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Get your glow back

Pregnancy is a time when women are often at their most beautiful and serene. But while you may have glowed all the way through your pregnancy, once baby has arrived it could be that your hair is now looking limp, your nails are brittle and your skin feels drawn and dry.

During pregnancy a mother benefits from a boost of hormones that both gives her that polished glow and also helps to relax her spirit. Baby is also providing an adrenaline boost to keep energy levels up. All the while she is also providing her unborn child with all the nourishment it needs to grow into a bouncing healthy baby.

Unfortunately growing a baby can mean a 'run' on nutrients needed for mum's beauty maintenance after the birth. Taking care of the following can help you to regain your condition as soon as possible:

• It is important to eat a balanced diet. Start the day with a healthy low-sugar breakfast of wholegrains (porridge, cereals or toast) and fruit. Enjoy healthy snacks such as yoghurt, fruit or crispbreads. Your main meals should consist of a small portion of lean protein, lots of low-GI carbohydrates such as baked potato, brown rice, or pasta, and a large portion of vegetables or salad. Try starting meals with a bowl of vegetable soup and eating fresh fruit desserts to help get to your five-a-day recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.

• Make sure you are getting all the essential fatty acids you need in your diet. During pregnancy the baby needs large amount of omega-3 and omega-6 fats to build brain and nervous tissue. So top up your own reserves by enjoying ideal sources such as walnuts, oily fish such as salmon or mackerel, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, and omega-3 fortified eggs.

• Eat plenty of zinc-rich foods. Zinc is needed by the baby for growth but is also needed by mum for healthy skin, nails and hair. Best foods are lean meat, eggs, pulses, nuts and seeds.

• Vitamin C is needed to mend collagen which helps to ensure skin elasticity. This vital vitamin, which is also needed for a healthy immune system, can be found in citrus fruit, kiwis, strawberries, blackcurrants, peppers, cabbage and broccoli.

• If you are looking pale, and especially if you are also feeling lethargic, it is possible that you could be mildly anaemic. Ideally get your doctor to run a test, but also make sure you eat plenty of iron-rich foods such as lean red meat, iron-fortified cereals, dried fruit, cheese and eggs.
  
  
  
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