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Did you Know.....
During the second year of life, 500ml (2 cups) of breast milk provides:
95% of vitamin C requirements
45% of vitamin A requirements
38% of protein requirements
31% of energy requirements
(from: UNICEF/Wellstart: Promoting
Breastfeeding in Health Facilities:
A short course for Administrators and
Policy Makers; WHO/CDR 93.4)
*************
Breast milk contains about 1g protein in every 100 mL (3 1/2 ounces). So if 5g of protein make up 38% of a 12 - 24 month old's requirements then the RDA is around 14g per day as prescribed by the WHO.
An estimated 2 -3 nursings can provide the 500ml of breastmilk.
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Protien During Pregnancy
By: Stephanie Coleman
Some foods to eat that have lots of high energy protein:
Milk
Eggs {the cheapest and yet best form of a complete protein}
Cottage Cheese
Yogurt
Ice Cream {yes! This is good for you! :}
Soy milk
Almonds
Any kind of nuts such as {peanuts, brazil nuts, soybeans,sunflower seeds,walnuts,cashews,pecans, hickory nuts, sesame seeds, pistachios,pumpkin seeds, and chestnuts}
Peanut butter! {don't forget to make peanut butter balls with peanut butter, powdered milk, and honey! }
Beans {pinta beans, lima beans, red kidney beans, black beans, refried beans,split peas, lentils,} Eat lots of beans! Making beans with a side of rice makes a complete protein and can be really yummy inside a warm flour tortilla
Fish and other seafoods
Potato {baked and stuffed or scalloped}with cheese
Noodles or bread with cheese
*Adding the cheese makes some dishes a complete protein
Some yummy high protein breakfasts:
Examples:
1.Orange Juice
Scrambled eggs with melted cheese
Two pieces of whole wheat toast with peanut butter
2. Oatmeal topped with cinnamon and raisins and milk
A choice of fruit or a piece of toast with butter
3. Orange Juice
Grape Nuts cereal mixed with yogurt and strawberries {or choice of fruit}
Scrambled egg with cheese
4. Orange Juice
Scrambled Eggs, Fried or Baked Potatoes, Salsa, and Melted Cheese wrapped in a warm tortilla {you can also add tomatoes, green or red peppers and onions as well as any spices}
Your choice of fruit with yogurt or cottage cheese
{This is a great balanced breakfast with lots of protein!}
5.Milk
Granola topped with yogurt or ice cream
Choice of fruit
2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter
6. Orange Juice
Bran Muffins with butter and honey
Bacon and eggs {made whichever way you prefer- hard boiled is a different, yummy way to eat eggs}
7. Orange Juice
Yogurt
Whole wheat or regular waffles topped with fruit and whipped cream
8. Orange Juice
Breakfast omelet filled with veggies and your choice of ham or other meat and cheese
Yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit
Some interesting Vegetable Protein Combos:
