All posts tagged: vitamin A

Top 5 foods for Pregnancy (2)

Top 5 Skin Foods to Avoid Pregnancy Stretch Marks

Published by Carmen

Don’t we all want to be one of those lucky 10% of women that don’t get stretch marks during pregnancy? The reality is that most of us get at least some stretch marks while growing another human being under our skin. And if you think about it, it’s understandable given that our skin would not normally stretch at such a speed under normal circumstances. Stretch marks are there to be celebrated in a way, a mark that shows a woman’s incredible ability to grow and bring life into this world out of just two cells. But like those wrinkles that appear as we get older and wiser, stretch marks are generally not a welcome side effect of pregnancy. The real question is, how can we avoid pregnancy stretch marks? Did I hear everyone say – moisturizing? Yep, we all thought that. The truth is, moisturizing will help you deal with the common dry skin itchy feeling that you get around your growing belly. But, according to the research, no matter how much cream or oil …

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Warm Squash and Dukkah Salad

Published by Carmen

Halloween might be over, but squash and pumpkin season is still in full swing! This autumnal warm salad really does bring out the best of this versatile vegetable, and it’s so delicious if I do say so myself! I think I could eat this salad every day, it’s warm, satisfying, so good, and of course, healthy. A great combination of iron rich cooked kale, sweet squash, bitter chicory (or endive in the US), salty feta cheese, and crunchy dukkah. YUM. Dukkah? If you haven’t caught onto this trendy aromatic Egyptian nut/seed/spice mix yet, you definitely should. You’ll realise you’ve been missing out all this time! It’s a wonderful combination of hazelnuts (healthy fats anyone?), sesame seeds (really high in calcium- and so necessary in pregnancy!), cumin and coriander seeds (great digestive seeds and warming during the cold months). I’ve added dukkah to this salad, but you can also use it to spice up lots of other dishes such as meat, fish, steamed veggies or even just add some olive oil to make a dip. You can …

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The Goddess of all Greek Salads

Published by Carmen

With the weather being so changeable these days it’s hard to decide whether we should still be eating summer-inspired or autumnal dishes. With that in mind, I thought a ‘autumnaly salad’ was probably the best way to go forward. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of a traditional Greek salad that I’ve always loved, but it doesn’t exactly feel like a meal, and rather more of an accompaniment. So this goddess of Greek salads was created to make a more substantial and wonderfully colourful lunch. You know you’re onto a nutrient packed meal when it’s colourful (naturally colourful, not E number colourful, that is) as well as fresh! VITAMIN A DID YOU SAY? So why enjoy this salad other than because it’s delicious and satisfying? Well it’ll be sure to give you a hit of vitamin C, fibre, lycopene, and carotenoids (from carrots and other orange and red coloured fruits & veggies); a form of pre-vitamin A. Wait, vitamin A did you say? I can almost sense your quizzical look appear with the mention it. That probably …