Читать книгу Ultimate, Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting Guide - Lilian Paramor - Страница 11

Water plays a vital role in the body. It transports nutrients and oxygen around the body and carries waste out of the body. It regulates body temperature, cushions and lubricates the joints, and keeps mucous membranes moist. Without enough water, you’ll get dehydrated very quickly, causing a range of problems like constipation, confusion, reduced energy levels, poor protein uptake and muscle deterioration.

Your developing baby’s first home is in a “bag of waters”. Although hydration isn’t the only thing that can affect the amount of amniotic fluid, severe dehydration can reduce the volume and keep your baby from developing well.

To keep well-hydrated throughout pregnancy, you need to heed your thirst signals or drink 1,5–2 litres of good quality water or other healthy beverages a day. It’s easy to do this – drink five glasses of water and three cups of other healthy beverages, like rooibos or green tea.

Remember not to drink large volumes with a meal as this dilutes the gastric juices, making digestion less effective. Take note of these special pointers:

•The body’s natural excretory cycle is in the early morning. Drink a mug of hot water in the morning if your bowels feel sluggish, and eat breakfast foods with a high water content, such as most fruits, to help stimulate kidney and bowel function.

•Add a little agave syrup or granules to your healthy tea if you are anxious or highly-strung, as sweet flavours can alleviate anxiety and give you extra energy.

•According to Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, bitter flavours help improve memory, so if you’re struggling with “pregnesia”, drink a cup of plain rooibos tea twice a day.

•If you’re not sure about the safety of your water supply, use a home filter system or boil water before use.

•A bottle filled with water, iced rooibos tea or another healthy beverage will keep you well hydrated and comfortably cool if you sip on it during your work day.

Water is the only liquid that’s essential for humans. Of course, some herbal teas (made with water) will contribute to your enjoyment and healthy hydration levels. It’s important to know which beverages must be reduced or avoided:

✗Avoid all alcohol as there is no proven safe level.

✗Try to drink no more than one cup of coffee a day, and ensure that it is good quality coffee – very few instant coffees are good.

✗Limit herbal teas to no more than three fairly weak cups a day, as these may accumulate in your system and some are associated with discomfort or risk in pregnancy.

✗Gas cooldrinks often contain caffeine and have an unacceptably high sugar content. Artificial sweeteners in diet drinks are often harmful for you and Baby too.

✗Commercial fruit juices are often not pure fruit and may be full of unhealthy preservatives. They also contain large amounts of sugar.

✗Freshly squeezed fruit juice in moderation is healthy, but when juiced, the fruit sugars are released very quickly and may cause a sudden spike of sugar in your system. Fructose release is much slower when eating the whole fruit.