1. Legumes combined with grains
2. Legumes combined with nuts/seeds
3. Legumes combined with Brewer's yeast
4. Grains combined with sesame meal
5. Grains and nuts
6. Grains and nuts
7. Potato combined with nuts
8. Peas combined with grains
9. Rice combined with vegetables
10. Rice combined with beans!! Yum!
Here is a sample daily menu of a high protein, well balanced diet for someone not eating meat:
BREAKFAST:
2 scrambled eggs
3 whole wheat carob or chocolate pancakes
1 cup yogurt filling
1 oz. almonds, chopped
6 tabl. coconut, grated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbl honey
fruit cup with: tangerine, orange juice, cantaloupe, apricots, and raisins
MIDMORNING SNACK
Strawberry shake:
1 cup fresh strawberries {or frozen works good too!}
1 cup of fortified milk
1/2 banana
1 tbl honey
add ice cubes and ice cream if desired
1 graham cracker with butter
LUNCH
1 cup steamed broccoli
Green salad:
1.2 cup Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup Alfalfa sprouts or Spinach
3 tbl. sunflower seeds
1 tbl safflower oil
vinegar
salt
1 cup baked beans in homemade sauce:
2/3 cup tomato puree
1/2 onion
1 Tbl oil
1 tbl molasses
1/2 oz. Brewer's yeast
1 Tbl wheat germ
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
cumin or nutmeg, dash
vinegar, dash
1 slice Whole Wheat Bread
1 Tbls butter
1 cup fortified milk
MIDAFTERNOON SNACK
1 raw carrot
1 cup lentil soup
1/3 cup salted nuts
1 cup fortified milk
DINNER
2/3 cup steamed bok choy
1 cup rice
stir fried-vegetables:
2/3 cup green pepper
4 oz. mushrooms
2/3 carrot
1/2 onion
1 tbl vegetable oil
soy sauce, to taste
French fried or oven baked potatoes
with sweet and sour sauce
2/3 cup succotash {limas and corn}
1 tbls butter
1 slice watermelon
DESSERT {before bed snack}
1/8 apple pie
1 cup fortified milk
MIDDLE-OF-THE-NIGHT-SNACK
1 cup prune juice
1 bran or corn or oatmeal muffin
1 tbl butter
1 tbl honey
*Now that seems like a lot of food and it is. When you are eating enough protein, it will seem like all you are doing all day is eating. The reason for eating in the middle of the night is because any time you go a long period of time without eating {even at night} your blood sugar drops which can cause lots of problems for you and baby. the more protein, the healthier you are and the more nutrition baby gets. This sample daily menu had a wide variety of foods and actually had a total of 115 grams of protein without hardly even touching meat!
According to Dr. Tom Brewer, a pregnancy diet with adequate protein should include this:
Group 1- milk and milk products {4 choices}
Group 2- calcium replacements {as needed}
Group 3- eggs- 2 choices
Group 4- meat, seafood, etc- 6 choices
Group 5- dark green vegetables- 2 choices
Group 6- whole grains, starchy vegetables, and high carb fruits- 5 choices
Group7- vitamin C foods- 2 choices
Group 8- fats and oils- 3 choices
Group 9- vitamin A foods- 2 choices
Group 10- salt and other sodium choices- unlimited, to taste
Group 11- water, unlimited, to taste
Group 12- snacks- unlimited, to appetite
Group 13- supplements- optional but beneficial
It is essential to see that you get at least one high protein food at each meal.
Eggs should be a staple of pregnant women and 2 a day is the recommendation. Eat them for breakfast or in a salad at dinner. Remmeber though: Breakfast is the most important meal. Do not skip breakfast or substitute a high quality protein breakfast with just juice or tea or coffee.
The protein in the morning is what helps keep your blood sugar regulated throughout the day as well as keep your blood pressure under check and gives you plenty of energy.
Fill up a water pitcher every morning with half your body weight in ounces {as you see that will change throughout pregnancy}. Drink the entire pitcher of water throughout the day. This is the appropriate amount of water that your particular body needs. Coffee and soda drinks do not count as water although juice and teas do.
Also remember: coffee is a diuretic which means it depletes your body of major nutrients and water which is why it is so dehydrating. It also raises blood pressure because it is a stimulant so it also curbs the appetite which is why people who drink coffee don't eat as much as they normally should. This also goes for soda too. Both of these drinks also rob the body of much needed calcium and protein which is why women who get pre-eclampsia tend to favor one or both of those drinks.
When I got pre-eclampsia, soda was my drink of choice.
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Breast-Feeding May Offer Protection Against the Onset of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Diana MahoneyNew England Bureau
NEW ORLEANS
Breast-feeding for a lifetime total of more than 12 months protects women against the development of rheumatoid arthritis, a large prospective cohort study has shown.The longer a woman breast-feeds, the less likely she is to develop rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Elizabeth W. Karlson reported at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.
