheese, you can also get calcium from supplements.

3. Dark Chocolate – This contains flavanols, a substance that has been shown to lower blood pressure levels. Aside from that, it also has small amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese.

4. Yogurt – This is considered the star of the dairy aisle because it is loaded with protein. A 5.3-oz yogurt can provide 14g of protein. Moreover, this healthy snack has probiotics that will help you in maintaining a healthy digestive system.

5. Cucumber – Most women experience swelling in their feet, hands, calves and ankles when they become pregnant. To help you beat the bloat, you must avoid consuming excess sodium. If you consume plenty of salt, your body will hold on to more water in order to lower the sodium levels in your body. By eating food containing high levels of water like cucumber, the excess salt will be flushed from your system.

6. Guacamole – Make your own guacamole to control sodium by mashing a ripe avocado and adding lime juice. You can also add chopped cilantro, tomato, onion and chiles if you want to. This snack is full of potassium, an essential mineral that will help maintain fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.

7. Watermelon – Since this contains 92% water, it will help keep you hydrated during pregnancy. Also, this provides a sweet treat. Make your homemade watermelon juice by blending it with lemon juice or fresh lime.

Eating healthy is very crucial in pregnancy. But with morning sickness, it may be hard for you to eat large meals – and this is exactly where snacks come in. These healthy snacks won’t just satisfy your hunger but will also provide you and your baby with essential nutrients at each stage of your pregnancy. Know more about healthy snacks for pregnancy on this site.

The Best SAD Lights In 2017

When people experience the different symptoms of SAD or seasonal affective disorder, they usually blame themselves. They often think that they are just overworked or even blame the cold weather. The truth is that when you are not motivated to perform your daily tasks, you are likely suffering from SAD. And this means that you must consult a professional for verification as well as treatment. In case your depression isn’t serious, you can actually treat yourself through the use of SAD lights.

SAD Lights – What Are They?

SAD lights are efficient in treating seasonal affective disorder. Vitamin D production in your body will be facilitated through the use of a SAD light box. Aside from helping keep the bones very strong, vitamin D will also play a very crucial role in the regulation of the hormones that boost your mood. Bear in mind that when your body isn’t producing sufficient amount of vitamin D due to the cold weather and low levels of sunlight, you may experience SAD symptoms.

The NatureBright Sun Touch Plus and the Philips goLITE BLU Light Therapy Device are some of the best SAD lights in 2017.

Today, the Sun Touch Plus by NatureBright is considered the best SAD light in the market. It boasts of the Sky Effect feature that allows you to get sufficient amount of light with its 10,000 lux lights. These lights are indeed the most powerful in the market today.

On the other hand, Philips goLITE features LED lights with timer, adjustable intensity, alarm, and clock. Also, you can charge it and use it for other conditions such as sleeping problems.

The Pros and Cons of Coconut Sugar – Helping You Determine If it’s the Right Alternative for Your Health

Coconut is very popular in many ways. As a tree, it has many uses. As a fruit, it offers many health benefits. It is even considered as a complete food in most tropical regions since it has water and meat. The pulp of the coconut tree also produces the popular coconut sugar, which is becoming known as a healthy alternative to refined sugar. Literally, nothing can be wasted from a coconut palm tree.

Are you currently considering coconut sugar as an alternative to your regular sugar? Do you think it is the right kind of sugar to switch to? While it is true that coconut sugar ranks much, much lower than white sugar when it comes to its glycemic index, there are also some pros and cons about coconut sugar that you should know about to make sure it is indeed the better alternative sugar for you and your family’s health.

 

Let’s look into the bright side –

Coconut sugar is tasty and nutritious. According to a data from the Philippine Food and Nutrition Research Institute, coconut sugar is a very good source of nutrients as compared to the regular sugar. It offers many natural nutrients that are found in the coconut palm and this includes potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, short chain fatty acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants.

