Preventing Stretch Marks

Diet

Especially when pregnant, modifying your diet can do you a world of good.  Not only for yourself and your baby, but your
skin as well.

Eat foods containing:

• Omega 3:  Fish (salmon, sardines are best), flaxseed, walnuts, beef, tofu, brussel sprouts, cauliflower.
  

  Reason: Omega 3’s maintain the health of cell membranes in your skin.

• Vitamin A: Sweet potato, carrots, spinach, kale, mango and many squashes.
  

  Reason: Vitamin A plays a key role in the maintenance of your skin cells.

• Vitamin E: Sunflower seeds, almonds, avocado, collard greens, swiss chard, peanuts.
  

  Reason: Vitamin E helps skin retain it’s natural moisture amongst other things.  Article to come.

• Antioxidants: Blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, artichokes, beans, strawberries.
  

  Reason: Antioxidants help neutralize oxidants that cause skin cells to break down

 Apply a natural skin cream

Eating foods that are healthy for you and your skin is one part of the equation.  It’s a good idea to get at the problem from the outside as well, with a good quality, safe and natural cream that has all of the key ingredients your skin will need through this trying time.  For my money there is only one choice – hands down.  Trilastin Maternity Stretch Mark Prevention.  I first used the other Trilastin products after my second pregnancy to get rid of the stretch marks I got.  When I got pregnant for the third time, I already knew about their prevention cream and ordered it immediately.  Even though I was older and my skin was naturally aging, the difference between pregnancy two and three was night and day.  While I did still get a small amount of stretch marks from this pregnancy, it was nothing at all like my last one.  I can’t say enough good things about it!

Hydrate

This is something we should all be doing anyways.  Maintaining good hydration in the body is important for so many aspects of our well being but probably one of the largest is to replenish moisture in our skin.  Skin is the largest organ we have and also one of the thirstiest.

Several studies in recent times have shown that the old adage of drinking eight glasses of water a day wasn’t necessary.  Like so many other studies in the past that have been published and later found to be wrong, I personally choose to believe in staying hydrated with at least 8 glasses of water or alternatives per day.  Besides, drinking water is not harmful in anyway and is zero calories. Hydration is even more important during pregnancy especially.  That little wonder growing inside you is taking a ton of resources out of your body.

There are lots of people that don’t like to drink a lot of water and would find it hard to drink up to 8 glasses per day.  Here are some suggestions to stay hydrated without having to drink all that water:

• Fruits and vegetables.  Some are more moisture-rich than others.  Watermelon is 92% water.  Cucumber and lettuce are 96% water, tomatoes are 94% water.  You get the idea.  You can get a ton of nutrients as well as hydration from eating your veggies.
• Tea.  Ideally a herbal tea or decaffeinated if you are pregnant.  A little bit of natural honey to sweeten if desired.
• Broth.  A salt-free or low sodium broth is a warm method of increasing hydration in your body.
• Juices.  Apple juice, orange juice, tomato juice to name a few.  Cranberry juice is a great idea as it is also high in antioxidants.
• Milk, Soy Milk, Almond milk.  All these items have different and natural aspects to them that are healthy for your body and skin.

 Exercise

I know, I know.  A lot of times during pregnancy the last thing you want to think about is exercise.  But you know and I know that exercise is important for all of us and during a pregnancy even more so.  A healthy mother is a healthy baby.  Here are some ideas for some low impact exercises you can do during pregnancy.

• Yoga.  There are many classes that specifically cater to pregnancy yoga.  These are low impact and low stress and help stretch the muscles and skin.
• Pilates.  Similar to yoga, most rec centers have pilates classes designed specifically for pregnant women.  A great way to exercise and also meet other women with similar interests.
• Swimming.  Swimming is the ultimate low impact exercise and is a great choice especially as your pregnancy moves along.
• Stretches.  If you don’t have time to visit a class, doing simple stretches in your own home will help as well.  Remember that during pregnancy, the key areas that are affected are the lower back and pelvic area.  Design your workout to help strengthen these areas.
• Kegel.  Kegel exercises can help strengthen internal muscles that hold the uterus, bladder and bowels.  By doing Kegel exercises you are helping to prepare your body for childbirth.

Gelatin

You may not have realized it, but gelatin is a great method of preventing stretch marks.  As you learnt reading the causes of stretch marks, the primary chemical required to maintain skin elasticity is collagen.  Gelatin is rich in collagen and is highly recommended part of your diet, especially during pregnancy.

Using gelatins such as this in every day foods such as soups, gravies, sauces, etc. is an excellent way to increase your gelatin intake.  You can use gelatin to make jellies or other sweets as well.  Do a quick internet search for recipes using gelatin and you will see that there are hundreds if not thousands of ways you can use gelatin in your everyday meals.  There are even gelatins like this one that you can add to your drink and it will not gel up.