Maternal Nutrition is the Secret of Healthy Pregnancy and a Healthy, Well Developed Baby

Every mother wants to have an easy, uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy child. Unfortunately, more and more women experience pregnancy complications, such as anemia, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, diabetes, premature delivery, and low birth weight.

More children are born with birth defects and many of those who appear normal at birth go on to develop health problems later in life.

One in 10 kids will have ADHD, one in 150 will become autistic. Children are affected by anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Kids develop type 2 diabetes, which was unheard of just 20 years ago.

Experts agree that most of these problems can be reduced and even prevented by proper nutrition during pregnancy.

Mother’s nutrition has an affect not only on the pregnancy and on the infant’s birth weight, but even on the risk of birth defects, pregnancy complications, maternal illness, and future diseases when the child becomes an adult.

Nutrients reduce pregnancy complications and birth defects

Studies show that proper diet and nutritional supplements, such as fish oil, vitamins C and E can prevent mother’s illness during pregnancy and premature birth. Vitamin A and beta-carotene along with magnesium, fish oil, and zinc can reduce maternal mortality. Iron and folic acid reduce anemia. Calcium reduces the incidence of pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure.

According to the Journal of Nutrition:

“Numerous studies support the concept that a major cause of pregnancy complications can be suboptimal nutrition.”

“Frequency and severity of pregnancy complications may be reduced through an improvement in the nutrient status of the mother.”

“Maternal nutritional deficiencies …may be significant contributors to the occurrence of birth defects. “

Maternal nutrition will affect the rest of the child’s life

Medical research shows that good nutrition during pregnancy and childhood can reduce baby’s risk of future cancer.

Proper maternal nutritional supplementation can reduce the risk of diabetes later in child’s life.

Certain specific deficiencies (for example magnesium) can also increase the risk of future diabetes.

Even the risk of future osteoporosis (in a baby when he or she becomes an adult) is determined by “maternal nutritional status during pregnancy” and especially by vitamin D deficiency, which is very common.

Most pregnant women are deficient

Unfortunately, most pregnant women are deficient in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acids, especially DHA, are part of the brain, central nervous system, and the retina. A baby needs them for normal development of the brain and the eyes.

Premature infants are more likely to have ADHD, depression, and schizophrenia, because their brains did not have a chance to fully develop and incorporate all the DHA it needed. On the other hand, children of mothers who eat large amount of fatty fish have better intellectual development and higher IQs.

The problem is that almost 90% of women do not get even the minimal amount of DHA. Many women are deficient in folic acid, despite food fortification. Deficiencies of magnesium, calcium, iron, vitaminsC, D, E, and many other nutrients are very common, which can jeopardize the health of both the mother and the baby.

Don’t count on prenatal multivitamin – it does not work

The sad truth is that a typical prescription prenatal vitamin does not correct most deficiencies, which are extremely common in pregnant women.

Prenatal multivitamin is a poor source of nutrients. All the ingredients are synthetic, so your body cannot use them the way it uses natural nutrients from food.

Plus it is loaded with chemicals, such as crospovidone, FD&C Red No. 40 aluminum lake, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, lactose, magnesium stearate, mineral oil light, polysorbate 80, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearic acid, syloid, titanium dioxide and triethyl citrate. Neither you nor your baby need these chemicals. They do not help, but can only cause harm.

How can you be sure to have the most optimal nutrition

Eat a good diet. This means eat natural foods. Oatmeal is natural, but cereal made from oats that looks like little doughnuts is not. Steak is natural, but luncheon meat is not. Eggs are natural, eggbeaters are synthetic unnatural junk.

In other words, eat food the way it is naturally produced and avoid processed, man-made foods. This usually means avoiding anything that comes in boxes, cans, and plastic packages and anything that has expiration date months from today. Real food spoils, junk food is loaded with preservatives, so it can last for a long time.

Eat fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, berries, meat, chicken, lamb, eggs, cheese, butter, and any other natural food that you like. Seafood and fish are usually OK, but eat large fish (salmon, tuna, etc.) in moderation because of potentially high mercury content.

Try to minimize soda, ice cream, cookies, white bread and white rice, most breakfast cereals, and any other processed foods.

But even eating a good diet may be leave you deficient in important nutrients. That is why I recommend nutritional supplements.

As I mentioned, prenatal vitamins that you doctor prescribed is nothing but junk. It is a combination of synthetic chemicals, some of which may even be harmful for the developing baby.

You should take only supplements that are made from real food. There is a company called Standard Process that has been producing food-based supplements since 1920s. They grow fruits and vegetables on their own certified organic farm. They dehydrate them using a patented low-heat high-vacuum process that retains all the nutrients. Think of it as turning a grape into a raisin. Raisins have all the same nutrients as grapes, except for water.

They also use organ meats (liver, kidney, etc) from organic cows because they have very high nutrient content. They combine different ingredients to create various nutritional supplements. There is nothing artificial, no preservatives, no chemicals, only real food with real nutrients.

