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Thinking of Becoming Pregnant?, The Green Guide
Check your Due Date and find out when the first trimester ends, Medical College of Wisconsin
Pregnant?
Congratulations!
picture courtesy Tribal Connections Health News
You may eat more food, at least at first. I was always famished at the beginning of my pregnancies but as my belly grew, even though I might have felt hungry, I also felt FULL - full of baby. As the baby takes up space, smaller meals or grazing throughout the day is best for most of us. Trust your body and how you feel and listen to your cravings carefully. If you're craving a milkshake, for example, it's probably that you need calcium instead of an empty calorie milkshake from a fast food place. And there is a good reason pregnant women crave pickles!
- Most Fish, except that the baby needs Omega 3s for proper brain development and we need it for our health. The problem is that there is mercury in fish due to the toxins put in our waters.
Mercury can cause nerve damage to the baby in the belly so just be careful and cautious when and if eating fish. Babies exposed to high levels of mercury during pregnancy have exhibited delayed walking, talking, inability to speak, brain damage, mental retardation, blindness, seizures, cerebral palsy, altered muscle tone, or deep tendon reflexes. There is also a link with mercury and adverse effects on the developing reproductive organs and spontaneous abortions and even still births. Low level exposures could cause learning disabilities.
To understand which fish is "safe" to eat, we must look at the lists for fish that have the least amount of mercury and then compare that to the list of fish that is not overfished. Even "safe" fish have some levels of mercury. And if you are comforted by the notion of "farm-raised," or the latest spin on words "ocean-raised" fish, please learn about it because these fish tend to be higher in PCBs and Mercuy and LOWER in Omega 3s!
It is best to avoid most fish and get the omega 3 essential fatty acids from DHA or High Omega eggs (from hens fed a high omega diet) and safer fish including Wild (NOT farm-raised) Alaskan or Pacific (NOT Atlantic) Salmon. You can also get these EFAs through fish oil or supplemental pills, but I'm not a big fan of additional pills and you have to be careful that the fish oil or pills do not have high levels of mercury too.
Most suggest pregnant and nursing women avoid:
- Albacore White Tuna
- Atlantic Salmon
- Bluefish
- Bonito
- Carp
- Catfish, Wild
- Cod (in most fish sticks)
- Crab
- Dover Sole
- Great Lakes Salmon
- Grouper
- Halibut
- Jacksmelt (PBDEs)
- King Mackerel
- Lake Trout
- Largemouth Bass
- Lobster
- Mackerel
- Mahi-Mahi
- Marlin
- Mussels, Blue
- Northern Pike
- Orange Roughy
- Oysters
- Perch
- Pollock
- Porgy
- Red Snapper
Absolutely avoid Tuna (canned and fresh). Although, if you MUST have Tuna, I'd highly recommend very sparingly and avoid all commercial brands (which have far less Omega 3s and high mercury levels) and instead stick with brands that only catch (not in nets, but individually catch) the youngest Tuna (because those have the least amount of mercury) and brands that only cook the tuna once thereby preserving the valuable Omega 3s.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid bottom feeding fish and predatory fish including swordfish, tuna, salmon, crab because they eat other fish with mercury and therefore the mercury levels are compounded in these fish.
Wild is safer and better than farm- or ocean-raised for our bodies and our environment. Fish is an important part of a pregnant woman's diet so it's important to learn which are safer to eat.
- Brainfood Report: What pregnant woman should know about mercury contamination of fish, Environmental Working Group
- What You Need to Know About Mercury In Fish & Shellfish, EPA
- Government Seafood Consumption Advice Could Expose 1 in 4 Newborns to Elevated Mercury Levels, Environmental Working Group
- Tuna Could Soon Carry Mercury Warning, Naples News
- FDA under fire on planned warning of mercury in fish, Naples News
- Wild vs Farm-Raised?
- Which Fish are Safe to Eat Now?, Delicious Organics
- Safe Fish CHEC List for Children, Teens and All Women of Child-bearing Age
- Essential Fatty Acids in Mothers and their Neonates
- Omega 3s and Infant Retinal Development
- The Vital Role of Essential Fatty Acids for Pregnant and Nursing Women
- Short Chain versus Long Chain Omega 3s
- National Advice on Mercury in Fish for Pregnant Women
- Fish Pregnant Women CAN Eat
- Consumption of Fish During Pregnancy
- New Federal Report Warns of Mercury Threat to Kids
- Mercury Levels Among Women Climbing
- Ready-to-eat seafood such as smoked fish and smoked mussels, and oysters. Actually, it's probably a good idea to pass on the shellfish altogether. However, I felt safe eating the nitrate-free Nova from Vital Choice.
