The second most-watched baby bump (after Kate Middleton) is the queen of reality TV, Kim Kardashian. Since the announcement of her pregnancy with Kanye West, Kim has been asked about her cravings in every interview.

During an interview with E News, Kim said she is craving “sushi, but I know I can’t really have it, so I’m eating a lot of carrots and celery with lots of ranch.”

According to AmericanPregnancy.org, the highest mercury-level fish (shark, swordfish, ahi tuna) should be avoided during pregnancy, while mothers can have three, six-ounce servings of high mercury fish (white albacore tuna, sea bass, grouper) in a month.

Kim, like a lot of expectant mothers, thought she could get away with eating anything, but she realized it wasn’t a good idea. OpposingViews Entertainment reported Kim as saying, “I used to always say I can’t wait to get pregnant because I will just eat whatever I want, but it’s completely different, I’m like, OK, I want to eat as healthy as possible.”

“You won’t need to lose baby weight if you don’t gain it,” Jillian Michaels has told us. “It takes about 55,000 calories to make a baby.  This breaks down to about 200-300 extra calories a day.”
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Hollywood’s most talked about celebrity mom is making headlines again for her ever-fluctuating figure. Singer and clothing designer Jessica Simpson has dropped at least 60 pounds since giving birth to daughter Maxwell Drew in early May. Now the star is claiming her weight loss is attributed to one dirty little secret: Staring at her own body nude. 

Simpson, 32, gained a reported 70 pounds during her pregnancy due to a bit of overindulgence in the diet department. The star loves southern comfort foods like fried chicken and mac and cheese and said that she treated herself while carrying Maxwell as she wanted to fully enjoy the pregnancy experience while it lasted.

According to a story by Star Pulse, however, Simpson recently came to the realization that she needed to lose more weight after taking an honest assessment of her naked body in the mirror. She also admitted that she didn’t realize just how difficult it would be to shed the post-baby weight.

Simpson’s weight is one that is closely followed by the media due in large part to the $3 million contract she signed with Weight Watchers in 2011 agreeing to lose the weight after giving birth.
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By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com

Nearly 10 percent of infants in the U.S. are overweight. As they get older, this percentage grows along with them: almost 70 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. But weight gain is largely preventable – and prevention begins in the womb.

Mama-to-be? Keeping your blood sugar steady can prevent your baby from having an excessive birth weight. It can also help your baby stay lean throughout his life. High maternal blood sugar prompts the fetus to develop more fat cells, which can make it easier to become fat later in life.

Not only can your blood sugar levels affect your baby’s development, but they can also affect your comfort levels during pregnancy. Low blood sugar is associated with morning sickness, and high blood sugar may lead to pre-eclampsia or gestational diabetes (Hudson, 2008). Gestational diabetes, in turn, predisposes your baby to obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes later in life.

Keeping your blood sugar stable is easier than it sounds – but it requires a little advance planning. Here are some tips to help you maintain a steady blood sugar level in order to protect you and your baby:
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By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com

Chips, crackers, doughnuts, bagels, candy … these easy-to-grab comfort foods are a quick way to relieve pregnancy’s hunger pangs. But caving to your cravings isn’t necessarily healthy for your baby. Processed foods in particular are some of the most unhealthy and potentially dangerous options for moms-to-be, because they make your baby more likely to have health problems. According to Dr. Weston A. Price, your baby is at risk for health problems even if you ate processed foods before conception, even if it wasn’t you but the baby’s father who ate them, and even if you ate well but the foods you consumed were grown in depleted soil (Singer, 2004).

What are processed foods, and why are they so bad for you? They’re food products that have been manipulated, refined, enriched and/or preserved – in short, almost anything that has been changed from its natural state. Most packaged foods are processed. If you read a label and don’t recognize the ingredients, it’s likely that food has been processed. Items in the center of the grocery store tend to be processed. Generally, foods are processed to lengthen their shelf life and are packaged in a way that’s convenient for us to grab on the go.
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The best part about this weekend is the fact that Labor Day is Monday and many Americans will enjoy their day off observing the holiday. But before the weekend can officially commence, it’s time to wrap up the week with some healthy news. This week’s HealthBuzz includes several stories, including why you should consider ditching soda, how exercising for 30 minutes is better for weight loss than one hour, and breakfast recipes for a healthy four-day weekend.

30 Minutes of Exercise May Yield More Weight Loss Than 1 Hour

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen followed 60 overweight Danish men for 13 weeks. One-third of the group performed 30 minutes of intense aerobic exercise, another one-third of the group exercised for 60 minutes, and the last group was ordered to remain inactive. The study found that 30 minutes of physical activity helps produce more weight loss than one hour.

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? New Research Points to a Magic Number

It seems people are never getting enough sleep in today’s fast pace society. According to a new study, eight hours of sleep isn’t the magic number for sleep anymore. Find out what the new magic number is!

Celebrity Trainer Tracy Anderson Attacked in Media

Tracy Anderson is known for providing her fitness and diet expertise to stars like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez and Gwyneth Paltrow. This week, she came under fire for some statement she made in DuJour Magazine regarding woman and their post-baby bodies. Tracy appeared on Good Morning America to defend her comments. What was her controversial quote?
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