Proof of Pregnancy

Klum, 1 months post her baby

A month after Heidi Klum had a baby, she walked the ramp for victoria secret's skimpies, strutting her stuff and making us 'normal' women go green, absolutely green with envy. Jealous is more like it actually. Me thinks she may be the only freak of nature, and what a stunning freak at that, to have zero stretch marks post the 9 months of baby making in her belly. 

My mumma used to say proudly, looking at her stretch marks, this is my proof of pregnancy. Sweet. But i wonder why i need to prove anything at all? Isn't labour enough? Ok. Let's not stretch ourselves too much today. Speaking of stretching, so do you have your proof of pregnancy? More proof for more than one pregnancy? 

I had a client skype with me from South Africa, wondering if Indian women suffered the eyesore of stretch marks due to pregnancy. Do we? I have not yet made a baby, so i apologize for not being able to give you first hand information, but what i can tell you is this-Your skin is made up of two important-for-youth substances. Collagen & Elastin. Think of Collagen as jelly. If you can imagine jelly, that is what Collagen is in your skin. It keeps it all together. Foods rich in protein help Collagen production and maintain good quality Collagen in the skin, which in turn keeps your skin young. Elastin on the other hand is like the elastic in your hair band. It can stretch and become as big as you want and in time either loose its original shape altogether, or in the case of human beings, shrink back really close to its original form. Elastin is also dependent on protein and some other nutrients to maintain good health in your skin. Good health of Collagen & Elastin will determine how youthful your skin looks, devoid of marks and blimps. 

Here are some reasons why you end up having stretch marks:

1. Lack of moisture in the body

2. Lack of EFAs or essential fatty acids like Omega 3-6-9 and Selenium

3. Unable to maintain a steady weight

4. Erratic dieting before conception 

5. Sun tanning

6. Constantly wearing very tight clothes

7. SO SO IMPORTANT- Not enough protein in your diet

8. Insufficient Vitamin E in the diet

9. Poor flushing of toxins from your body

10. Not having a rich husband. Read on, you'll see why.

So here are some of the reasons why you are probably less prone to have a stomach like Heidi Klum. I read somewhere, the source slips my mind, that Heidi Klum ate organic Norwegian Salmon very regularly through her pregnancy. This is great! Because Salmon is most definitely anti stretch mark food.

If you, like me, don't have the luxury to eat organic Norwegian Salmon, and prefer chomping on grass, make sure you eat a variety of vegetarian foods to get maximum nutrients in your diet. Combine nuts, grains, seeds, vegetables, fruits and roots of all colors, shapes and sizes. Remember, Vegetarian=Variety, else you will always be battling some deficiency or the other. The most important one, a massive deficiency to have a flawless belly post your bump. 

Mid Night Express

The poor husband. Yes, a rare moment of sympathy towards the opponent. I feel he must have to deal with much ever since we combined our worlds. For one, the endless overdose of what to eat and what not to eat. How to eat it. When to eat it and what the thousand possible reasons for the red blimp on the back of his ear may be. And this is just one aspect.
On an another note, since i've discovered this new found connection between the mind, body and food, this definitely is the latest topic of discussion whether or not he likes it. He likes it. Most of the times.
So here's something that struck my synapses yesterday. And please people, please do share your thoughts and back me up or boot me down on this one.
I felt the need to express everything that i had been reading and learning in the past couple of days about being a staunch vegetarian and felt the need to express it all in the middle of the night. When the husband seemed unenthusiastic about listening attentively, i snapped at him for being too selfish. Of course, once the coffee was in my hand the next morning, it was only too obvious who the selfish one really was.
Do you get irritable often? Do you snap often? Do you feel the urge to express rage? Observe. See if this is something that happens to you and keep a track of how often it happens. We've not had the sun for almost 10 days where i live. It has been cold, wet and grey for a long time now. I've found my self terribly irritable and sad. Not the usual foolishly optimistic and happy self that i am. The one horrible thing lack of sunshine does to the body is lowers levels of Vitamin D. And what could this possibly do? Iv'e been researching and apparently there is a direct link between low levels of Vitamin D and unstable emotions.
See, when your Vitamin D drops, it effects calcium and magnesium levels in body as well. A combination of these 3 dropping, effects neurological health, in that, it is more conducive to depression, anxiety, irritability and anger. Everything but a feeling of peace and contentment. Some people also start to breathe poorly because of the heightened levels of suppressed anxiety.
What is the cure? Nothing like a few minutes of the early morning sunshine. The first few rays of the sun that say hello hello. It is not only your daily quota for vitamin D, but also a great cure for skin, hair, bone and eye problems.
If sunny boy's on vacation and if you're vegetarian, then fortified juices and cereals seem to be it, but if you eat flesh, then you can get it from a number of meats. A whole egg to start with.
So the next time you feel that a drama queen has possessed your otherwise cool and calm persona, check your sunshine vitamin. And spare the husband.