It is our personal belief, that we don't appreciate the benefits of food as medicine. We are all too quick to turn to a drug company for a quick fix on many of our ailments that can be really easily solved by looking at our diets instead. We're not saying we need to be all virtuous and eat "clean" all day every day. As self confessed chocoholics that would be a bit hypocritical.
There are, however, some really simple food hacks that can easily help to relieve some pregnancy ailments and go on to improve your chances of a natural pain free labour (ha ha, only kidding there...food is medicine not magic!)
Green leafy veg like spinach, kale, broccoli, cavolo nero, cabbage and all those rich dark green leafy veggies are by far the best foods to be getting stuck into during pregnancy. They will help to boost your iron levels, calcium levels, give you vitamins galore and with the enhanced iron stores comes improved energy levels. If you're not too keen on the green leafy stuff, you can always throw a bunch into a smoothie. You wont even taste them when they’re blended up with some of your other favourite ingredients. Otherwise handfuls of spinach will wilt away to almost nothing in a soup or a bolognaise sauce and you can still reap the benefits from all those wonderful nutrients.
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One of our most under resourced medicines has to be water. By increasing your water intake, you can help a whole host of issues, to name but a few; Constipation, headaches, nausea, swelling, haemorrhoids. It will also make you feel a lot more energised, boost your brain activity, boost your immunity, give you clearer skin, keep those joints well oiled and well, you can’t live without it.
We totally get that it does make you pee a lot, and when you’re already dashing to the loo a lot more frequently these days, that’s a nuisance, but it’s keeping your system well flushed out, helping you towards a healthier pregnancy.
Water will help pretty much any ailment out there and in an ideal world we should be drinking about 2 litres a day.
Garlic is one of the most simple basic ingredients that in my humble opinion should be added to pretty much everything.
Garlic is amazingly beneficial to your health, it is a good source of vitamin C, an aid to better cardiac health, helps with blood pressure and is an incredible booster for the immune system, helping to combat cold and flu symptoms.
Turmeric is a fantastic spice for reducing inflammation. You can add a teaspoon to almost any dish that your cooking without altering the flavour and as long as you add black pepper
too, the anti inflammatory properties of the turmeric are activated. This is great if you're suffering with any kind of swelling or other inflammatory issues. The easiest way to get this in your life is via a turmeric latte. Warm up your favourite milk, add turmeric, a pinch of back pepper, cinnamon and either honey or maple syrup for a deliciously healing treat.
Red meat is another great iron booster and it's the quickest way to get iron into your system. Steak and spinach for tea it is then ladies.
To make sure iron is absorbed well into your system it is really important to make sure that you have plenty of vitamin C to go with it. Foods that are rich in colour often come hand in hand with a decent dose of vitamin C. Oranges, red peppers, red onions, red cabbage, beetroot and blackberries (to name but a few) are all excellent sources of vitamin C.