- Raw seafood such as sashimi or sushi. Don't eat it raw. The only thing you should be eating raw is your generous servings of fruit and vegetables.
- Pre-prepared and store-made salads, including coleslaw because these things can carry the bacteria listeria
- Alfalfa sprouts are dangerous because they can carry e-coli bacteria and listeria. Alfalfa sprouts also contain the amino acid canavanine which is an anti-nutrient that can inhibit the natural immune system so they are best avoided anyway.
- Leftovers - save those for the husband; if you're like me, you'll probably get grossed out thinking about eating leftovers anyway. It's just safer to skip those unless they are from something you made and you know that you got them into the refrigerator promptly after it cooled down.
- Of course avoid raw or undercooked eggs for fear of salmonella. However, many suggest raw egg yellows too and in that case make sure they are fresh and splurge on the High Omega Eggs. And remember that all studies indicate that the real salmonella danger is in fast food and breakfast restaurants where they may not keep eggs at the proper temperature and therefore allow bacteria to grow. Therefore, you are probably safe at home, especially if you know your supplier and are getting fresh eggs (I feel safe eating and feeding our kids eggs with soft yolks because we get the eggs fresh each week with Delicious Organics) however, this is such a big risk for such a little benefit, that you may want to play it safe and cook them through.
- Same goes for meat, make sure it is cooked and not rare.
- Pre-cooked meat products which are eaten without further cooking or heating, such as pâté, sliced deli meat, hot dogs, and cooked diced chicken (as used in sandwich shops) can carry unsafe bacteria. Only eat these if they are steaming hot when you get it. And most deli meats have nitrates which should be avoided anyway.
- Don't drink unpasteurized milk (though others debate this) or foods (cheese) made from unpasteurized milk. Ultra pasteurized milk is also not good period. Low pasteurized short time grassfed organic dairy is safest and healthiest.
- Dioxins and other toxins build up in the fat of animals so it's best to use nonfat dairy products. But there is a lot of debate on the need for fat in one's diet and in particular once your toddler is growing, the fat is critical to brain development and their good health. Organic dairy is always a safer option.
- Some calcium supplements are made from ground oyster shells, bone meal or dolomite and therefore can be high in lead so don't supplement with calcium pills and check your prenatal to make sure it doesn't have calcium in it. Instead get your calcium, which you need, from leafy greens, almonds, sesame seeds, and dairy.
- Pass on the soft serve ice-creams and instead opt for the scooped ice cream on occasion. The soft serve machines do not get cleaned out regularly and can be a breeding ground for bacteria like listeria which can linger there. Listeria can cause you a stomach ache but can actually kill the unborn baby so it's a frightening bacteria. Hard ice creams and yogurts are fine as well as regular yogurt.
- Avoid soft cheeses, such as Brie, Feta, Camembert, Blue Cheeses, Ricotta, Mexican cheeses including Queso Blanco Fresco, and Asadero. These are safe if cooked and served hot, but I suggest avoiding brie and camembert since those are just usually warmed not really cooked. Hard and semi-soft cheeses from pasteurized organic non-rBGH milk are safe.
- Avoid caffeine and even decaf coffee. Coffee has been associated with early miscarriage, even decaf. If you must have coffee, it's said that a cup a day won't do harm, but I'd encourage you to drink only organic coffee as regular coffee contains a lot of pesticides or better to move to Green Tea but ask your midwife or doctor about that first. If you want decaf, make sure it is organic too and Swiss Water Decaf only to avoid unnecessary added chemicals.
- Avoid Guarana because it contains caffeine and Kola Nut.
- Avoid diet drinks especially containing saccharin or aspartame.
- Alcoholic beverages - I know they say a glass on occasion is fine, but is the risk really worth it? Best to avoid all alcohol, and we're not just talking hard liquor, this includes beer.
- No hydrogenated oils or artificial colors or preservatives.
- Be cautious of essential oils, especially stronger scents including: bitter almond, basil, clary sage, clove bud, hyssop, sweet fennel, juniper berry, marjoram, myrrh, peppermint, rose, rosemary, senna, cascara sarada, sage, thyme, goldenseal, barberry, oregon grape root and wintergreen.
- Avoid some herbs including Fenugreek, Red Clover, Aloe, Don Quai, and Rue which can cause hormone actions or uterine stimulation.
- And obviously stop smoking and avoid second-hand smoke.
