HEAVY PERIODS AFTER CHILDBIRTH: WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

HEAVY PERIODS AFTER CHILDBIRTH: WHAT'S UP WITH THAT?

For some women it’s no big deal and for others, that first period after having a baby is like a painful deluge, leaving you to wonder if that’s your monthly destiny from here on in. There are a few reasons why our periods change post-partum. Read on to find out what they are and how nutrition can help you.

LOVING OUR PERIOD: A CONVERSATION WITH FERTILITY EXPERT DR. KATHERINE DALE

LOVING OUR PERIOD: A CONVERSATION WITH FERTILITY EXPERT DR. KATHERINE DALE

Hormonal contraception is too often being used as a band-aid to cover up hormonal irregularities.  Many teenagers and women are prescribed the coil or the birth control pill to manage heavy, painful, irregular periods & recurring cysts.  But is that really treating the root cause and helping women support their hormonal and reproductive health?  Read on to learn how to love your period...

BYE-BYE SMELLY TOOTS & POOPS

 Thrive Nutrition Practice: fighting the war on smelly toots & poops

 Thrive Nutrition Practice: fighting the war on smelly toots & poops

 

The Christmas meal weekend approaches and the biggest fear in everyone's mind is:

 

How will I get through Christmas dinner without undoing my pant button & letting out a very smelly toot or blocking the guest toilet? 

 

Because inevitably, there's always someone in the gathering who anonymously releases their special scent into the room or leaves to go to the powder room for an unusually long time.  And the problem really is there's not always a baby or a dog to sit next to and blame.

Aren't Christmas holidays the best?  YES THEY ARE!!!  And lucky for you, this three-step plan is is going to help keep you smelling like roses throughout the holiday season.

STEP 1: DRINK LEMON WATER FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND BEFORE YOUR MEALS

By the time we turn 40, our body produces less than half the stomach acid it did when we were teenagers.  That is not good news for digestion because less stomach acid means slower digestion.  Slower digestion means more chance of food putrefying in the gut, which leads to smelly toots and poops.  NOT GOOD.  Drinking a glass of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon stimulates the production of stomach acid and the bitter from the lemon, helps your liver push out bile to emulsify the fats in the food and further improve digestion.

STEP 2: TAKE A DIGESTIVE ENZYME WITH YOUR RICH HOLIDAY MEALS  

If I know I'm going out for a big heavy lunch or dinner, I make sure to take a little digestive enzyme pill with me and pop it in during my meal.  As we age and our digestive fire decreases, we need a little help with extra rich foods.  Digestive enzymes supplement those your body naturally produces so that you can digest and absorb your food better and more efficiently.  

STEP 3:  TRADE THE COFFEE FOR A FRESH GINGER CINNAMON TEA

If ever you needed another reason to cut coffee out of your life - let me tell you, that coffee is a massive contributor of stinky toots & poops.  It halts digestions so that your food just festers in the gut.  Instead of coffee, why not offer your guests a beautifully scented ginger-cinnamon tea to aid digestion, reduce flatulence and lower inflammation in the body.

TOOT-FREE GINGER-CINNAMON TEA

  • 1 knob of ginger about the length of your index finger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 4-6 cups of freshly boiled water

Put the ginger and cinnamon in a teapot and pour over the freshly boiled water.  Cover with lid and let steep for 10-15 min.  Serve with some lemon wedges. 

These three steps together with a daily dose of fibre to help boost gut motility and keep you regular will help keep your festive home free of unwanted odours this Christmas.

This is Thrive's last post before Christmas and I'd like to take this chance to thank all of you for reading my blog, for liking mu posts, sharing them and giving me encouragement and feedback.  I love this little community and wish you all a wonderful Christmas.  See you again before New Year!

 

Cristina Tahoces is a holistic nutritionist and owner of Thrive Nutrition Practice.  

Please join her Facebook group "Thrive Nutrition Practice" for daily articles, recipes, promotions on professional grade supplements and upcoming workshops.

Copyright © 2016 THRIVE NUTRITION PRACTICE

 

 

 

SLEEP: The Protein-Carb Connection

SLEEP: The Protein-Carb Connection

Lack of sleep is common after babies come along. But sometimes, it has nothing to do with the unsocial hours babies keep.  This post is for all moms whose kids no longer wake in the night, but still suffer from sleeplessness and are searching for solutions.

Bloat-No-More: Foodcraft's Fermented Perfection for your Gut

Bloat-No-More: Foodcraft's Fermented Perfection for your Gut

This week on Thrive we're talking about how to stop the bloating and the post-lunch slump.  Part of the answer to that is eating LIVE FOOD that's full of the sun's energy, nourishes your adrenals and is kind to you liver. LIVE FOOD comprises of fresh, fruits & vegetables because they are full of the raw enzymes and nutrients your body needs for healthy digestive power.  However, FERMENTED PRODUCTS are also LIVE FOOD because they are full of friendly bacteria that keep your gut healthy and happy.  Examples, include kimchi, sauerkraut, miso & yoghurt.  

How Do I Stop the Bloating & the Post-Lunch Slump?

How Do I Stop the Bloating & the Post-Lunch Slump?

When I moved to Hong Kong over ten years ago, I worked in corporate banking.  My days were long.  The pressure was high.  And every day, after lunch - without fail - I would sit at my desk, struggling to keep my neck upright and my eyes focused on the screens. Sometimes....(and I feel like I have to write this in really small font because it is so deeply embarrassing....)

The Ultimate Healthy Fat Snack for After School

I'm super pleased that so many of you liked my last post on healthy school lunches.  I love hearing that this article put you at ease and made you feel like you could totally rock a nutritious school lunch. One of the questions that kept coming up in the feedback though was: