Daily Health Biz

Juice therapy has become a food trend in recent years. This healthy fashion can be very suitable for pregnant women and, in general, all those who find it difficult to consume fruits or vegetables normally.

The origins of juice therapy are found in the eastern cultures of China or India. However, since the 1990s, it has had a large following in Western countries.

The benefits of juice therapy

In addition to being a practical and simple way to consume healthy food, juice therapy can be done at all ages and at any time of the year.

It is important to know that juices do not replace the daily consumption of whole fruits and vegetables , which have a large amount of fiber. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor to indicate if it is, or not, appropriate to drink juices.

Juice therapy is especially appropriate for children, the elderly and also for pregnant women who, due to their condition, need a good dose of vitamins. Therefore, juice therapy is a way to consume food in a simple, pleasant and effortless way,

A source of vitamins for pregnancy

In most fresh fruits and vegetables we can find, more than in other edibles, vitamin A, B complex (B1, B2, B6, B12), vitamin C, E and D. To a lesser extent, they are they can find vitamins B3, B15, B17, H and folic acid or pantothenic acid.

During pregnancy, especially during the summer, when the heat increases, it is recommended to drink plenty of fluids, mainly water because it hydrates the body. Likewise, milk, broths, fruit juices and teas are recommended.

Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are a source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber. In addition, they can become a very nutritious drink for the body of pregnant women.

All fresh fruits and vegetables can be combined without problems; With the exception of melon and watermelon, which must be consumed alone. All the juices we can think of are undoubtedly nutritious and healthy.

How to follow the juice therapy?

The best option is to drink fruit or vegetable juices about an hour before breakfast , or several hours after meals, and never with food. Juices have many beneficial properties for everyone, since they detoxify, regenerate, strengthen, purify, help rebuild cells and, above all, provide energy to our body.

To begin, the first step is to buy or borrow a blender from someone, since we can make juices more easily and with higher quality than with the typical juicer.

It should be noted that the juice that a blender produces is very different from that of a packaged juice. Therefore, it must be taken quickly. This is because nutritional substances lose many of their properties shortly after being hit.

You can start by drinking very healthy juices in the morning, the peach, kiwi and plum is an excellent option . On the other hand, melon, grape and lemon, carrot, strawberry and orange juices are a good option to consume on summer days.

Make an apple parsley smoothie

For our apple and parsley drink, we would like to use organic apples: we can use it with the peel, as it contains most of the vitamins (the peel of conventionally grown apples is usually full of pesticides).

Just mix some organic apples with a dozen parsley stalks! Depending on your taste, you can add a little cucumber or replace the parsley with a few spinach leaves.

Beet juice

Beetroot is packed with vitamins from groups B and C and also contains numerous trace elements and other valuable nutrients.

To make this juice, peel, cut in half and mix the raw beets. And voila, our quintessential detox drink! Depending on the flavor, you can add a little carrot or lemon.

Delicious strawberry juice

This is one of the typical fruits that pregnant women tend to crave, so if you are wanting to eat strawberries, take advantage of it and make it in the form of juice.

Strawberries contain folic acid, essential to avoid bad formations in the baby, in addition to a good amount of water that will keep you well hydrated.

Cranberry juice

If you choose a blueberry juice, you will have an excellent natural antioxidant.

To make this delicious juice you must have: 1 kilo of blueberries, your choice of sweetener, juice of half a lemon and a blender. Simply add and mix the ingredients to get an ideal juice for the pregnant woman.

You can vary the consistency, either to achieve a juice or a thicker drink depending on the amount of water you add.

Why do we wash fruits and vegetables?

What many do not know is that washing vegetables is because there are many parasites on their surface . These parasites can be protozoa and amoebae, which are pathogens that are harmful to health.

Numerous microorganisms inhabit the earth, including parasites that come from the feces of animals – even infected humans. These parasites, as part of their biological cycle, adhere to the surface of fruits and vegetables and enter our body when we consume them, thus causing various diseases.

Transmission Mode

The mode of transmission of most parasites is oro-fecal. This means that they are transmitted from the fecal route to the oral route (the mouth), either through the consumption of contaminated food or water.

These parasites when entering our body orally, reach our intestines where they reproduce and their eggs are released through the feces to continue perpetuating the cycle.

Dogs, cats and farm animals are the ones that commonly contaminate the earth with these parasites and for this reason it is extremely important to wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.

