Immune Boosters That Are Safe During Pregnancy
In the midst of cold & flu season, keeping our immune systems strong is at the forefront of all of our minds. But when you’re pregnant, it can be tricky to know what immune boosters are safe to use. Luckily, there are a few natural immune boosters that are pregnancy-safe.
In the midst of cold & flu season, keeping our immune systems strong is at the forefront of all of our minds. But when you’re pregnant, it can be tricky to know what immune boosters are safe to use.
Luckily, there are a few natural immune boosters that are pregnancy-safe. Here are four immune boosters that will help you to strengthen your body’s ability to fight off seasonal sickness:
1. SPEARMINT
It’s safe to use throughout your pregnancy (and with your kids), and makes for a great soothing tea. Our favorite way to get a regular dose of spearmint is by drinking it as a tea. Spearmint teas can be found at your local grocery or drugstore.
2. VITAMIN D3/K2
During the winter months, our bodies normally don’t get enough D3 from sunlight (especially in the midwest). It’s important to make sure that your body is getting at least 6,400 IU of D3 per day. This will help to prevent gestational diabetes, hypertension, colds, and the flu. Breastfeeding moms who take this amount don’t need to give their baby additional vitamin D drops, as the vitamin D will go through the breastmilk.
3. MUSHROOMS
Mushrooms contain strong antioxidants and nutrients that have proven immunological properties. We recommend incorporating reishi, maitake, and shitake mushrooms into your diet. Add them into a stir fry, roast, or saute them and eat them as a side dish.
If mushrooms aren’t your cup of tea, you can take capsules of reishi, maitake, and shitake blends as an alternative.
4. ZINC
This is an essential mineral often found in seafood, pumpkin seeds, and organ meats. We recommend eating seafood or supplementing it with grass-fed beef liver capsules during your pregnancy.
For more prenatal and postpartum nutrition tips, connect with us on Instagram at @cincinnati.birth.center. To learn how to prevent high blood pressure during pregnancy, read our recent blog post.
How can I prevent my baby from being born premature?
Did you know you have power to help keep your baby from being born too early? Claim it! Here’s a few simple steps you can take…
Did you know you have power to help keep your baby from being born too early? Claim it! Here’s a few simple steps you can take:
Eat foods with protein
Every snack or meal you eat needs to include protein. Fish and seafood. Eggs. Meat. Cheese. Nuts. Yogurt. Beans. Dark leafy greens. Seeds.
Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day.
Dehydration will cause contractions. Drink lots of water each day. If you have trouble with water, purchase a pitcher and fill it up in the morning and drink from it throughout the day to measure your intake. When you pee, the toilet bowl shouldn’t change color too much. If it does, keep drinking! It’s annoying to go to the bathroom all the time but so worth it!
Hire a midwife (this one’s our favorite)!
Yes! Hiring a midwife cuts down your risk of having a baby preterm almost completely! Why you ask? Because midwives spend LOTS of time in prenatal appointments answering your questions, brainstorming with you about how to boost your diet, and finding solutions with you for all sorts of pregnancy related issues.
Drink good bugs.
Your immune system is made up of several pounds of good bacteria (you may know them as probiotics)! These good guys live on your skin, mouth, gut, and in your vagina. When your good bacteria are down, bad bacteria can take over and cause bad breath, cavities, sickness, and preterm birth. Boost your good bugs by staying away from sugary processed foods and eating or drinking probiotics. Foods kefir or yogurt, kombucha, water kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, natto, miso, and pickles are full of probiotics. Choose pickles and sauerkraut that come from the refrigerated section (Claussen are my favorite), because only the refrigerated kind have probiotics.
Eat the rainbow
A diet low in micronutrients will increase your chance of developing pregnancy complications and having your baby too soon. Look for fresh fruits and vegetables that are rich in colors. The brighter, the better. Eat as many colors as you can throughout the week in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables. I also recommend taking a supplement called Juice Plus to boost your levels of micronutrients.
Chocolate.
Doing things that make you feel good increases happy hormones in the brain called endorphins. When these hormones are boosted it goes to your baby and tells them to grow big and healthy. So be intentional about doing things you love during this pregnancy! When was the last time you took a bath with two cups of epsom salts for relaxation? Have you asked your partner or kids to give you a massage recently? How about just sitting down for a minute to enjoy a nice hot cuppa? If it’s hard for you to do nice things for yourself, consider that even small kindnesses you do to yourself will bring positive change to you and your family for years to come!
Chocolate increases levels of feel good hormones in the brain!