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Benefits & Risks of Eating Walnuts During Pregnancy
When a woman comes to know that she is pregnant, she is very careful about her diet (as she should be). If you are pregnant, you must have also considered making changes in your diet after consulting with your doctor. Your gynaecologist must have recommended that you eat only healthy foods. She may have also suggested that you start eating dry fruits and nuts such as almonds, apricots, and walnuts. In this article, we will talk about walnuts. Many expecting women are not aware of the nutritional benefits of walnuts. So, let’s look at the benefits of walnuts during pregnancy.
Is It Safe to Eat Walnuts During Pregnancy?
Walnuts, known as akhrot in Hindi, are extremely healthy and completely safe for consumption during pregnancy. The kernel of a walnut resembles a brain and they not only just resemble brain but also help in the proper functioning of the brain. Apart from this, there are a number of other potential benefits of consuming walnuts while pregnant.
Nutritional Benefits of Consuming Walnuts During Pregnancy
It is believed that the mothers-to-be who eat nuts during pregnancy are less likely to have kids with nut allergies. The delicious and crunchy walnuts also contain a lot of nutrients that are beneficial for a pregnant woman. The benefits of eating akhrot during pregnancy are mentioned below.
Walnuts are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary for the development of brain activity in a baby. Eating walnuts during pregnancy can also boost the development of a baby’s brain.
Walnuts contain Vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherol. The gamma-tocopherol form is considered to be a very effective form of Vitamin E because of its unique antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It even helps get rid of harmful free radicals.
Walnuts are a rich source of vitamins, fibre, magnesium, copper, and manganese. They are also loaded with calcium, iron, zinc, and selenium. These nutrients add to the numerous advantages of walnuts.
It is an excellent source of alpha-linolenic acid – an essential fatty acid required for the baby’s development.
Health Benefits of Eating Walnuts in Pregnancy
Now that you are aware of the nutritional value of walnuts, let us understand more about how eating them can help you during pregnancy.
Walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and proteins which can help in the development of the eyes and brain of your unborn baby.
Walnuts contain plant sterols which can help in controlling blood cholesterol levels and increase the good cholesterol (HDL) levels in your body.
Eating walnuts in moderate quantities can also help in maintaining the optimal lipid profile during pregnancy.
Walnut oil is found to be beneficial in preserving the function of endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels throughout the body. These cells play an important part in blood vessel flexibility. Hence, inflammation of blood vessels can be controlled with regular consumption of walnuts.
Since walnuts relax the blood vessels, they can even help control high blood pressure.
Walnuts are a good source of proteins and fibre, both of which are vital for an expecting woman.
The antioxidants present in walnuts can help strengthen the immune system of an expecting woman. It is recommended that you eat walnuts along with the brown skin. This is because 90 per cent of the antioxidants found in walnuts is concentrated in its skin.
The copper content in walnuts can help in the proper growth and development of the foetus.
They also contain polyphenols and copper which can prevent damage from free radicals and cancer.
Post-delivery, it is recommended that mothers consume walnuts to keep postpartum depression away. Their alpha-linolenic acid content is good for battling postpartum depression, manic-depressive psychosis, and even dementia. So, you can continue eating walnuts post-delivery.
Walnuts also help regulate melatonin levels. Melatonin induces sleep and eating walnuts, especially during the third trimester, can be very beneficial as sleep becomes a major concern at that time.
Walnuts can make you feel full for longer and prevent you from binge eating, thus keeping your weight in check.
Walnuts contain copper which is required for the formation of red blood cells. It also helps repair tissues and breakdown sugars.
Manganese is a crucial nutrient required for the development of baby’s bones and cartilage. Half of the daily required amount of manganese can be provided by one serving of walnut.
How to Include Walnuts in Your Pregnancy Diet
There are many ways in which you can eat walnuts. They can be eaten separately or in finely chopped form. They can also be added to various dishes including baked goods, meat and fish, and vegetables and fruit salads. Women also consume walnuts as a remedy for several health problems as medicines may not be advisable during pregnancy.
You can mix 3-4 finely chopped walnuts in 1 tablespoon of honey and eat them with a glass of water. It can provide relief from a headache, insomnia, or stress.
