# juice recipes to prevent pre-eclampsia



## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

My MW just left. I am 38.5 weeks. She is concerned that I gained a lot of weight in the past week, my feet and legs are more swollen than usual, and my blood pressure is a little high for me. We did a urine test and my protein seems fine. She wants me to do some things, and we will keep an eye on it.

She recommended the following:
* reduce salt intake
* increase protein intake
* take lukewarm baths daily
* rest more on my left side with my feet up
* eat foods that are natural diuretics

One of the foods she mentioned was juices from juice bars. She said specifically cucumber and lemon are diuretics. I have a bunch of lemons, so i plan to drink a lot of water with lemon. My father is going to bring me over this afternoon some juice from his local juice bar that is made with apple and carrot and cucumber. He will also bring me a huge pile of apples and cucumbers to use for juicing (I have a juicer). I have 2 bags of carrots, so I figure I will use those too. While he is going to the trouble of driving over here and paying the whopping bridge toll, I would like to know what else I should juice that he could bring me.

So, *does anyone have any recipes for juice* to either reduce swelling or reduce blood pressure, or that are high in protein? (I can't have soy, so none of those protein powders works for me.)

(My father is also going to bring over his blood pressure machine so I can observe.)

P.S. I was going to do a really good floor cleaning today. It really needs it and I wanted it clean for when I labor. Should I forget about that?


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## MyLittleWonders (Feb 16, 2004)

I'm not sure about juices, but you might want to look into adding supplemental magnesium (but not a calcium/magnesium combo, just straight magnesium) - Natural Calm is a great one that absorbs well. Here is a link regarding the book The Miracle of Magnesium.


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## lisalou (May 20, 2005)

I don't know about juices but my midwife really pushed swimming for reducing pre-eclampsia risk. But I see you have baths on the list. If you can go swimming you should.


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## caedmyn (Jan 13, 2006)

I don't know why you wouldn't be able to clean the floor if you feel like it.

I am really surprised she recommended that you reduce your salt intake. Everything I've read about preventing of pre-eclampsia suggests that you should NOT restrict salt intake, but should salt food to taste (preferably with an unrefined sea salt).

Also, it's normal for blood pressure to rise a bit in the last part of pregnancy. Personally I don't think it sounds like you have anything to worry about...but you might try posting in the Birth Professionals area to get some more information on this topic.


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## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

I cleaned the floor. Spent a long time doing it slowly. Afterwards I was sweaty so I had my lukewarm bath.

I think the reason she suggested to reduce salt was because I had been very generous with salt recently since I had found it to help my previous minor swelling. Sometimes swelling is due to not enough salt, and sometimes it is due to too much. Once you have tried one method and it doesn't work, you try the other. (P.S. I only use unrefined sea salt)

Personally, I think the swelling is related to the fact that about a week ago I began to suffer from sciatica that was so bad I couldn't lay with my feet elevated. Now that is much better, but it takes some time to make the swelling go away.

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So, since she left, I had 2 large lemons worth of juice in water, and 16 ounces of juice that was apple/carrot/cucumber. My father brought me 12 beautiful-looking cucumbers, 8 gala apples, and 4 pears. I used my father's BP machine and got 122 over 80 first, and then 3 minutes later I got 115 over 75. Normal for me is 105-11- over 65-70. I have a theory that the BP is higher when I first sit/lay down because of the pain of the sciatica causing stress.

If everything is fine when she comes next, then there isn't anything to worry about. If elevated feet and lukewarm baths and eating diuretic foods and resting a lot doesn't lead to less swelling and normal BP at the next visit, then I will worry.

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For anyone else who is curious, I did some research and in addition to cucumber and lemon, other diuretic foods are celery, spinach, parsley, fennel, watermelon.


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## Equuskia (Dec 16, 2006)

Here in PR, passion fruit is recommended for lowering blood pressure.


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## Lady Lilya (Jan 27, 2007)

Update:

Swelling is pretty much gone.

I haven't checked my BP or weight yet.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

glad your swelling has gone down!

cucumber juice is super effective for treating swelling and high BP. You need to drink MASS quantities though! another thing that works is epsom salt baths. I had to take 2 a day during my first pg to keep the swelling manageable at the end! I was not pre e but I did have high BP (white coat induced) and LOTS of swelling.


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