Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Healthy Nutrition Can Battle Post Partum Depression

A Healthy Nutrition Can Battle Post Partum Depression
One of the several aftereffects of a pregnancy is prenatal depression. Also known as postpartum depression, prenatal depression can arise mainly due to pre and post pregnancy stress. Stress can also arise due to a number of reasons although the exact causes are still not yet known. This may happen due to disorganized relationships, economic conditions, poor health etc. In some cases, the symptoms go up to drastic levels. Symptoms are also as varied as the causes with anger, mood swings and not to speak of frequent bouts of crying, sometimes the patient may want to hurt themselves and the fact is number of postpartum depression is also growing by the day. Almost 80% of the pre and the post natal women are suffering from this dreaded disease.

To combat postpartum depression, a proper prenatal nutrition diet will go a long way to give you a healthy mind and body in the long run. Foods especially rich in Omega 3 fatty acids should be included into your diet not only when you are pregnant but also when you are lactating. These are especially found in fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. You can also go for various types of nuts such as walnuts, brazil nuts, butternuts, almonds, pine nuts, flex seeds, etc for getting enough prenatal nutrition. Women require a total of one gram of Omega 3 during pregnancy per day. Besides fish and nuts pregnant women can also opt for milk and eggs. Again other nutrients such as proteins and vitamins are also required in adequate amounts. Eat foods that contain a high amount of vitamins and try to keep track of what you are eating.

Besides having nutritious meals, try to include prenatal multivitamin. Prenatal vitamins that contain plenty of iron, folic acid and calcium must be taken as that would promote not only healthy body but also healthy mind. Taking prenatal vitamins along with a proper diet will give you a healthy body and mind and help you to beat postpartum depression.

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