Relevant

Wellness begins in the womb, and an embryo's health depends on the toxicity and nutritional status of the mother.

Therefore, avoidance of toxins, harmful electromagnetic fields (especially deep-penetrating, high-frequency radio and microwaves, to which babies and children are far more sensitive than adults are), and severe emotional strain, while focusing on a nutrient-dense diet are extremely important.

Generally, fruits and vegetables (especially greens) are nutritionally the densest of all foods, followed (far behind) by legumes and grains (these are better sprouted) and raw nuts and seeds.

Flesh and dairy are lacking in nutrient density because of low vitamin and antioxidant levels distributed over an extremely high caloric content. Moreover, flesh and dairy act as anti-nutrients (causing some deficiencies in certain nutrients) that must be compensated for with other foods, but there are only so many calories a person can eat per day...

Even worse are highly refined and processed junk foods, which are completely devoid of nutrients and actively leach nutrients from the body, and yet worst are "foods" combining junk, processed items with flesh and dairy in the same servings (ice cream, doughnuts, sausages, meatballs, BBQ, and fry of all sorts, to name a few).

Even mild accumulation of toxins in the flesh throughout the dead animal's lifetime of eating, drinking, and environmental exposure can be devastating to the developing embryo - we know that many pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, and fertilizers, and especially heavy metals such as mercury and lead can cross the placenta and poison the fragile tissues of the unborn. The same is true of other mammals' glandular secretions  (a euphemism for milk products...), which themselves act as excretion route for offensive environmental and agricultural pollutants. This applies to all animal harvest, not just to the notoriously mercury-laden fishing industry.

The recent African "study" about vegetarian diets in starving children was commissioned by special-interest corporate entities in the West for commercial gain, which can be the only explanation for the blatant misuse of data and abuse of scientific principles. The study was extremely flawed in its design (intentionally constructed to create the "desired" results while neglecting the need for external validity) and its conclusions display a classical case of scientific distortion. Therefore, it is not at all applicable to the generally non-starving populations of Western countries.

Even when following the above recommendation, many environmental, emotional, and nutritional factors exist today that are hard to control or predict. Therefore, I recommend for every woman who is pregnant or planning to conceive to take a comprehensive B-complex containing the patented active forms of folate (bypassing a potentially-lacking metabolic conversion of inactive folic acid obtained from foods) such as Glycogenics, a multivitamin that is 3rd-party certified pure such as Multigenics, and DHA (fatty acid) from algae (not from fish). These products are available at a discount - contact us at 612-87-GREEN.

At the same time, it's important to be nourished with healthy fats (organic olive and coconut oils, avocado, and raw nuts or seeds in small amounts, plus dark green leafy vegetables) while avoiding the fatty acid imbalance and instability (rancidity and metabolic disturbances) caused by liquid or solid (hydrogenated) "vegetable" oils (soybean, corn, safflower, canola, etc.).

Another important (crucial, according to a review of the literature!) factor in pregnancy is moderate sun exposure  for the purpose of Vitamin D production, or supplementation of the vitamin during winter in non-equatorial regions: Australian researchers, led by Professor John McGrath, are finding that even transient vitamin D deficiencies during gestation (pregnancy) cause permanent and irreversible brain damage.  Other research shows this damage is similar to the changes seen in patients with schizophrenia. A simple, inexpensive blood test (25-hydroxy Vitamin D) I routinely order will tell you if such a deficiency indeed exists, and if a supplement is warranted. If interested, you may call my assistant Joe at Ecopolitan (612-870-2974).