Other forms of contamination

Vegetables and fruits are not always contaminated by the soil, in some cases they are contaminated by animals such as snails and slugs. Certain types of parasites infect these mollusks by reproducing in their system and are subsequently excreted.

These animals usually feed on the leaves of lettuce, carrots, cauliflower, etc. and release the eggs of the parasites on the surface of the vegetable or fruit.

Another very common way in which fruits and vegetables are contaminated is by washing them with unprocessed water. In the water there are countless protozoa that cause diseases such as dysentery. The natural habitat of this type of parasites is water, which, as in the previous case, is contaminated with feces.

Food infections due to consumption of contaminated food

One of the main risks of consuming fruits or vegetables that have not been washed properly is norovirus and salmonella , which are the most common pathogens.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC reports that:

“Eating fresh fruits and vegetables provides important health benefits, but sometimes these raw products can contain harmful microbes, such as  Salmonella ,  E. coli , and  Listeria.  Fresh fruits and vegetables can be contaminated at any stage on their farm-to-fork journey, even from cross-contamination in the kitchen. Those that are washed are safer, and those that cook well are safe. “

Therefore the risk of possible diseases is a reality that we must try to avoid.

To learn more about these possible diseases caused by food poisoning, we invite you to read the article: food contaminated by the most common bacteria.

recommendations

Doctors recommend cooking food thoroughly before consuming it, as cooking eliminates any pathogens found in the meat.

But what about vegetables that are eaten raw? In these cases the recommendation is to wash them very well with running water, this eliminates most of the microorganisms from the surface of the fruits or vegetables by simple dragging.

The tap water of some countries, especially the undeveloped countries, does not have an adequate processing that eliminates the pathogenic organisms that inhabit it. That is why the most reliable method to safely consume vegetables or fruits is to soak them for a few minutes in water with vinegar or lemon juice.

These substances have an acid PH, which breaks down the cell membranes of most microorganisms. This is an effective method to wash these types of foods before consuming them.

Tips to relieve infant colic

In the face of colic, many new moms have no idea what to do, because they do not have the ability to do anything to relieve the baby. If it is true that many parents cannot take care of the baby or at least relieve it when it screams loudly, it is also true that there are solutions against colic that will allow you to avoid them and others that will help to relieve a baby.

Identify infant colic

To alleviate it, you must know how to identify colic in a baby . The symptoms to recognize colic are numerous, although the most common are screaming and crying. Remember that crying is the only way your baby can express what he feels, and it is not the same as crying as he usually does, since there he only seeks the attention of the parents. The baby who cries when he has colic is strident, and seems inconsolable, since he is crying because of the great stomach pain that he must feel.

In addition, a baby suffering from colic sometimes squirms in all directions while sleeping, or it also happens that he turns red when he has a bloated stomach. Another common symptom of colic in babies is that they have a lot of gas. When these symptoms appear simultaneously, it is very likely that the baby is suffering from colic.

Prevent colic

By not being able to definitively rule out the risk of colic , it is possible to reduce them. Reducing the risk or intensity of colic is to ensure that the baby has less air in the intestines: for this, you must avoid swallowing too much during breastfeeding, or when feeding from a bottle.

Breastfeeding position is another important factor in avoiding colic . Make sure her lower lip is firmly attached to your breast during the process. Also, if you are bottle feeding, take some precautions such as the following: when you shake the bottle to dissolve the powdered milk in the water, avoid doing it with too much force, as air bubbles will form and the baby will swallow them.

Treat colic

Fortunately, it is possible to ease a baby’s intestinal pain . Abdominal massages will be your first ally to make you pass the pain. With a few drops of warm milk in the palm of your hand, make circular movements on your baby’s belly, and gently place one hand on his tummy by turning it to the right. This movement will help to expel those gases that torment you.

Grandmothers have their recipes for colic too , and from experience, they work. The most famous is the infusion of fennel seeds . Many mothers who have suffered from seeing their child writhing in colicky pain say this technique is essential. Other mothers opt for chamomile or linden tea to cure colic . Obviously, if any of these methods still do not satisfy your baby, do not hesitate to consult a doctor.

You have three months to avoid hair loss after childbirth , and in this article we will show you some tips to achieve it.

About three months after the birth of a baby, many women find, to their dismay, impressive hair loss that can last up to 6 months. This hair loss after childbirth is hormonal. Although it is impossible to prevent it completely, it can be mitigated.