Mix chopped walnuts with grated lemon skin and 2 tablespoons of honey in a bowl. Consuming 1 tablespoon of this mixture before meals would prove beneficial if you suffer from the symptoms of anaemia and avitaminosis (long-term vitamin deficiency).
You can include walnuts in your diet as a mid-meal snack. To get maximum benefits from them, eat soaked walnuts.
What Are the Risks of Eating Walnuts During Pregnancy?
While walnuts can be consumed during pregnancy, you should not eat them excessively. An excess of anything can prove detrimental for your health, and that stands true for walnuts too. You can eat walnuts during pregnancy as long as you eat them in moderation. It is not recommended to consume more than 30g of walnuts in a day while pregnant. This is because consuming too many walnuts can trigger complications for the mother as well as the unborn baby.
Here are some of the possible complications that may arise if you consume walnuts in excess during pregnancy.
Consuming walnuts in excess amounts can lead to diarrhoea during pregnancy.
Eating walnuts may interfere with the absorption of iron and lead to anaemia in the long run.
A mild allergy to walnuts may get aggravated during pregnancy. If you are highly allergic to nuts and end up consuming even a small amount of walnuts during pregnancy, it can cause skin rashes, swelling of lips, itching, dizziness and wheezing.
Eating walnuts in excess may increase the chances of bleeding during delivery.
Walnut Allergy in Pregnancy
If you have a nut allergy, especially walnut allergy, you should refrain from consuming walnuts during pregnancy and even after delivery. But if you are not allergic to walnuts, you can eat them in moderate amounts. Many women believe that eating nuts during pregnancy is unsafe and that the baby can develop a nut allergy in future. However, this is just a misconception. Consuming nuts during pregnancy will not increase your baby's risk of developing an allergy to nuts. Babies born to women who refrain from eating nuts during pregnancy can develop a nut allergy too. So, you can eat walnuts during pregnancy, just remember to eat them in moderation.
Now that you are aware of the immense health benefits of walnuts, don't think twice before making them a part of your pregnancy diet. You can eat 2-3 walnuts daily during pregnancy without worrying about their side effects. As long as you eat them in moderate amounts, you won’t have any problem. However, while buying walnuts, make sure you choose the ones that are oblong and have a thin shell. Avoid consuming kernels which have dark spots on them and have a rancid taste. Have a healthy pregnancy! Read more
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Importance of Play in Your Child's Development
Playing is literally synonymous with childhood. Children and kids all around the world seem to invest a lot of time in playing around. Though this might not seem productive to us as adults, as parents, we need to understand that child development through play is essential and integral to their growth. Play and early childhood development go hand-in-hand right from social skills to kinetic skills. The value of play in early childhood education plays a strong role in keeping that in focus even during schooling.
Why is Play Important in Kid's Development?
Here are some reasons why regular play is essential for children.
1. No better education than play
Playing around with other kids in various environments literally sets the basic stones for kids to learn, practice, and create a safe space for expressing their own selves.
2. Learning in a social construct
Most learning activities focus on individual focus and studying intimately in an isolated environment. While playing, right from hide-and-seek to playing tag, your kid understands and learns from group dynamics and how people interact with each other.
3. Communication between children and adults
In a parent-child dynamic, having only disciplinary or authoritative communication does not relate to being a good parent. Letting down your guard and engaging with your kid on their level further solidifies the bond, and also teaches them how to interact with other adults in a polite manner.
4. Understanding the strength of spontaneity
All the learning activities in a kid’s life are gradual and paced. Sports and other physical play activities are where your kid understands how to respond to situations quickly or know what their natural spontaneous response is. From balancing a ball on their heads to gauging the distance for a throw, these activities help develop instantaneous thinking modules of your child’s brain.
5. Introducing children to the concept of choice
Digital games give too many options to choose from without really teaching your kid anything much. In an environment with other kids and sports choices, your kid learns to make rational thought-out decisions out of many others. This allows them to choose what they want to play, as well as make quick choices and decisions while immersed in play.
6. The joy of open space in expressing yourself
Sitting in classrooms and study tables every day can get easily boring for any kid. The openness of playing outside and running around wherever they wish brings a level of joy and freedom to your kid that is quite newfound.