It even has property called inulin known for slowing down the absorption of glucose.

 

Now let’s look into the components of coconut sugar and see if it’s really a smart sugar alternative for you.

When it pertains to calorie measurement, there is really no difference between the coconut sugar and the regular table sugar.

 

When it comes to its major components, this is where real facts come in.

There are claims that coconut sugar is absolutely fructose-free since it has about 70 to 80 percent of sucrose, with about 3 to 10 percent of glucose.

Is it really zero percent in fructose? – NO.

What is fructose? Fructose is actually a combination of both sucrose and glucose. In fact, sucrose is made up of half fructose. Therefore, coconut sugar contains about 38 to almost 49 percent of fructose. In a nutshell, coconut sugar and white sugar have relatively the same amount of fructose.

 

If you’re considering to switch to coconut sugar as an alternative for maintaining your blood sugar, then it is no different to your regular table sugar. You have to consider other sources of sweetener instead.

However, if you want sugar that offers great nutrients, then coconut sugar could be the right alternative.

 

About the Author: Stanley Page is a health blogger by heart and a nutritionist by profession. With the rise of being natural and organic when it comes to health and beauty, he aims to provide readers real knowledge when it comes to choosing healthy alternatives. He recommends checking out blog.bulletproof.com for more info about this.

Pre- And Post-Care Tips For A Skin Tightening Treatment

The right skin tightening treatment can help you get rid of the unsightly effects of ageing and even gravity. If you have constantly felt embarrassed of your wrinkles, fine lines, big eye bags, sagging skin, and turkey jowl, you won’t have to feel bad about these flaws any longer as long as you consult experts that offer safe and effective skin tightening procedures.

Before And After The Cosmetic Treatment

If you will be undergoing a skin tightening treatment procedure soon, it would work to your advantage if you have a good idea of the typical pre- and post-care tips so that you can prepare better and you know what to expect:

Before the procedure:

• A week before the treatment, make sure you avoid sun exposure and sunless tanning. Keep in mind that your doctor or specialist will not treat sun burned or tanned skin. Also, you have to stop using or applying all skin irritants such as glycolic/ salicylic acids, benzoyl peroxide, retinol products such as Retin A, Triluma, Differin, and Vitamin C on the area to be treated.

• If you are taking antibiotics, tell your doctor or specialist. This is because certain antibiotics such as Tetracycline and Doxycycline can make a patient photosensitive and therefore, treatment may not be able to done until two weeks after completion of antibiotic.

• The day before the treatment, inform your doctor or specialist if you have a history of cold sores or fever blisters so that he or she can prescribe an anti-viral medication. You will not be allowed to undergo treatment if you have an active cold sore or skin infection.

• If it’s your first time to undergo this procedure, arrive at least 30 minutes prior to your treatment to have some photos taken. Also, do not wear any make-up or moisturizers on the area to be treated or remove them thoroughly before the procedure.

After the procedure:

• Keep in mind that it is normal for the area treated to have redness and swelling. However, it is uncommon for a blister or bruise to develop. In case blisters come up, a topical antibiotic ointment can be used twice daily until healed. Ask your doctor or specialist which one would be best to use.

• Avoid applying an ice pack on the treated area to maximise treatment results.

• Do not wax and use tweezers and depilatory creams at least 3 days after the procedure.

• You can start using products with skin irritants such as glycolic/ salicylic acids, benzoyl peroxide, retinol products, and vitamin C 3 days after the treatment.

• An SPF 30 or higher with Zinc Oxide will be applied to your skin immediately post treatment. Continue to apply sunblock daily to maximize results and minimise irritation

• Avoid soaking in hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and exercise after the treatment.

• Lastly, follow all post-treatment instructions given by the doctor or specialist to maximise and prolong the results and minimise complication.

About the Author:

Danielle Yang is a mum of two and self-improvement blogger. She recently underwent (and recommend others) to try the skin tightening treatments offered by the Medical Village in Dubai.

