Jamie AbramsRaw FoodYoga*Teacher

Supplements For Raw Vegan Pregnancy

2010-11-22T17:32:46+00:00

I recently had a question from a reader:

"I am curious to know if you are taking any sort of prenatal supplementation aside from your diet?"

I often get queries like this one, not only because I am a long-time vegan with a penchant for raw foods, but because we are travelling and I am not undergoing the meticulous antenatal care that I had during my first pregnancy.

In my first pregnancy I took supplements here and there. For the most part I couldn't handle the smell of my whole foods prenatal vitamin. I would get lazy about all the other extras, except my probiotic, which I took religiously. When I go off of taking a supplement I have always put it down to my body telling me it's not the right time for that particular thing.

This pregnancy is special in that my diet is even cleaner vegan compared to my first. Plus, I had the big bonus of spending 3 weeks during my first trimester at Hippocrates Health Institute, eating an abundant supply of the healthiest food on the planet. Hippocrates recommended several supplements for me. However, I know my inability to stick to a rigorous regime of pill-popping. But I do take the essentials.

I also think it is worth mentioning that all supplements should come from a whole foods source - not synthetically created in a lab, like Centrum or other popular cheap brands. You can read more about this in Dr. Brian Clement's riveting book Supplements Exposed.

Here are my supplements:

LiveGive HHI- Zyme Digestive Aids - (digestive enzymes)
LiveGive Power Powder (blue-green algae)
Ortho Bone Vegan (calcium)
Probiotic
Rainbow Complete Prenatal Vitamin
Chlorella
B12
Omega-Zen (marine algae based omega-3)
Chia or Mila (for omegas etc)
Sun Warrior Protein Powder (when I have it available to me - to help keep my blood sugar regular)

I know it looks like a long list, but I don't take them all everyday. Maybe I should, but the reality is that I don't have an easy time swallowing capsules or tablets (read below for my tip on how to make it child's play).

I make a blended something or other every day, in which I will break open my enzymes, power powder and calcium, plus I'll add my daily portion of chia seeds to it, too. Basically, I will open up and pour the contents of my capsules on or in food whenever/wherever possible.

Also, before leaving the UK I consulted a homeopath, during the consultation she gave me a tissue salt programme for pregnancy using the New Era biochemic salts. The tissue salt programme is followed to help both mother and baby maintain optimum nutrition and balance the mineral content of the body. So I have those to factor in as well. (Anyone interested in the programme just pop me an email at jamie at raw-yoga-teacher dot com and I'll send you the details.)

I hope this sufficiently answers the supplement question for enquiring minds. What have your experiences been supplementing while pregnant?

Raw Yoga Teacher Tip:

Okay, for capsules place them in your mouth, take a swig of water and then take your chin towards your chest. Now swallow. Capsules hold air and will naturally float to the back of your throat, making them easier to down. I can usually take more in one go using this method.

For tablets do the opposite. Place them in your mouth, take a sip of water and your chin upwards. There is not the same amount, if any air, in a tablet. Their dense nature allows them to gravitate towards your throat, making them easier to pass.

Receiving this tip from a friend at Hippocrates was a revelation. Let me know how you get on with it!

Gandhi's Happiness & Buddha's Love

2010-11-17T14:04:35+00:00

' Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. '

~Gandhi

‘ You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.’

~ Buddha

Yoga in Buenos Aires

2010-11-14T17:03:54+00:00

Yoga is alive and kicking here in Buenos Aires. We never fail to spot a yoga venue when walking about through the neighbourhoods.

As it happens, many of the chance people that we come into contact with share with us that they also practice yoga. It isn't your typical young yuppy/hippy type either. It tends to lean more towards people you wouldn't imagine digging their heels into a downdog.

Today, on the Subte (subway) a random lady took interest in my vibrams, which spurred a yoga conversation. She was an older lady that devoutly practices Iyengar style yoga. This subte lady also shared with me that a top guru from the Iyengar tradition was coming to Buenos Aires from India. What a great gem of unexpected info!

