Those nine months of pregnancy are obviously fraught times for women. But there are many activities you can indulge in, in order to make the experience pleasant, and more importantly, as healthy as possible. After all, as well as your own wellbeing, your primary concern will be that your baby is given the best possible start.

Deciding what to eat during this period is one of the most crucial decisions to take. The good news is that just because you happen to be pregnant is no reason why making diet choices should be too onerous. Even if you find out you are to be the mother of twins or triplets, you can still choose from a variety of foods in order that you (and your unborn) get access to a full range of delicious nutrients.

A common question asked by expectant mothers is what foods are safest for me to eat? Fruit and vegetables are a great choice. As well as being relatively inexpensive, these are packed full of minerals, fibre and vitamins. You should aim to be eating at least five portions of fruit and vegetables on a daily basis, during the pregnancy. The best aspect of eating these is the fact there are now so many to choose from, all of which can be easily prepared in various ways.

You should also be considering eating a variety of starchy foods. This includes rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. Foodstuffs such as these are excellent sources of vitamins, fibre and energy. In order to maintain a healthy balanced diet during the nine months, it is important to inject your daily intake with these, along with the fruit and vegetables mentioned. When eating bread it is preferable that you choose the wholegrain varieties where possible. Brown rice or pasta is also much higher in fibre.

Your diet should also include a range of protein sources. The best examples of this are eggs, beans, fresh fish, tinned fish, and meat. In the case of the latter, always opt for lean meat. When it comes to preparing these dishes, it is important to ensure that chicken, pork, or even burgers or sausages, are thoroughly cooked through.

The old adage that states everything in moderation is acceptable certainly applies to pregnancy eating. It is only natural that you will feel like supplementing your diet of fruit, vegetables, starchy food and proteins with a rationed amount of drinks or foods that are relatively high in their content of fat and sugar. The key aspect of this, of course, is rationing. While there is no need to be completely abstinent, and it is still okay to enjoy the occasional sugary fizzy drink, crisps, or biscuits, it is important not to over-indulge.

Many women develop all manner of cravings during this period, but what should always be lurking at the back of your mind is the fact that eating too much sugary food can lead to you putting on too much weight. While this is not ideal at the best of times, during pregnancy it can have adverse effects on your health by increasing your blood pressure. Where your baby's health is concerned this should obviously be avoided. 

Considering the calorific qualities of your daily meals is only one aspect that should always be under your firm attention. It is one thing keeping an eye on how what you eat will affect your weight, as well as your overall health. But another thing to look out for is what effect anything you ingest will be having on your oral hygiene.

When it comes to keeping your teeth white and healthy-looking, there are certain foods that are far better than others. These can loosely be termed ‘detergent foods'. The number one quality these should possess is that they should be crisp and firm.

The obvious advantage of this of oral hygiene is that unlike brushing teeth that can occasionally be forgotten, we all have to eat every day. All that rubbing up and down of your teeth with a brush can eventually seem like a bit of a chore. But choosing foods with proactive cleaning properties can be exciting. As you get into detergent foods you'll build up your own favourites – foods that you don't just enjoy for their taste, but also for their nutritional and bacteria-slaying properties!

Foodstuffs falling into this category are excellent for giving your teeth a rigorous workout, basically by the force of friction. In much the same way as your toothbrush will rub against the enamel, as well as scraping along the gums, these foods will help to remove plaque or bacteria by applying pressure. A lot of fruits and vegetables seem almost bespoke-designed to achieve the optimum detergent effect. If these were to be arranged into any sort of league table, then those examples that would constantly be battling for the premiership trophy would include celery, apples and raw carrots.

As well as forming the components of healthy salads, these are all relatively cheap foodstuffs. They are also terrific for children because it is actually pleasant and satisfying to really crunch into something with your teeth. Youngsters also go for brightly-coloured items, so will enthusiastically tuck into chopped uncooked carrots, or crimson apples.

Another excellent example of a 'detergent' food is popcorn. It is definitely one of life's pleasures to sit around on a lazy afternoon absorbing an entertaining family film. This experience is topped by having a large bowl of popcorn within easy delving reach of each participant. The popcorn itself is very good at getting right into the recesses of your teeth. Even better, popcorn has a porous quality that allows it to soak up saliva- and with that, unwelcome bacteria.

When it comes to planning your meals, it makes sense to ensure that you leave at least one type of detergent food to the very end. So once you have had your fill of courses that have left you with rich sauces or juices, simply pick up an apple and crunch away. This is a far more recommended way to conclude any feast than gorging on teeth-staining, sugar-infused chocolate mints, or pungent cheeses that are already riddled with their own bacteria colonies.

