Please take a look at the Today Show’s video’s accompanying USA Today article, “Steer toward healthy road food,” which covers more great healthy road-food ideas.
“Yes, most of these stores feature high-calorie, high-fat foods that are best left on the shelf, but Ward found plenty of foods that could be combined to make “good meals, not meal wreckers. The most satisfying snacks and meals deliver protein and fiber — nutrients that have staying power….” read more…
I have some exciting news! I’ll be appearing on the Today Show on August 13, during the 8:00 to 9:00 hour (Eastern Time). The topic is how to eat healthy when you’re on the road. On the same day, a clip-and-save story on road trip food will also appear in USA Today and on USAToday.com. I worked on the piece with Nanci Hellmich. To our great surprise, we found delicious and nutritious meals from convenience stores and gas station mini-marts, and from fast food restaurants, to fill you up, whether you’re pregnant or nursing, or not pregnant. I hope you’ll check it out!
A new study in July’s issue of Epidemiology has found a link between a lower intake of omega-3 fats (the unsaturated, or healthy, fats) from seafood and a higher risk for depression during pregnancy. Apparently, eating fish boosted mood in a group of nearly 10,000 expectant moms in Britain. A sunnier outlook on life is just one reason to include seafood when you’re having a baby, however.
The omega-3 fats in seafood, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are vital to your baby’s brain development and vision. DHA is the dominant fat in brain cells and the retina, located in the back of each eye. The retina is often called the window to the world because it’s involved in registering what you see and transmitting those images to your brain for processing.
During the third trimester, your child’s brain is developing at a very rapid pace. He’ll get the DHA he needs as long as your intake is adequate. Pregnant women need at least 200 milligrams of DHA every day from food or from dietary supplements. Fish and shellfish provide preformed DHA, the type the body prefers. You can make DHA from another fat called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), present in foods such as walnuts and flax, but the conversion rate is very low.
You may shy away from seafood because of the warnings about its safety during the childbearing years. You should avoid swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, and shark because of their excessive mercury content, and you should limit canned white tuna to 6 ounces a week. Mercury harms the developing nervous system during pregnancy and nursing. If you like fish, keep it on the menu. It’s rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals in addition to DHA. Three ounces of salmon, cooked, contains about 750 milligrams of DHA; the same amount of crab, or light tuna, canned contains about 190 milligrams. Fortified foods, such as eggs, pregnancy bars, soymilk, milk and yogurt contain between 32 and 150 milligrams of preformed DHA. (For more on products with preformed DHA, go to www.martek.com.)
Take dietary supplements of at least 200 milligrams a day of DHA when pregnant and nursing if you don’t think you’re getting enough through food. You may be happier for it, and your baby will surely benefit!