Useful Tips For First-Time Buyers Of Breast Cancer Bras And Prosthesis

It is not uncommon for women who have undergone a mastectomy to feel depressed after the operation. Although they will feel relieved and happy to have beaten the big C, they will still be sad about losing one or both of their breasts. Aside from being depressed, the loss of their breast can lead them to have low self-esteem and feel less confident about their physical appearance.

After the mastectomy, a woman can still take control of her appearance and boost her self-esteem with the proper fit of a breast cancer bras and prosthesis. These items can have a huge influence in a woman’s self-image.

Tips For Buying Mastectomy Bras And Prosthesis

If it’s your first time to shop for breast cancer bras and prosthesis, below are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

Determine the best time to go for a fitting. You can’t have a fitting a day or two after your surgery. Your surgeon will recommend the appropriate time for you to start wearing breast prostheses. As such, ask your doctor about this. The ideal time usually depends on the post-operative healing process and the type of mastectomy that was performed. Most health experts say that it would be a good idea to wait at least five to six weeks post-surgery to ensure all swelling has gone down. This is because your measurements will not be accurate if you are swollen.

When going for a fitting, put on an outfit that you normally wear. For your fitting, wear what you normally wear in your everyday life. An important part of the fitting is seeing how your clothes fit and look when you are wearing the prosthesis. Experts recommend wearing a snug-fitting and design-free top so that you can have a great idea of how proportional and symmetrical the breast prosthesis is to your body.

During the fitting, prepare for a mastectomy bra fitting as well. The fitter will also take the necessary measurements to determine your bra band size and cup size. If you have had bilateral surgery, you can tell the fitter the cup size you want to undergarment to be.

Get a prescription from your medical specialist. Lastly, if your insurance company covers breast prosthesis and mastectomy bras, ask your doctor to write a prescription for them so that you can submit these products to your coverage provider.

About the Author:

Catherine Vega is a breast cancer survivor and fashion consultant. She recommends reading more about breast cancer bras and prosthesis on the website of Caring Touch Medical, Inc.

Tongkat Ali As One Of Nature’s Male Fertility Supplements

Tongkat Ali, scientifically known as Eurycoma Longifolia, is a flowering plant that is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. As an herbal plant with a reputation, it is used to treat simple headaches and ulcers. It is also known to be an aphrodisiac.

The root, bark, leaves, and berries of this plant are used in creating potions and herbal medicines to treat ailments. What sparks more interest among many individuals is the extract of the Tongkat Ali root. It is said to be very effective in boosting a person’s testosterone levels, making it one of the best male fertility supplements today.

Why Individuals Choose Tongkat Ali

Natural

Nature is rich in plants and herbs that are effective in promoting health and addressing health conditions. They have been used for over thousands of years now and many people still prefer them over commercially-made drugs and supplements, simply because they are a work of nature. They are considered safe for the body.

Potent

In their raw and untouched state, medicinal plants do not lose their potency. Hence, a lot of individuals prefer them over synthetically made supplements. This is the case with Tongkat Ali.

Less Side Effects

Because it is considered nature’s drug, Tongkat Ali also poses minimal to no side effects and adverse reactions. It has been known for its safety and effectiveness since the beginning of time.

The Importance Of Incorporating Organic Vitamin C In Your Skin Care Regimen

Skin care products are made of various ingredients or substances. Once you start using natural skin care products, it is important that you choose ones that contain a really beneficial ingredient: vitamin C.

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is highly beneficial when used in cosmetic skin care formulas. As you age, the levels of free radical damage in your body increase because of long-term exposure to various factors such as pollutants, the sun, chemicals, prescription drugs, bad habits or a poor lifestyle. These free radicals lead to cell damage which in turn causes loss of collagen, elasticity, and wrinkling of the skin.

