Written by guest blogger: Jill Anenberg Lawrence
It doesn’t matter if it’s Wednesday anymore, I can wish you a “Happy Hump Day” for many months to come! Let’s rename it Bump Day for all our pregnant sisters out there. The good news about being pregnant, you don’t have to hold in your stomach or squeeze into that little black number for a while. No more waiting for that meal where you eat too much to unbutton your pants, go ahead and undo the top button and give your baby some room.
So your honey got through the iron clad chastity belt, good job! But now as a pregnant woman we want to put more iron in that growing body. Your body uses iron to make blood for your new bambino so you need twice the amount. With beef and chicken liver sounding pretty unappetizing, although high sources of iron, I’m gonna guess that’s not what you or the baby are craving right now. Supplementing with a high quality, clean iron source like Floradix Iron + Herbs (US/CA) is one of the best gifts you can give yourself. Consider it an early baby shower gift. Floradix is not only rich in iron (10 whopping mg per serving to be exact) but also B-vitamins to keep your energy up. Since what you put in your body ends up in your baby’s as well, I love that Floradix contains no alcohol, artificial colors or flavors, GMOs, parabens, sorbate, or other antimicrobial agents, and is sweetened only with fruit juices and honey. Even better it’s also free of dairy and lactose, which is paramount because dairy interferes with the absorption of iron.Why is iron so important?
1) It moves the oxygen you breathe into your lungs, then to the rest of your body, and of course to your baby. Take a big deep breath and exhale the word Floradix. 2) No one enjoys being called names, especially ones like “Iron Deficient” or “Anemic.” This means you’re not consuming enough iron rich foods or supplements, causing you to feel tired because you’re not producing enough red blood cells which can put you at risk for infections and illness. All blood is rich in iron and if your tank is low that mommy mobile won’t be driving far. Plus your baby becomes at risk for being born too small or arriving too early. “Wait my hospital bag isn’t even packed!” 3) If you do become anemic, you know that sexy pregnancy glow everyone talks about, yeah you lose it. You get pale, weak with Bambi legs, winded from just saying how tired you are, and maybe even faint. With all the increased pregnancy sex dreams, you might just have one about Popeye pumping some iron-loaded spinach! During pregnancy it's advised to consume 30 mg of iron a day. And when that baby is out of your tummy but still connected via your milking station, aim for 15 mg. In addition to your date with Floradix three times a day, here are some other foods to keep on hand when the baby starts kicking reminding you he or she needs some oxygenation:Foods High in Iron
- Cup of lentils- 6 mg
- Cup of kidney beans- 5 mg
- Cup of chickpeas- 5 mg
- Iron fortified cereal- 18 mg
- Iron fortified oatmeal- 10 mg
- Cup of raisins- 1.5 mg
- Cup of dried figs- 2.3 mg
- Cup of dried apricots- 3.5 mg
- 1 tbsp. molasses- 3.5 mg
- Cup of pumpkin seeds- 2 mg
- Cup of almonds- 8 mg
- Cup of cooked spinach- 5 mg
- Organ meats like liver- 5 mg
- 1 egg yolk- 3 mg
- BEST FOR LAST- DARK CHOCOLATE! 1 square- 5 mg