It has long been surmised that female reproductive hormones may play a role in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Small case-control studies have suggested that breast-feeding may in fact contribute to an increased incidence of RA. Hoping to clarify these relationships, Dr. Karlson and her colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, analyzed data from the Nurses' Health Study, a
longitudinal cohort of 121,701 women.
Of the study participants, 593 women had confirmed incident RA, and of those, 82% were rheumatoid factor positive. The investigators used logistic regression modeling to assess the significance of potential RA risk factors prior to disease onset in these women.
The specific RA risk factors involved included age, smoking status, body mass index, age at menarche, parity, age at first live birth, total lifetime breast-feeding, oral contraceptive use, irregular menstrual cycles, age at menopause, and postmenopausal hormone use.
In a multivariate model that adjusted for these factors, a strong trend emerged associating a lower risk of RA with a longer duration of breast-feeding.
We did not find similar trends associated with the other reproductive hormone factors, such as age at menarche, first birth, or menopause; number of children; oral contraceptive use; or irregular menstrual cycles, Dr. Karlson commented in an interview.
The specific mechanism of breast-feeding related risk reduction has yet to be determined, but the finding may lead to the identification of RA markers and the development of targeted hormone-influencing therapies, she said.
The longer a woman breast-feeds, the less likely she may be to develop RA.
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10 Questions to ask Your Provider During Pregnancy
1. Ask, "Who can be with me during labor and birth?"
Mother-friendly birth centers, home birth services, and hospitals will let a birthing mother decide whom she wants to have with her during the birth. This includes fathers, partners, children, other family members, or friends.
They will also let a birthing mother have with her a person who has special training in helping women cope with labor and birth. This person is called a doula or labor support person. She never leaves the birthing mother alone. She encourages her, comforts her, and helps her understand what's happening to her.
They will have midwives as part of their staff so that a birthing mother can have a midwife with her if she wants to.
2. Ask, "What happens during a normal labor and birth in your setting?"
If they give mother-friendly care, they will tell you how they handle every part of the birthing process. For example, how often do they give the mother a drug to speed up the birth? Or do they let labor and birth usually happen on its own timing?
They will also tell you how often they do certain procedures. For example, they will have a record of the percentage of C-sections (Cesarean births) they do every year. If the number is too high, you'll want to consider having your baby in another place or with another doctor or midwife.
Here are some numbers we recommend you ask about.
They should not use oxytocin (a drug) to start or speed up labor for more than 1 in 10 women (10%).
They should not do an episiotomy (ee-pee-zee-AH-tummy) on more than 1 in 5 women (20%). They should be trying to bring that number down. (An episiotomy is a cut in the opening to the vagina to make it larger for birth. It is not necessary most of the time.) They should not do C-sections on more than 1 in 10 women (10%) if it's a community hospital. The rate should be 15% or less in hospitals which care for many high-risk mothers and babies.
A C-section is a major operation in which a doctor cuts through the mother's stomach into her womb and removes the baby through the opening. Mothers who have had a C-section can often have future babies normally. Look for a birth place in which 6 out of 10 women (60%) or more of the mothers who have had C-sections go on to have their other babies through the birth canal.
3. Ask, "How do you allow for differences in culture and beliefs?"
Mother-friendly birth centers, hospitals, and home birth services are sensitive to the mother's culture. They know that mothers and families have differing beliefs, values, and customs.
For example, you may have a custom that only women may be with you during labor and birth. Or perhaps your beliefs include a religious ritual to be done after birth. There are many other examples that may be very important to you. If the place and the people are mother-friendly, they will support you in doing what you want to do. Before labor starts tell your doctor or midwife special things you want.
4. Ask, "Can I walk and move around during labor? What position do you suggest for birth?"
In mother-friendly settings, you can walk around and move about as you choose during labor. You can choose the positions that are most comfortable and work best for you during labor and birth. (There may be a medical reason for you to be in a certain position.) Mother-friendly settings almost never put a woman flat on her back with her legs up in stirrups for the birth.