Antioxidants are one of the most effective substances that can offset some of the damage caused by free radicals. Although your body has a natural defense system which can help neutralize the harmful effects caused by these toxic molecules, sometimes, they are not enough. Antioxidants, which include vitamin C, are helpful in eliminating free radicals from your body. These substances interact with the radicals and stabilize them so they are rendered harmless.

Vitamin C And Skin Care Products

Simply increasing your intake of vitamin C is not enough for you to reap the maximum benefits and effect of this nutrient on your skin. You should also consider applying a high concentration serum or cream directly to the skin.

Skin care experts recommend that any product you choose should have a concentration of at least 10% organic vitamin C to experience substantial benefits. Many skin care products claim to contain vitamin C but if you carefully read package’s label, you will see that the concentration is often very small.

In general, vitamin C is also unstable. In the open air, it oxidizes and turns brown. As such, you need to make sure that the vitamin C serum or cream that you buy is not in a jar. This is because once the lid is taken off a jar, its vitamin C content will become inactive. As much as possible, choose products that come in airtight containers to ensure the activity of the product.

How To Use Vitamin C Infused Skin Care Products

Before applying a vitamin C serum or cream, skin experts recommend you wash your face with an AHA/ BHA cleanser. This helps remove many of the dead skin cells from your face and enables the vitamin C product to penetrate deep into your skin.
It is also highly recommended that you apply a small pea sized drop of the serum or cream to your dry face in the morning. In addition, protect your skin further from free radical damage by applying a moisturizer that contains a zinc based sunscreen daily.

By Sophie Cassel, a dermatology student. She recommends reading more about organic vitamin C on this link.

Experts From Dental Clinics In Dubai Cite Foods Items That Can Eliminate Bad Breath

When talking about oral problems, individuals may experience simple up to major issues like dental stains and teeth misalignment. Apart from that, there are also oral issues that may be experienced by many individuals such as bad breath.

Bad breath is caused by numerous factors. For one, bad breath is caused by the buildup of plaque on the teeth. Plaque buildup can also cause other issues such as gum disease. Next, bad breath can also be caused by poorly-fitted dental appliances, yeast infections of the mouth, and dental caries.

Dry mouth, which is also known as xerostomia, can also cause bad breath. Luckily, visiting a dental clinic, Dubai dental experts claim can help get rid of bad breath. Apart from visiting dentists, there are also some food items that can help reduce or eliminate bad breath. Below are some of the following.

Yogurt

One of the best food items that can eliminate bad breath is yogurt. However, make sure that you eat 6 ounces of unsweetened yogurt every day. By doing so, individuals can reduce the level of odor-causing hydrogen sulfide in their mouth. This is possible since yogurt contains Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles, which compete with the bacteria in the mouth that contribute to bad breath.

Parsley and Basil

Garlic and onions are only some of the food items that can cause bad breath since these food items contain 33 different smelly sulfur compounds. Fortunately, parsley and basil can eliminate garlic breath since these food items can break down the sulfur compounds in garlic.

Apples and Spinach

In case that you are looking for other food items that can eliminate garlic smell, you can opt for apples and spinach. Dental experts state that apples and spinach are rich in polyphenols, which can help break down the sulfur compounds in garlic. Not to mention, these food items are also tasty.

Cherries and Lettuce

Bacteria in the mouth release gas. The most common gas released by bacteria is methyl mercaptan. To get rid of this odor, individuals can eat cherries and lettuce. These food items remove the smell released by methyl mercaptan to help avoid bad breath.

Tea

Lastly, dentists also claim that tea, most especially unsweetened black and green tea, can eliminate bad breath since teas contain antioxidants called polyphenols that can help destroy the growth of bacteria that cause bad breath. But, consuming too much black tea can cause teeth stains. So, it is safer to opt for green tea.

By knowing all these, individuals can get rid of bad breath properly and easily. Know more about dental clinics in Dubai in this site.