7. Rediscover your own joy of playing all over again
You, as parents, tend to rarely find time for any play activity from your daily responsibilities. Mixing yourselves in your child’s play not only makes you a better parent but reinvigorates you by making you a child again as well.
8. Understand your child’s non-verbal cues
Observing your child as they play can help you glean a lot about them. Their body language can reveal a lot about their attitude, whether they are hesitant or aggressive, whether they are a follower or a leader.
9. Learning the skill of patience
As a kid tries their hand at any sport, they naturally fail and make mistakes. As a parent, it is extremely important to be patient with them and help them get over the obstacles they face in their way. It might be the most obvious and simplest in your eyes, but for the kid, it is new and confusing. Help them through it.
10. Becoming a fun and sociable person in life
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. With just a little amount of play introduced in life, both you and your children will be happier and more interactive with the people around you.
What are the Different Types of Play?
1. Passive Play
Your kid is unoccupied and just simply engaging in random activities and exploration.
2. Independent Play
Your child starts playing alone by themselves with their toys. They might want you to join them, but they don’t know it yet and are satisfied with what they are doing.
3. Observational Play
Your child observes other kids or adults play, but does not participate. They could be shy, or they could be understanding the game, or they could just be stepping back and enjoying it.
4. Parallel Play
Imagine two kids playing in one room by themselves. Not with each other. This may seem strange but even in such a scenario, kids learn a lot about each other in this play style.
5. Associative Play
This is a step further from parallel play but there’s a level of interaction between the kids. Imagine each kid making something using clay and asking each other whether they should make it better or asking for their help.
6. Co-operative Play
The most natural pinnacle to attain, this is where kids play together with each other. This could be in sports, or solving puzzles, or planning a game together, too.
7. Fantasy Play
Kids love to enact different roles and that’s what they start doing. They could be making sound effects using toys, or mimicking incidents they read in books or saw on television.
8. Competitive Play
Introduction to the concept of winning and losing is where this type of play holds the greatest value. Kids begin to understand what it means to be better than where they are and would need your advice at times to be able to process a loss.
9. Constructive Play
If you’ve made houses out of pillows, or castles in the sand, or even a model out of craft material, that is what constructive play is all about - the creation of an entity that helps them learn how things come together.
10. Symbolic Play
Playing doesn’t have to be restricted to games. Kids could indulge in singing together, or making random music, or even drawing abstract art on a paper to express what they would want to.
How to Encourage and Make Play Enjoyable for Children?
Here’s how you could make your kid excited about playing.
1. Restrict digital screens
Kids should definitely watch good TV content and work on computers. But it’s best to keep a restricted time for them and schedule it on an incentive basis. Also, avoid placing any gadgets or screens inside your kid’s bedroom.
2. Restrict electronic games
Remote cars, flashing toys, Kinect, are all flashy gadgets but are not exactly sociable games or focus on physical movement. Go for a variety of toys such as Frisbees, badminton racquets, or even dolls and playhouses that help kids indulge in their creativity to make them interesting.
3. Fixed hours of play
Kids can instantly indulge in play when they are distracted. This can cause them to not focus on their studies or be constantly anxious about when they would get a chance to play. By scheduling a fixed time for play, their mindset is already prepared when the time begins and are back in the zone for studying or other activities once playtime is over.
4. Outdoor play should be highly encouraged
Kids spend a lot of their time inside classrooms and then back inside homes. Child development through play can be achieved with a good amount of time spent out exploring in nature. Take them out to a park or a playground and join them if you can. Plan an outdoor picnic once a month that includes activities like camping, exploring, and so on.
5. Dress well to play well
Only when a child is fully comfortable will they focus on the play and have a great time. Make sure they wear proper shoes with comfortable clothes. Use breathable fabric in summers and jackets in winters. Ensure they are wearing protective gear whenever needed.
As adults and parents, we always look back at our childhood and play years in a nostalgic fashion as an era when we had fun. Beyond fun, it is an activity that makes sure everyone grows together as humans and lives together as a society by learning to interact with each other and communicate in the best of ways. This is key to childhood development and play is just as an important factor for it.
