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.