It is never too early or too late to start. Whether you are just planning your pregnancy or are in the 3rd trimester, you need proper nutrition at every stage.

This is the program I recommend to my patients:

· Catalyn – a natural multivitamin/multimineral made from 12 different foods

· Folic Acid B12 – for extra folic acid and B12

· Ferrofood – natural organic iron

· Calcium lactate – natural calcium and magnesium from beats

· TunaOmega oil – naturally pure source of DHA and EPA, guaranteed free of mercury, PCBs, and other chemicals

All these are from Standard Process. They are only available through health practitioners, so go on their web site and find a doctor near you. Or you can call my office at 718-769-0997 if you cannot find anyone locally.

The important point is this. If you want to have a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy and a healthy, well-developed baby, eat real food and take food-based nutritional supplements.

Toronto Real Estate Market

Toronto Real Estate Market – An Overview
The Toronto real estate market, much like Canadian winters, can feel like a harsh environment to navigate for the average Joe. With tougher federal mortgage laws introduced in January 2018; many homeowners have literally been priced out of the market, and existing owners have found their property values sticking in neutral or falling with an average loss of 4 percent.With property no longer feeling like a guaranteed investment, we take a look at what has been happening in the Toronto real estate market to lead to this downward trend and how is the wheel of fortune likely to turn over the next 12 months?Mixed fortunes
In recent years property prices have risen exponentially across the GTA, and although this has been a delight for many sellers, it has been a double-edged sword in that fewer people have been able to afford to get onto the property ladder. Those who did buy when the price was high then found their mood falling along with the inevitable decline in market prices as well as those who presumed their home was a stable investment for the future that would only keep increasing in value. There are those of course who are now hoping for a crash to put a definite end to what has felt for many inhabitants as Toronto’s housing affordability crisis, but it is more likely that the market will continue to stabilize with a few bumps along the way during 2019.New federal mortgage laws
In line with the country’s intentions to limit the amount of debt that the population and financial institutions took on; new federal mortgage laws introduced on the 1st January 2018 meant that Canadians getting, renewing or refinancing a mortgage could find themselves having to complete a “stress test”. This is in order to prove that they would be able to cope with interest rates substantially higher than the contract rate. This was relevant even for borrowers who had a down payment of 20 percent or more and was yet another tweak in what has felt like a long line of regulatory changes to actually get on, never mind being able to climb the property ladder.Priced out of the market
These changes affected roughly 100,000 of Canada’s population with half of these still being able to make a purchase other than what they had originally planned and the other half giving up altogether. So, although many people rushed either to buy or sell and upgrade to a property that they would not be able to afford when the new regulations came into force, many people found themselves priced out of a market that they could not afford to enter on paper. This is true even if they felt they had the financial means to do so or would have met the criteria set in previous years.Buying your way back in
The inevitable rise in property prices across Canada was also seen to reach dizzy heights in the Toronto real estate market but what goes up must come down, and these tougher mortgage laws saw the market begin to balance out during 2018. This trend looks set to continue during the spring of 2019, and it is this news, along with February’s announcement of thousands of newly-created jobs that is providing hope for those wishing to buy for the first time or move higher up the property ladder. With 665 new home developments also taking place in Toronto; it literally could become a buyer’s market.Snowbound
Although Ottawa and Montreal are beginning to see signs of renewed growth and hotting up, Toronto’s real estate market is still generally said to be on the cool side at present, and the literal coolness of the weather hasn’t helped either! A particularly harsh winter has made prospective buyers think twice about even being able to make property viewings and as it takes a while for the snow to thaw so will it take a while for the gradually warming spring temperatures to melt the “froideur” in the Toronto real estate market. More home listings are expected to appear on the market over the spring and summer months, perhaps bringing a modest increase in prices. But, with many other variables affecting real estate trends including elections and the economy; it could be that the Toronto market will neither be firmly in favor of either the buyer or seller but rather your own individual circumstances. Some people will, therefore, be winning, some losing and some breaking-even financially.Luxury properties
The demand for luxury homes and Condos IS expected to increase and as demand usually comes with an increase in prices; those selling these styles of properties look to be definitely in the winning camp. The average price of a luxury house is expected to reach $3,691,700 within the next twelve months and $2,390,405 for a condo.Interest Rates
It is not expected that the bank of Canada will increase interest rates more than once this year, but in the same vein, this means that they are unlikely to fall either. The rate is currently 4.375 percent for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage but with mortgage rates remaining the critical factor in determining the affordability of a home purchase; keeping a close eye on the rate of interest is literally in a buyer’s best interests!Greater Toronto is a Land of hope
Although homeownership rates dropped in Canada for the first time in 45 years in 2018; it is still a country that has one of the highest homeownership rates in the world. More than 40 percent of households under 35 own their own property, and although Toronto is considered to be one of Canada’s least affordable markets, there is still opportunity and hope in the real estate market to make a good investment.Need for a Good Real Estate Lawyer in Toronto Downtown
Finding a good Real Estate Lawyer in downtown Toronto is equally as important as a find a good property to buy in Toronto. Some Lawyers provide great service but charge an arm and a leg for the transaction. Some Lawyer advertises their legal fees as the lowest but their service is equally the lowest in the market. Transparency in Legal Fees structure is one of the main issues with Real Estate Lawyer Fees structure in Toronto Downtown. The only Law Firm stands out from the crowd is Shaikh Law Firm because they have posted their Real Estate Lawyer Toronto Fees on their website. Their reviews suggest that they are transparent, honest and provide a good service. When this article was being published in 2019 Shaikh Law is ranked among the three best Real Estate Lawyers in Toronto, along with Jonathan G. Griffiths and Jay Teichman. Jonathan and Jay’s quality of Legal Service is great but their legal fees are significantly higher than Shaikh Law Firm.How to Choose a Good Real Estate Lawyer in Toronto Downtown
Before you hire your Real Estate Lawyer you should ask the following Questions;1) How many transactions the Real Estate Lawyer completes in a Month?2) How long has the Lawyer been practicing Real Estate?3) What is the Fees Structure and can the Lawyer give a written Quote without any hidden charges?You should always do your research online, ask a friend for any recommendations. It is important to note that your Realtor recommendations are always biased because they usually get kickbacks for recommending a Real Estate Lawyer. Therefore do your own research before you hire anyone. It is always recommended to call up the Real Estate Lawyer in Toronto for a Free Consultation to review your transaction before you engage anyone.