What you eat is actually as important as what you don't eat. What you eat may have a long term effect on the overall health of your baby even into adulthood.
- Fat - It's important to get
enough fat in your diet as the baby needs this for proper brain development.
Brain growth is at it's peak in the last trimester and first year of life.
That's another reason why nursing is so important, it's about 1/2 fat!
But not Trans Fats like hydrogenated oils. We're talking about healthy
Omega 3s and fat from fish. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) are needed
for brain growth.
- For a smarter baby, eat your
Wild Alaskan Salmon. I ate this myself when I was pregnant and I
feel strongly that this is critical to our health normally and especially
when we are feeding our babies. Canned salmon is also a good source
of these nutrients and is quick and convenient.
Vital Choice offers pop-tops that make it easy to take to work.
Latest studies show that those who eat fish regularly, particularly in the
last trimester, have a brighter, heavier and healthier baby.
- You can also get your DHA and
Omega 3s from the
Eggs of
Hens Fed a High Omega Diet.
- It's important to get your Omega 3s for a smart healthy baby! Choose sardines, salmon, and DHA or Omega-eggs.
- Calories - Eat a healthy and varied diet of vegetables, fruit, fish, meats, dairy, whole grains. Eat meals and snacks. Gain the proper amount of weight by eating good healthful whole foods over processed snacks.
- Fermented foods support a healthy digestive tract and a healthy birth canal. This can help you avoid Group B Strep. There's a reason pregnant women crave pickles!
- Protein - Make sure you have enough protein in your
diet. Many woman have this urge to eat red meat when pregnant.
This is because of the need for
iron and protein.
Choose
Grassland Beef and you'll also get valuable Omega 3s!
- If you don't eat that many vegetables, start. They are a vital source of nutrients. Now is a good time to learn how to cook them and set an example of healthful eating that will last your child's lifetime and improve your family's health. Juice greens and carrots to make sure you get your 9 a day from a variety of colorful vegetables.
-
Dairy - If you normally
drink milk and eat dairy, keep eating it. Semi-soft and hard
cheeses are good sources of protein and calcium.
-
Yogurt and
Kefir are especially good, if you don't get
heartburn from it like I did, but when I tried another brand I was fine.
Personally, I like the Brown Cow and Seven Stars brands.
- Lowfat and nonfat milk are better options
generally since dioxins and other toxins build up in the fat of dairy
cows, meat, and fish.
- Calcium - your baby needs calcium to grow and if you don't get it into your body regularly with food or supplements, the baby will still get it but it will be at your expense since the baby will take it out of your bones, teeth and body. Milk and dairy are a great source of calcium. You can also get Orange Juice with added calcium, though Orange Juice has a lot of natural sugar in it too. Get calcium from Green vegetables like Broccoli and leafy greens, and from almonds, almond nut butter, tahini, and sesame seeds.
- Folate and Folic Acid are critical during pregnancy. Low levels have been associated with birth defects like spina bifida. Most prenatal vitamins contain enough folic acid but be sure and eat healthy vegetables like Broccoli, Spinach, and Citrus Fruit like Oranges. Other good sources of folate include dried beans and peas.
- Zinc - low levels are associated with long labor and small babies who may have health problems.
- Iron - pregnant women need iron for the developing babies. Prenatal vitamins have iron. Red meat, some fortified whole grain breads, and green vegetables are good sources of iron.
- Fiber - 30 grams of dietary fiber will help you be regular and is important for your health.
- Fresh Water - 8 - 10 glasses a day.
-
Salt to taste - don't be afraid,
yes, you can use salt, don't go overboard because you don't want to have
swelling, lord knows you may have enough of that, so be cautious, but
for heaven's sake, don't be bland and choose a healthful salt over the
processed table salt to get minerals.
- A note on
carbohydrates - studies show that
a lower carb diet might set the baby up for a healthier adulthood. And
it can even have a positive affect on your grandchildren's
insulin
levels. That doesn't mean no carbs. Just a balance of
healthful fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fats, and protein. Avoid
empty carbs like white flour, sugar, and processed foods.
- Heartburn? Celery can help relieve
some of that. Papaya is also good. Pure coconut juice is good
for electrolytes, rehydrating, and helping rid heartburn from your body.
- Nauseous? - Papaya can help as
can those simple wristbands based upon acupuncture. And a little
bit of ginger in hot water can help sooth nausea but you don't want to
eat too much ginger.
- Eating Healthier Now and why a Delivery Service is especially geared toward Pregnant Women and New Moms
