To Your Health
May, 2008 (Vol. 02, Issue 05) |
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When reviewing your diet journal, your doctor is going to be looking for specific problem areas:
- Missed meals (usually breakfast)
- High carbohydrates
- Low proteins
- Unhealthy fats
- Processed foods
- High caffeine
- Other chemicals
Stop the Addiction
One of the most common dietary "problems" is high intake of caffeine, known to decrease the opportunity of conceiving and slightly increase the likelihood of miscarriage in the first trimester. With the craze of specialty coffees not going away and the high consumption of diet colas, we live in a caffeine-driven society.
A woman with a caffeine addiction should slowly eliminate this habit. If you consume five cups of coffee a day, give yourself an attainable goal that would be easy to reach quickly. For example, go down to four cups of coffee a day for a few weeks, and then slowly lower consumption to three cups a day, with the goal of being down to one cup of coffee or tea per day in 12 weeks.
Many women who drink diet sodas for caffeine also are addicted to carbonation. As you slowly reduce your daily intake of diet soda, you can use carbonated water to satisfy your fizz need. It's OK to have a diet soda once or twice a month so you don't feel as if you are being totally cheated out of your favorites. However, as you get closer to your conception window, this soda habit should be eliminated completely until after your baby is born.
Replace Bad With Good
The saying is true: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A great nutritional start to your day should include protein, vegetables and legumes. For example, a scrambled egg with lightly steamed spinach and black beans wrapped in a whole-grain tortilla is an easy way to fuel your body.
Throughout the day, you should eat healthy snacks to keep your energy up. Healthy snacks for women include raw nuts, fruits, and dairy and soy products. For example, a handful of raw almonds and a slice of apple or a slice of avocado mixed with black beans is a much healthier choice than a diet soda and a few cookies.
Whether you're eating at home or going out to lunch or dinner, you can make healthy choices with a few simple substitutions.
- Instead of fried or red meat, eat broiled chicken or fish.
- Instead of rice, potatoes and other white starches, eat green vegetables.
- Instead of soda or coffee, drink a glass of water.
- Instead of desserts high in fat and processed sugar, eat fresh berries and yogurt.
