Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Real Food Wednesday - Great News (and a Great Giveaway)

OK, so last week I posted about the whole weight loss endeavor, and I failed to mention (intentionally, actually) that part of the other reason that I am very satisfied with slow weight loss is...

We are pregnant!!!!!

We were waiting until we saw the little one on screen to say anything. And at this point, while I realize I am still only 20% of the way to my weight loss goal, I'm giving up on having any kind of focus on it. Still going to be eating well, still going to be using my treadmill desk, and hopefully anything unnecessary will slip away while I retain what I need for Baby, but no weight loss focus anymore.

Eating right for Baby

DHA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for brain development in children. Naturally, this speaks to a need for moms-to-be (and those trying to conceive) to get a lot of DHA in their system. How do you do this?

One great source of DHA that is also an amazing source of Vitamins A & D is fermented cod liver oil (fclo). I have used fclo because omega-3s are also great for persons with ADHD, and can attest that it was a huge benefit to my health and to my focus as well, not to mention that Vitamin D helps prevent just about every type of cancer, because it is essential for cell regulation (cancer = growth of abnormal cells, so that makes sense). So, even if you are not pregnant, there are plenty of good reasons to start taking fclo.

Energized by returning home from my trip to the doctor's office, clutching the ultrasound picture of my still minuscule baby, I was thrilled to see that Kelly the Kitchen Kop is hosting a giveaway on her site for FCLO!! Of course I already take it, but being stocked up throughout my pregnancy is a priority for me, and it an be expensive. Though it seems that, health wise, it could more expensive to go with out it.

If you're at all interested in trying cod liver oil, you should definitely head over to the giveaway and check it out!

Other Ways to Get DHA

Other foods you can eat that are high in omega-3 oils in general - including DHA - are eggs, certain fish, and flax oil supplements (not as high as fclo but still a good source). The eggs should be from pastured hens, because chickens that are able to eat grass and protein-rich insects are the healthiest chickens, and healthy chickens lay healthy eggs. Good omega-3 rich fish include salmon, cod, and tuna. If you are pregnant, you should not eat these fish more than 2-3 times a week (largely because of mercury levels), and there are certain types of fish you should not eat. Talk to your health care practitioner, be it midwife, doctor, or other. If you want to take flax oil, and you prefer to take the liquid to capsules, do not cook the liquid, as heat is likely to make the oil go rancid, and even create free radicals that are very harmful to your system.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday hosted by Cheeseslave. Check out the other great posts here.

2 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Your baby is blessed to have a mom who is both aware and able to eat in the most healthy manner.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so much! It has been (and continues to be) such a process, but the more I learn the more I want to eat what is best for our baby. We are so excited!!

    ReplyDelete