8 Ways to Prevent Stretch Marks Naturally

How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks Naturally: https://www.mamanatural.com/stretch-m... Get my FREE pregnancy updates: https://wk2wk.com/p My pregnancy book: http://mamanaturalbook.com/ Personally, I like to call stretch marks “mama marks.” We’ve earned these beautiful reminders of our journey to motherhood. But I know not everyone feels that way. So if you’re looking for natural ways to fade or prevent pregnancy stretch marks, I’ve got you covered. While studies do suggest stretch marks are due to genetics, there are things you can do to improve your skin’s elasticity so that when it needs to stretch, it can. While most women focus on lotions, you really need to go at it holistically, which is why we’ll talk about diet and nutrition first. Here are seven of the most important things you can do to prevent stretch marks: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate Staying hydrated can be tough when you’re pregnant but it’s essential for preventing stretch marks and having a healthy pregnancy. Drink about 64 fluid ounces of water a day (more if you sweat a lot). Eat a real food diet Our bodies need certain building blocks to produce collagen—the stuff that makes our skin elastic. Without them, our skin and body suffer. Eat a superstar pregnancy diet including whole foods like pastured meat, poultry, organ meats, and eggs, and stick with organic local produce when possible. Also, be sure to eat enough quality fats from healthy sources, like pastured butter, coconut oil, and virgin olive oil. Add gelatin to your diet Gelatin is huge in supporting healthy skin. Gelatin, particularly gelatin from grass-fed animals, contains the amino acids glycine and proline—the two main building blocks of collagen. My favorite way to sneak gelatin into my diet is by making homemade bone broth. You can drink it straight, or add it to soups, stews, and sauces. Make sure you’re getting plenty of vitamins Your body also needs vitamins A, C, and E to produce collagen. All of these building blocks work together and are best obtained from real food sources. You can get bio-available vitamin A from liver or cod liver oil. You can get vitamin C from many fruits like bell peppers and broccoli or from my favorite: camu camu powder! You can get Vitamin E in spinach, nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and red palm oil. Get plenty of zinc This is another important building block of collagen, and one can be found in a wide array of foods including, seafood, beef, lamb, nuts, seeds, spinach, mushrooms, and especially oysters. Balance your fatty acids Omega 3 fatty acids help to strengthen the skin cell’s membrane, improving elasticity. Balance your omega 3 to 6 ratio by reducing the amount of omega 6s you eat (specifically from processed foods) and by supplementing with cod liver oil, which is not only high in healthy omega 3s, but also contains vitamins A and D. Consume enough sulfur Sulfur is another building block necessary for collagen production. You can find sulfur in many meats, eggs, and cruciferous vegetables like kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts. Of course there are some great things you can apply topically to help prevent stretch marks. The most effective is to… Apply products that contain Vitamin E and rosehip oil In one study, this combination of ingredients significantly reduced women’s stretch marks. And though more research is needed, anecdotal evidence also suggests olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and geranium essential oil can also help. If you’re worried about stretch marks, it’s worth giving all of the above a try. But it’s important to remember that sometimes, despite your best effort, you’ll still end up with those “mama stripes.” My best advice is to wear them with pride! ------- If you enjoyed this video, be sure to sign up for my FREE pregnancy updates, link in the video description below, or just Google Mama Natural Pregnancy. Also, if you're preparing for childbirth, check out the Mama Natural Birth Course. It's all online and on-demand, and thousands of our students have gone on to have wonderful, natural childbirths.