All About Teeth Whitening: A Mesa Dentist Share Some Basic Facts

Everyone wants to have the perfect smile. Having aligned and straight teeth is, of course a good start. However, if your teeth has a yellow tinge and is noticeably stained or discolored, you will lose the confidence to flash your beautiful smile.

Fortunately, this problem can be easily remedied through teeth whitening. Mesa dentists can recommend various teeth whitening treatments that will enable you to show off the perfect, dazzling smile.

About Teeth Discoloration

Teeth become discolored due to different reasons. For starters, teeth can become discolored due to aging. Another usual cause of teeth staining are certain food and drinks. Food and drinks such as coffee, tea, and colas may contain tannins, chromogens or acids that can either stain the teeth or make the tooth enamel softer. Certain types of medications can also stain the teeth. Lastly, smoking is also one of the leading causes of teeth stains and discoloration.

Types Of Dental Stains

Dental stains come in two types: intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic stains pertain to discoloration that emanates from the inside of the tooth. These stains may have been caused by trauma, heredity, tetracycline (an antibiotic) or excessive intake of fluoride during childhood.

Extrinsic stains refer to the discoloration of the tooth’s surface or enamel. Ageing, nicotine and tar in tobacco, and the chemicals in some types of food and drinks are the usual culprits of this type of teeth stain.

A Recommended In-Office Whitening Treatment

Whitening toothpaste, mouthwashes, trays and strips are some of the typical over-the-counter whitening treatments that you can use at home to remove surface stains. Unfortunately, these are often not as effective as the in-office treatments that dentists offer.

One teeth whitening treatment that is highly recommended by dentists today is the Natural Elegance whitening system. Before undergoing this teeth whitening treatment, your dentist will thoroughly clean and assess your teeth first. During these steps, your dentist will be able to determine whether some kind of work needs to be done on your teeth before proceeding with the teeth whitening process. After this, the dentist will make impressions of your teeth which will be used to fabricate custom-fitted trays.

After these trays have been fabricated, you will receive them, along with the bleaching agent. The bleaching agent contains peroxide which will be absorbed by the enamel. And once the enamel has absorbed the peroxide, oxygen will be released and break the chemical bonds of the stain. For this particular treatment, you will have to wear the trays daily for about two weeks. After two weeks, you will see noticeable results. You can keep on using the trays until you have achieved your desired whiteness for your teeth.

About the Author:

Maggie Johnson is a dental hygienist and up-and-coming blogger. She recommends reading more about the different teeth whitening treatments offered in Mesa on www.desertfamilydental.com.

Common Solutions San Diego Residents Opt For To Get Rid Of Sleep Apnea

Sleeping is important in order for individuals to gain their energy and rest their mind and body. Without sufficient sleep, performance and thinking skills can be compromised. Unfortunately, some individuals may experience difficulties in sleeping due to problems like sleep apnea.

As of now, there are different types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, and complex sleep apnea. Luckily, there are solutions that can deal with sleep apnea. San Diego residents cite some of the following solutions.

CPAP

Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure also known as CPAP is one of the most common solutions for sleep apnea. This device is a mask-like machine that covers your nose and mouth, providing a constant stream of air that keeps your breathing passages open while you sleep.

BPAP

If you are not comfortable in using CPAP, you can also make use of Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure or BPAP. This automatically adjusts the pressure while you’re sleeping, providing more pressure when you inhale, less when you exhale.

ASV

ASV also known as Adaptive Servo-Ventilation is a device that stores information about your normal breathing pattern and automatically uses airflow pressure to prevent pauses in your breathing while you’re asleep.

Dental appliances

Lastly, individuals can also opt for dental appliance offered by reliable dentists. This device is fitted inside your mouth like a mouth guard. However, dental appliances can also be used for mild-to-moderate sleep apnea.

In case that you are looking for dental appliance to deal with your mild sleep apnea, it is best to visit dental clinics like Eshom DDS. Know more about their services on this site.