Two Little Lines: When we see the double line on the pregnancy test, many thoughts race through our minds. Unfortunately, though, nutrient-density, nutrient-profile, food sources, and food preparation aren’t on the top of the list, though they should be. In fact, a 6 month preparatory diet to raise our nutrient stores (prior to pregnancy) is actually the wisest course to “buy health insurance” for our new little family-member! 

Avoid Just Avoiding
While we focus on baby room-décor, which diaper cream to use, the weight of double-strollers, diaper genie or diaper champ (champ, by the way), and fear of sleepless nights, we often lack concentration on which foods we are choosing. If anything, we focus on what to avoid – fat (we think this might add to weight gain), mercury-polluted fish no more than once a week, no bleu cheese, no raw lunch meat, etc. We often simply trust our pre-natal vitamin to provide the best possible nutrition for forming and developing our growing baby. 

Actually, whole, natural, real foods are the best way to nourish our growing little one. And, don’t we always want the best for our children? Concentrate as much, or more, on the nutrients you are putting into your body rather than just what you are trying to keep out / avoid. Nourishment is very different that dieting or avoiding. It is enriching, takes a raised nutrient-density consciousness, and some forethought and effort.

Consider Conception 
A relatively new hormone on the seen, leptin, has turned out to be quite crucial in conception. In fact, for women who are ultra-athletic, have very little body fat, and have experienced amenhorrea, shots of leptin can help them conceive. Unfortunately, this type of treatment misses out on the message the female body is sending: we need leptin to conceive and to be an adequate “host” for a growing and developing baby. Natural ways to increase leptin would make for an optimal environment for conceiving, and logically, then, carrying a baby. Leptin is the “satiating” hormone and is secreted by our body fat and stimulated by dietary fat.

Additionally, there is some surprise at the results of a study showing that whole fat dairy increases and improves fertility; while, conversely, low-fat dairy reduces or worsens fertility. The study controlled for dairy, which means that it was actually the fat that was impacting fertility in either a positive or negative way. Again, this is specifically regarding conception; however, what makes the body prime to conceive is also what will make it prime for the development of a new baby. While some have used this as an excuse to eat ice cream, I say enjoy rich cheese, yogurt, kefir, and whole milk – but skip the ice cream due to its sugar content. 

Finally, breast-milk is 50-60% saturated fat and cholesterol, by design, as these are key components of baby’s brain and its development. Providing these nutrients in your diet lessens the work of your liver, which makes cholesterol (more so in the absence of dietary cholesterol) and adds to the nutritional value of your milk for your baby.

The No-No’s
Sugar, refined grains, trans fats, and weird chemical ingredients should be eliminated to the best of your ability. Sugar and refined grains, specifically, will deplete your body of nutrients. During a time when you want to add to and increase your stores of all nutrients, impoverishing those stores is precisely what you do not want to do. Due to their “stripped-bare” nutrient state, refined grains and sugar must literally borrow from your stores of nutrients, especially the crucial B-vitamins, to even be digested and assimilated. Therefore, you have less nutrition after eating refined grains (unfortified) and sugar than you did before you ate them!

Additionally, according to Dr. Ron Rosedale, a high carbohydrate diet for mom, with baby in-utero, has been shown to lead to insulin resistance in the offspring, as he stated at the Designs for Health Institute’s BoulderFest (Aug ’99)[1]. This is unfortunate as we find Type II diabetes, directly related to insulin resistance, on a drastic rise in adults and children. In fact, this condition was once termed “adult onset diabetes” and is no longer referred to as such. Drs. Sears, in their book “Healthiest Kid in the Neighborhood,” cite that 1 in 3 children today will develop diabetes.

Trans fats have so many detrimental health implications it would be difficult to list them all. As is pertinent to pregnancy and nursing, they lead to low-birth weight and trouble with lactation and quality of milk for your new darling. While FDA laws now require the labeling of trans fats, beware of “Zero Trans Fats” labels, as the product can still contain 0.5 grams of trans fats per serving. Read the labels and discard any product that states: “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated” oil.

Many heavily marketed foods contain ingredients that often cannot be easily pronounced, let alone identified as a known food. Avoid these; they are not natural to your body, and are far from nutrient-rich for your baby.

Understand the Importance of Complete Protein
For those who are vegetarians, or vegans, please do as much research as possible. The book Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck is a wonderful information-rich, easy read. Specifically, vegetarians should absolutely consider eggs and cheese as staples during pregnancy and nursing.  Those who do not at least include these animal proteins in their diets are at risk for vitamin deficiencies: A, B-12, and D, as well as the reduced ability to absorb, not only fat-soluble anti-oxidants, but have reduced ability to absorb and use minerals and proteins due to the synergistic properties of the fat-soluble vitamins which are often tragically lacking in a vegetarian diet. Additionally, a recent study has shown that vegetarian moms often have children who are more insulin resistance.

Sources of animal-based protein foods are crucial and dramatically affect the nutrient-profile of these foods. For example, chickens, which are able to naturally eat weeds and bugs, or are at least fed flaxseed meal in their feed, have higher Omega-3 (anti-inflammatory pre-cursor) fatty acids in their eggs. 

Chickens fed soy** and corn diets provide eggs that are high in Omega-6 fatty acids, which we want to avoid due to their inflammatory role in the body. Additionally, cows eating grass produce meat and dairy products of vastly superior nutrient-value than those eating soy and corn. Grass-fed beef and butter, for example, contains Conjugated-Linolenic Acid (CLA) which is a known cancer-fighting fatty acid.
 

Take it Up a Notch
While we work hard to replace refined grains with whole grains, we are often missing out on the important information that whole grains contain some things that we should “take care of” – they are phytic acid (a mineral blocker that binds to crucial minerals and flushes them out of the body) and enzyme inhibitors (enzymes help with nearly every process in our bodies, and aide digestion as well – which is key to overall health and immune health). Additionally, special-preparation of whole grains allows more nutrients to become available to us.

While many of us do not have time to do this (though if you are so inclined, please refer to the wonderful and amazing book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon), we should still make wise choices. What this means for many of us is to choose whole grains lower in phytic acid, like millet and brown rice pasta, and to choose “sprouted” whole grain breads – typically found in the freezer section of your local health food store. Nuts, as well, should also be soaked overnight (cashews only 6 hours), drained and baked on your oven’s lowest setting until dry; later, add a monounsaturated oil (like avocado), or melted butter or coconut oil, and Celtic sea salt. (Yum!)

Here’s to you, moms, and happy, healthy baby-growing – Congratulations!
 

Kelly Genzlinger, BBA, CN is a Holistic Nutritionist and practices in Troy, Michigan. Visit Be Well and Healthy for more information. Read her book Sugar...Stop the Addiction.

Sources:

1. Rosedale, R. Insulin and It's Metabolic Effects Presented at Designs for Health Institute's BoulderFest August 1999. Retrieved on Januray 3, 2012 from http://www.lowcarb.ca/articles/article149.html

*Note – there are so many health benefits to pastured butter (such as Organic Valley or Farmers Creamery) please consider letting go of any sentimental connection you might have to Smart Balance or other so-called “trans fat free” margarines. Butter is best. For more information visit further information visit http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html Additionally, one study showed moms eating more margarine had children more prone to food allergies and exzema.

**Note – soy contains phyto-estrogens (which can disrupt endocrine function), phytic acid (which blocks mineral absorption), and enzyme inhibitors (which interfere with protein digestion) as well; additionally, processing soy results in free glutamic acid (or MSG) which is a neurotoxin; therefore, only fermented forms of soy should be consumed.