Why do we lose hair after childbirth?

Hair becomes vigorous, thicker and shinier during pregnancy, however it loses strength after delivery . This is known as reaction hair loss.Several factors are responsible for postpartum alopecia .

The main cause is a hormonal disorder, since when a woman is pregnant, estrogen hormones increase massively, stimulate the whole body and prolong the life of the hair. However, after delivery, estrogen levels decrease , resulting in massive and simultaneous hair loss “naturally”.

Birth indicates the beginning of a new life, and is a stressful time for most moms. This stress and excessive fatigue due to lack of sleep and returning to work may also be responsible for the hair devitalization .

If you are prone to iron deficiency, it is best to consult your doctor or dermatologist, as a lack of iron can aggravate alopecia.

Hair care during pregnancy

Reducing hair loss after childbirth is a job that starts early, during pregnancy. Give your hair all the attention it deserves and you will minimize the effects of hormones:

• Get vitamin supplements that prevent hair loss . Your hairdresser or pharmacist can advise you.
• Keep your scalp healthy. Choose a shampoo that thoroughly cleanses your scalp of any residue from dye or other styling products.
• Use a special hair conditioner after shampooing. The serum or lotion may give a little tingling sensation. In fact, they stimulate the absorption of vitamins by the root of the hair .

Care against hair loss after childbirth

On average, women see the effects of hormones in their hair three months after giving birth , but it is advisable to treat the hair immediately after giving birth , giving it personalized attention:

• Continue or begin a vitamin hair treatment . It takes three months before you see the first results of your food supplements. With a little luck, you will avoid losing a lot of hair .
• Keep your scalp healthy with an anti-hair loss shampoo and a specialized serum. You can try this homemade shampoo for hair loss.
• Hair loss is often accompanied by dull hair: regularly apply a conditioner or a nourishing mask.
• Some women also notice that their hair is thinner after childbirth . If you tend to keep your hair long, this is a good time to cut the ends.
• After giving birth, taking care of yourself is essential to feeling good about your role as a mother.

In the soft diet , foods are incorporated that have been prescribed by the doctor before a digestive process, or after a surgical intervention, which requires care with the foods that could overload our digestion. At breakfast, for its part, it is essential to include those clean and easily digestible foods that promote rest for the stomach.

Breakfasts for a soft diet

When a soft diet is mentioned, we talk about foods that are not irritating to avoid the stimulation of gastric juice secretion, and are not rich in saturated fat, it is also known as a protective diet, since it is usually used after some medical treatment or during illness.

1. Fruits for breakfast

Cooked fruits, and very ripe fruits that are not acidic, such as banana or pear, are well received by the body, especially when we want to prevent the digestive system from being overloaded.

All types of fruits are allowed except those that provide the greatest amount of fiber. So, therefore, pieces such as plums should be discarded. However, apples and bananas are highly recommended.

2. Steamed food

When we steam food, we avoid the addition of fat and conserve its vitamins and minerals.

Therefore, during breakfast we can also incorporate soups or salads to which we add steamed vegetables.

3. Sweet potato in cream

Try this rich sweet potato puree with cinnamon, butter and a secret ingredient that gives it a spectacular flavor and texture.

Water

In all diets and nutritional care, water will always be the most recommended drink, therefore do not forget to start the day with a glass of water, before even eating any food, it is recommended that the water is on time, and not opt for very cold water.

List of foods to incorporate

To carry out a bland diet, MedlinePlus recommends the following list of foods that can be incorporated, in addition to nutrition, it will also be important to pay attention to the emotional factor, which is usually another focus of attention.

• Milk and other dairy products, low-fat or fat-free only.
• Cooked, canned, or frozen vegetables.
• Papas.
• Canned fruits as well as applesauce, bananas and melon.
• Fruit and vegetable juices (some people, especially those with GERD, may want to avoid citrus fruits and tomatoes).
• Breads, cookies and pasta made with refined white flour.
• Hot and refined cereals, such as Cream of Wheat (farina cereals).
• Tender and lean meats, such as poultry, white fish, and shellfish, steamed, baked, or broiled with no added fat.
• Creamy peanut butter.
• Pudding and custard.
• Graham crackers and vanilla waffle cookies.
• Ice lolly and jellies.
• Eggs
• Tofu.
• Soup, especially broth.
• Light tea