3 mins read

Foods High in Vitamin A During Pregnancy

Vitamin A, which aids the body’s immune system, eyes, mucus membranes and cell reproduction, is really two kinds of vitamins: retinol and the provitamin-A carotenoids. Natural retinol comes from animals, while the carotenoids, of which the most well-known is beta carotene, come from vegetable sources. When you eat the animal sources of retinol vitamin A, you absorb the retinol the most directly and efficiently, while the vegetable carotenoids get converted into retinol inside the body less efficiently. The hype you might have heard about beta carotene, which is present in many vividly colored vegetables and fruits, is well-deserved and stems from the fact that it’s the most efficiently absorbed of all the carotenoids. How much vitamin A should you take during pregnancy? In supplement form, take no more than the right amount of vitamin-A retinol for your age—to be safe, consult the chart from the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine and speak with your physician. As for foods to take or not take that are high in vitamin A during pregnancy, see the recommendations below.

1 min read

Cats: Are They Just Big Jerks?

Here at ModernMom, we have a philosophy that the best way to kick off the weekend is with an adorable animal video. And so, since today is Friday, I found myself wandering around the Internet this morning in search of a super-cute bit of awesomeness. You know, something like “Mango Loves Milkshake” or that one of baby pandas playing on a slide.

8 mins read

Tormented Tummy? 10 Best & Worst Foods for a Long-Term Fix

Getting a stomach ache is the WORST! The pain, or sometimes the feeling that you’re going to ralph at any second, is just another thing that moms have to deal with every once in a while in addition to the gazillion other tasks they must complete in a day. There’s no way to prevent those fluke tummy tumults–food poisoning, for example–that hit unexpectedly. There are, however, some general guidelines you can follow in order to stay as far away as possible from the other stuff–indigestion, constipation, gas, diarrhea, etc.