Also Read:
Cognitive Development in Kids
Language Development in Kids
Moral Development in Kids
Physical Development in Kids Read more
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Babyhug Colourful Heat Sensitive Spoons Set of 2 for Kids Review
Babyhug Heat Sensitive Spoons came across this product accidentally while shopping on a FirstCry application. My go to application for shopping anything and everything for kids.
Heat sensitive is an innovative feature which these spoons have to offer. How many times have you burnt your tongue while eating food? When it can happen with adults than children are too young and more accident prone to such daily things. So basically this feature is useful for older kids too.
Though older kids know and understand what hot means, incidents can happen at any age and these spoons do the job right, telling the child that you need to wait before you gulp down your tasty meal. Only flaw which I came across was that it does not come in a bigger size. Since a bigger size will help for different age groups as well. Otherwise it's a great product which is value of money, must buy for all moms who are just gonna start weaning their babies as it makes their job also easy. Again and
again they don't have to keep checking the temperature of the food.
If we talk about the grip of this spoon, it is also good and perfect size to hold a 4 month plus baby. As well as the touch is really soft so no chance of the child getting hurt.
Softness is a feature which is most used when the child is teething so while eating they have a habit to chew the spoon too, and steel spoons can actually hurt, but these spoons are simply the best soft and bendable.
Cleaning of these spoons is also very easy, just a mild baby detergent and wash it after every use with water and then you can always sterilize them. These spoons are made of silicone so no plastic is used, which is again a great feature offering plastic especially while eating. I am a bit against it.
Only and only thing they need to work upon is the size of the spoon, so that this amazing feature can be explored by all age groups.
I would really recommend you to buy it for the babies who are just started weaning
food and give them the spoons in their hands to explore the world of food, our basis
of life. children learn better and eat better if you let them explore. Happy shopping
mommies…!! Read more
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Dr. Minal Acharya has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 5 months
6 hours ago
Q. Hii...., Is it safe to eat jackfruit in 4th month of pregnancy, daily 2 ...
Dr. Minal Acharya
Nutritionist
5 hours ago
A. dear mam, you can eat jackfruit during the 4th month of pregnancy. there is no problem in having it. you can eat all types of seasonal vegetables and fruits even green leafy vegetables.
shahin has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 2 months
5 hours ago
Q. is that positive result??? my Due date is tommoro I am having vomitting and nausea and back pain etc please reply asap
shahin
Mom of a 6 m old boy
3 hours ago
A. yes
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
4 hours ago
Q. Hi I'm in 23weeks pregnancy
my afi is 26 I have no diabetes or any other issues
is that risky ? what to do for making normal delivery possible
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
4 hours ago
A. yes AFI level is very high and yes you need to be very careful to have regular follow up with your doctor take the precautions advised by your doctor and regularly keep a watch on baby movements
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
3 hours ago
Q. nasal congestion during 9th week pregnancy is normal or something serious?
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
3 hours ago
A. it's ok . take steam twice daily or you can use nasal drops
You should have proper consultation with your treating doctor , as some examination or investigations may be needful, so that proper medications can be given And the treatment can be done very properly.
Rashmi has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 5 months
2 hours ago
Q. Is there any issue with this test
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
2 hours ago
A. You have not given any details about us to what test are you talking about or anything associated with that for that matter can you please repost your question with all the necessary details required to understand your question as accordingly I can assist you on that
Dr Vandan H Kumar has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
7 mins ago
Q. my baby is 8years old and she wets bed can anyone suggest me what to do??
Dr Vandan H Kumar
Paediatrician
7 mins ago
A. normally bedwetting is very common during the night time and the child is able to tell you regarding urination during the daytime.
usually this problems improves with increasing age of the child and usually no medicines are given until and unless recommended by the doctor( you can easily wait for ten years of age of the child)
usually treatment of medicines (if started) gives only symptomatic relief and the problem goes away only with increasing age with the strengthening of the muscles of the bladder which control the urination.
steps
decrease the amount of water intake just before going to bed and make the child pass urinex before going to sleep.
also you can wake up the child at around 2 o'clock 3 o'clock and make the child pass urine.
never criticizex the child for this act because this will again aggravate the problem due to stress.
meet your doctor who will tell you more regarding this .
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