Waterfall Diet FAQ: Pregnancy
Water retention is common in pregnancy and can have many causes, including anaemia (anemia) which is not always an iron-deficiency anaemia. The Waterfall Diet is safe to follow in pregnancy, with the exception of any recommended herbs. Many herbal medicines are contra-indicated in pregnancy. To be on the safe side, even parsley should be used only in the normal way as a food flavouring, and not consumed as a tea or taken as a medicine.
Raspberry Leaf Tea
One herb which has definitely stood the test of time and is universally recommended by natural health practitioners for use during the last three months of pregnancy is raspberry leaf tea. You can drink raspberry leaf tea up to three times daily. It helps to tone the muscles of the uterus and aid a painless, easy delivery. It also promotes milk production.
Gentle Diuretics
Many fruit and vegetable juices such as those made from cucumber, watermelon, watercress, horseradish, carrot and celery have gentle diuretic properties. Cornsilk tea is also gentle and, according to Bartram, is suitable to help prevent swollen ankles in the later stages of pregnancy. Cornsilk is the silky strands found under the green outer sheath of a head of sweetcorn (maize).
Don’t forget to help blood flow by
- Lying on your left side
Walking around from time to time instead of sitting still
Putting your feet up
Don’t cross your legs
If you can’t find raspberry leaf tea or corn silk tea locally, you can order them online:
Resources (UK)
Resources (USA)
*Includes pregnancy herbal safety information
Information extracted from the 3rd Edition of The Waterfall Diet (Piatkus Books) to be published in 2010. Get the current (2003) edition.
If you are pregnant, always report water retention or swollen legs to a doctor