Why Teach Art?

Thinking SkillsAn article written by Ellen Winner and Lois Hetland for the Boston Globe in 2007 promotes creativity in learning: “There is, however, a very good reason to teach arts in schools, and it’s not the one that arts supporters tend to fall back on. In a recent study of several art classes in Boston-area schools, we found that arts programs teach a specific set of thinking skills rarely addressed elsewhere in the curriculum – and that far from being irrelevant in a test-driven education system, arts education is becoming even more important as standardized tests like the MCAS exert a narrowing influence over what schools teach.”And why shouldn’t they? Dr. Betty Edwards, best-selling author of “Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain,” advocates the use of our right brain hemisphere and has written great coursework that reveals are inherent underdevelopment of this side of the brain. Most educational programs, established in the United States back in the 1800′s, site a preference for left hemispherical instruction. Understandably, we were still essentially agricultural at the time, and steadily emerging to play a major part in the Industrial Revolution. Whatever music, drama and art instruction existed in the one room schoolhouse, soon migrated to larger and larger classrooms where the early technology of manufacturing in the New World was a bright glow on the future horizons of American young people.Space RaceInto the 1900′s, those artful programs diminished. The “Space Race” and Sputnik, launched an all-out emphasis on Science and Math learning and changed school curriculums forever. With the realization that America, in the 1980′s and 1990′s was fast become a service and technology oriented nation, our manufacturing industries diminished and a New Age of Technology changed the future glow for school children. Again, in public and private schools across the nation, the importance of that left hemisphere, so amply delineated by Dr. Betty Edwards as the time-counter, the data finder, the logician, the number-cruncher, the financier, the worker of charts and graphs would again dictate what our schools taught our youth.Rich Creative ThinkingWhat we haven’t quite figured out yet is that most scientific, mathematical, legal, financial positions require creativity and that great progress has been made in these areas by “thinking outside the box.” For that matter, creative thinking enhances any part of our lives. How?When we receive information, if we are basically trained in the American educational system, we process it as data, that is, it represents dates, times, charts, factors, elements that regulate our lives in monetary, fiduciary, fact-oriented ways. This is our perceptual reality. Indeed, the best trained to process this data have a good chance of doing well in our culture. Could creativity make us better? Yes, because, with the emphasis on just one hemisphere of our brain, we don’t really have the whole picture. We are not cognitive to all of the options that our wonderful brains can render. Therefore, we are severely limited: economically, culturally, politically and spiritually.The Total BrainDeveloping our total brains, more the cerebral scenario of ancient Western culture, is still alive and well in many cultures today. But as the global economy spreads the word, educational patterns lean towards left hemisphere education. Will we ultimately inherit a global, lop-sided perspective, severely limiting our brain capacities in favor of the left and retarding the use of the right? In the future, will bear offspring that are limited that way?Sci-Fi?This prospect is dismal and hopefully, just science fiction. If we chose to, via cultural choices, cut off the very rich resources of the right side, are children and future children will inherit a two-dimensional world which stifles creativity, shuns invention and creative research, blocks poetry, the theatre, and artists endeavors and, ultimately, cuts off a very powerful resource. It could be that the world will suffer for our restrictions on creative thinking.Here is my challenge. Learn your right side! You will become stronger, better equipped to deal with what the world has to offer and, if at first, you are uncomfortable, well, go ahead, jump into to the hot tub of creativity.