5. Ask, "How do you make sure everything goes smoothly when my nurse, doctor, midwife or agency need to work with each other?"
Ask, "Can my doctor or midwife come with me if I have to be moved to another place during labor? Can you help me find people or agencies in my community who can help me before and after the baby is born?"
Mother-friendly places and people will have a specific plan for keeping in touch with the other people who are caring for you. They will talk to others who give you birth care. They will help you find people or agencies in your community to help you. For example, they may put you in touch with someone who can help you with breastfeeding.
6. Ask, "What things do you normally do to a woman in labor?"
Experts say some methods of care during labor and birth are better and healthier for mothers and babies. Medical research shows us which methods of care are better and healthier. Mother-friendly settings only use methods that have been proven to be best by scientific evidence.
Sometimes birth centers, hospitals, and home birth services use methods that are not proven to be best for the mother or the baby. For example, research has shown it's usually not helpful to break the bag of waters.
Here is a list of things we recommend you ask about. They do not help and may hurt healthy mothers and babies. They are not proven to be best for the mother or baby and are not mother-friendly.
They should not keep track of the baby's heart rate all the time with a machine (called an electronic fetal monitor). Instead it is best to have your nurse or midwife listen to the baby's heart from time to time.
They should not break your bag of waters early in labor.
They should not use an IV (a needle put into your vein to give you fluids).
They should not tell you that you can't eat or drink during labor.
They should not shave you.
They should not give you an enema.
A birth center, hospital, or home birth service that does these things for most of the mothers is not mother-friendly. Remember, these should not be used without a special medical reason.
7. Ask, "How do you help mothers stay as comfortable as they can be? Besides drugs, how do you help mothers relieve the pain of labor?"
The people who care for you should know how to help you cope with labor. They should know about ways of dealing with your pain that don't use drugs. They should suggest such things as changing your position, relaxing in a warm bath, having a massage, and using music. These are called comfort measures.
Comfort measures help you handle your labor more easily and help you feel more in control. The people who care for you will not try to persuade you to use a drug for pain unless you need it to take care of a special medical problem. All drugs affect the baby.
8. Ask, "What if my baby is born early or has special problems?"
Mother-friendly places and people will encourage mothers and families to touch, hold, breastfeed, and care for their babies as much as they can. They will encourage this even if your baby is born early or has a medical problem at birth. (However, there may be a special medical reason you shouldn't hold and care for your baby.)
9. Ask, "Do you circumcise baby boys?"
Medical research does not show a need to circumcise baby boys. It is painful and risky. Mother-friendly birth places discourage circumcision unless it is for religious reasons.
10. Ask, "How do you help mothers who want to breastfeed?"
The World Health Organization made this list of ways birth services support breastfeeding.
They tell all pregnant mothers why and how to breastfeed.
They help you start breastfeeding within one hour after your baby is born.
They show you how to breastfeed. And they show you how to keep your milk coming in even if you have to be away from your baby for work or other reasons.
Newborns should have only breast milk. (However, there may be a medical reason they cannot have it right away.)
They encourage you and the baby to stay together all day and all night. This is called "rooming-in."
They encourage you to feed your baby whenever he or she wants to nurse, rather than at certain times.
They should not give pacifiers ("dummies" or "soothers") to breastfed babies.
They encourage you to join a group of mothers who breastfeed. They tell you how to contact a group near you.
They have a written policy on breastfeeding. All the employees know about and use the ideas in the policy.
They teach employees the skills they need to carry out these steps.
© 2000 by The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS).Permission granted to freely reproduce in whole or in part along with complete attribution.
If you would like to learn more about any of these topics please call Alyeen Lim with Wholehearted Family Services at 580-251-9824 or 580-656-2535 or visit us on the web at www.wholeheartedfamily.com . |
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