After scampering though the heavy rains I made it to my first prenatal yoga class. The class was held in the teacher's quaint studio apartment. I happened to be the only pupil that showed up (possibly due to the downpours), so I had a bonus one-to-one session. I reckon I was the only hardcore one!

My teacher spoke fairly fluent English. I had the treat of being taught in a tongue I could really understand. The class was not as flowing as I would have liked, but the instructor was very caring and an all-round lovely being.

There is also proper yoga studio a few blocks away from my apartment that I also discovered does a prenatal yoga class. I am hoping to sample a session there later this week.

Sprouting on the road

2010-11-07T23:58:51+00:00

Well, I think all the super-lush Croatian watermelon, fresh produce and head/handstand regime from this summer made my body nice and ripe.

I am eluding to a little certainty that a seed was planted and now my womb is bearing fruit. We are expecting our second marvellous being Earth-side sometime in April.

It was sort of unexpected (even though we knew what we were doing) given our travel plans, but we embraced our gift and have decided to keep moving forward with our itinerary (to keep up with us go to www.abramsfamilyworldtravel.com). I guess there is no better way to indoctrinate our new baby into our vagabonding lifestyle than to have him/her on the road, too.

We are currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but by the time our sprout is ready to emerge we'll be in Brazil.

For now, I am taking my yoga practice very slowly and gently. I don't want to experience my hips and sacral iliac joint popping out again. So I have modified everything to make my movements smaller, slower and even more focused on the breath than normal.

Tomorrow I am attending my first prenatal yoga class with this pregnancy. I am not sure if it will be instructed in Spanish or English, but I am game!

Handstands and Watermelon

2010-07-17T20:36:09+01:00

I think I may have uncovered a little somethin' somethin' that will get your a.m. mojo zipping, zooming and zinging. If you feel groggy with the summer heat look no farther!

In the morning I shake off the night with a varying yoga routine on our patio, listening to the cicadas and sea waves rolling up on to the piers below. Each session has a different tone and theme contingent upon how I feel.

However, there is one pose in particular that I have brought out of hibernation and it has quickly become a regular. I have gotten back into the habit of practicing handstands.

Handstands can be easy to leave off the morning menu, but I have been making a concerted effort to kick my legs up the wall, engage my arms and melt my heart into a handstand. But, before I marry my hands to the floor, I enter the sacred contract with myself to check my ego at the edge of the mat and be present and accept where I am in that moment. Some times my handstands feel easier than on other days, but I am always guaranteed to experience the post-handstand high, which is worth every sweat drop.

If you still aren't convinced that reversing gravity should be on your carte de jour maybe these benefits will persuade you: give your vital organs a much-needed rest, improve circulation, respiration, along with elimination, increase concentration, mental clarity and provides the bone-strengthening benefits of weight-bearing exercise to the wrists, fingers, elbows, arms, and shoulders, which may help to prevent osteoporosis.

Click here to read an excellent article on beginning a handstand practice.

After my sun-filled yoga session I tend to refuel with a whopping plate or two or three of watermelon. As a matter of fact, these days I can't seem to get enough.

Yesterday, we consumed an 8kg mammoth in a couple sittings and the day before a 7kg melon. Luckily, watermelons in Croatia are well priced, no doubt because they are locally grown.

To be honest, I can't recall eating nicer watermelon anywhere else on the planet. Croatian melons are superior in quality - to me anyway. And of course it helps that they haven't been shlepped around the globe to make it to my mouth.

Most people think melons are just a bit of water in a pretty pink and green package, however they are a summertime superfood and have the most nutrition per calorie of common foods.

Here are some watermelon perks that should encourage you to get the juicy fruit running down your chin and elbows (of course you don't have to be as extreme in your consumption as I have been!): excellent source of vitamin C, B, especially B1 (thiamine) and B6 (pyridoxine), high content of lycopene, potassium and magnesium etc

Click here to read more about the health giving mammoth we call a watermelon.

Basically, what I am suggesting is that If you want to start off the day feeling like a powerhouse then include at least one handstand in your morning yoga routine then follow it by a watermelon breakfast. It really is a win-win combination.

*As always please be mindful of your body when trying new poses. If in doubt seek the advice of a qualified yoga teacher.