A large part of maintaining curly hair is down to how you go about washing it. Styling hair like this is tricky enough, but before you get that far you should really follow a particular course of action.

The easiest way to achieve this is to set yourself a list of steps. The first is straightforward. When you come out of a shower, resist the urge to rub your hair vigorously with a towel. Instead, what you really want to do is to dab it gently, in a ‘blotting' motion. This will allow the towel to absorb moisture, rather than you going for an impatient all-out-assault to get that hair dried! Energetic rubbing of wet hair will only cause damage and this will eventually lead to that nemesis of all curly haired individuals – frizzy hair!

Of course, if you're hair is on the coarse side, it will require more focused attention. What you want to look out for is a silicone sealant that you can apply to the length of your hair prior to styling, or using any products. As you introduce this sealant, you should avoid applying it to the hair nearest your scalp. The good news is that there are various options available on the shelves of both supermarkets and more highly-specialised salons.

For fine curly hair, a slightly different course of action is required. Rather than a sealant, you should employ a silicone spray, and apply the minimal amounts to the length of your hair. As before, you want to ensure this gets into you hair thoroughly, but avoid the hair growing nearest to your scalp.

Lightweight styling gels are available if you only require minimal hold. If you require a firmer, longer-lasting effect with your products, there are many styling liquids and cream gels on the market. If you are in any doubt about which products to invest in, simply ask the assistant at the counter who will be able to provide you with all the advice you require.

To consider is what to do as you hear begins to dry. Allowing this to occur naturally is by far the best option. Alternatively, if you are pressed for time, using a blow-dryer is perfectly acceptable, provided you have it set at low heat and blast, and use a diffuser attachment. Controlling the force of the blast that is being directed at your hair will allow your curls to better maintain their consistency. As you work through your hair, squeeze the curls gently, lifting it at the roots as you proceed. A good tip here is to apply a styling cream in the first instance.

There are many foodstuffs on the market that are highly recommended by specialists for their abilities to help maintain healthy teeth. Some are perhaps fairly obvious; others less so.

Herbal tea

Overall, tea is generally regarded as being unsuitable for cleaning teeth, as it possesses chemicals like tannin that will have an adverse affect on tooth colour. But there are many natural teas where the opposite is the effect. Herbal teas, which are infused, are actually a terrific way to keep your teeth in tip-top condition. Green tea has, amongst other ingredients, polyphenol antioxidant plant compounds. These come with a powerful set of cleaning resources. They will help to reduce plaque, as well as combating gum disease and reducing cavities.

Dairy products

Believe it or not, cheese actually contains some natural cavity-fighting agents. It also contains a range of vitamins that will help to preserve the integrity of the enamel, keeping your teeth strong. Cheese possesses phosphate and calcium, two substances that balance your mouth's natural pH. It also not only preserves but also rebuilds damaged tooth enamel. Because it produces a lot of saliva, it assists in the way your mouth combats bacterial infection- killing the very bacteria that cause gum disease, tooth decay and cavities to form.

Dairy foodstuffs like yoghurt and milk are excellent for your dental hygiene because of their low acidity. This means that wearing of the teeth is kept to a minimum. There is also little in the way of decay-promoting sugar present.

Milk is one of the best sources of calcium there is; and this element is the main component of your bones and teeth.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruits and vegetables are often, by their very nature, excellent for keeping our teeth cleaned. The obvious ones are apples, but as long as the natural consistency of these products is relatively strong, then they are always recommended for keeping your teeth well-maintained. Eating something like raw carrots, or indeed any fruit or vegetable where are really have to crunch into the flesh, will provide a naturally abrasive action. The friction from this will keep your teeth scrubbed.

These foodstuffs are also a tremendous source of vitamins. Kiwi fruits, apples and strawberries all possess Vitamin C. In chemical terms, this is the element that binds cells together. When Vitamin C is neglected, you're gum cells can break down, rendering them susceptible to disease. Vitamin A is to be found ina diverse range of foods, notably carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli and pumpkins. This vitamin is vital for the formation of tooth enamel.

The key point is that any vegetable tat is crunchy and requires a certain degree of effort to actually chew in order to break it down will help clean your gums. For this reason, raw vegetables are always much better for keeping your teeth and gums clean. As well as having a solid consistency that actually feels better when biting down into the flesh, their natural flavours remain sealed in. Once vegetables begin to get cooked there is always the very real danger of them being overcooked, when they will not only lose their teeth-protecting qualities, they'll also taste a lot worse!