{"id":78140,"date":"2012-08-24T16:47:46","date_gmt":"2012-08-24T21:47:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/?p=78140"},"modified":"2012-08-24T22:17:29","modified_gmt":"2012-08-25T03:17:29","slug":"your-baby-is-what-you-eat-5-prenatal-nutrition-tips-for-optimal-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/08\/your-baby-is-what-you-eat-5-prenatal-nutrition-tips-for-optimal-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Baby is What You Eat: 5 Prenatal Nutrition Tips for Optimal Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard the old adage, \u201cYou are what you eat<\/a><\/strong>.\u201d This concept is even more important during pregnancy. Not only are you what you eat, but your baby is what you eat. As soon as conception occurs the embryo requires nutrients for developmental processes like cellular division and protein synthesis to occur. The baby\u2019s growth and development are extremely rapid, and if the appropriate nutrients aren\u2019t available when the baby needs them that part of its development will be abnormal or could even fail completely. With that in mind, it\u2019s easy to see how nutrient deficiencies can seriously compromise your baby\u2019s health.\"\"<\/p>\n

While in utero, the baby\u2019s nutritional needs take precedence, so it\u2019s not uncommon for mothers to become nutrient deficient, too. Nutrient deficiencies can set you up for a more difficult pregnancy and postpartum period<\/a><\/strong>. Whether you want to prevent health complications for your baby or yourself, it\u2019s imperative to get the best nutrition possible while you\u2019re pregnant.<\/p>\n

With its reliance on processed foods, which have had their nutrients refined away, it\u2019s easy to see why the standard American diet<\/a><\/strong> lacks essential vitamins and minerals (Hudson, 2026). This is bad enough for everyday health, but it\u2019s especially harmful during pregnancy, when many vitamin and mineral needs increase to account for the baby\u2019s growing demands. For example, the RDAs for folate, magnesium, zinc and iron all increase during pregnancy.<\/p>\n

Here are five tips to help you eat a nutrient-rich diet and ensure your baby’s optimal development:<\/p>\n

Eat foods that are found in nature<\/strong>. While even natural foods can contain health-sabotaging compounds like sugar (fruit), salt (celery), and starch (grains), nature always packages the poison with the antidote. Natural sugars and starches are bound with fiber in nature, which slows the release of glucose into your bloodstream and may prevent gestational diabetes<\/a><\/strong> and preeclampsia. In our bodies – and in nature – sodium is balanced by potassium. Whole foods are also much more nutrient dense than their refined counterparts because their outer layers haven\u2019t been stripped away.<\/p>\n

Eat lots and lots of complex carbs<\/strong>, like vegetables that are chock-full of healthy vitamins, minerals and fiber. Avoid refined carbohydrates like those found in processed, packaged and boxed foods. Half your plate should be filled with leafy or crunchy vegetables at every meal. Add veggies to your breakfast omelet, top a salad with grilled chicken for lunch, or saute greens to serve alongside fish for dinner.<\/p>\n

Make sure you\u2019re eating enough protein and healthy fats<\/strong>. Protein is especially important during pregnancy, as it is the raw material for body tissues and is essential for development and growth. Fats are an important component of the brain (and the right kinds of fats<\/a><\/strong> can be mood enhancing for you, too). Best of all, a protein- and fat-rich diet will stave off cravings and help you feel full longer.<\/p>\n

Try to eat organic<\/strong>. Prenatal exposure to pesticides is linked to low IQ, and organic foods are generally more nutritious than non-organic<\/a><\/strong> (Murray, Pizzorno & Pizzorno, 2005). Worried about the costs? Hit up your local farmers market, try a CSA box, or refer to the Environmental Working Group\u2019s \u201cDirty Dozen<\/a><\/strong>\u201d report to help you prioritize which produce items absolutely must be purchased organic. It\u2019s essential to seek out organic or pastured meat and dairy to avoid antibiotics and hormones.<\/p>\n

Try a prenatal multivitamin<\/strong>. In addition to depleted soil, processed foods and a monotonous diet, stress and illness can also take a toll on your nutrient stores. In America today, it\u2019s not easy to get all the nutrition you need from your food. A whole-foods based multivitamin can provide you with absorbable forms of a broad range of nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy. You can read more about prenatal multivitamins on my site.<\/p>\n

Also Read:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jenna Fischer is Just Another Normal Mom, So Why Can’t We Measure Up?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

4 Pregnancy Fitness Tips from Jillian Michaels<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yoga for Pregnancy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/em>
\nHudson, T. (2026). Women\u2019s Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine. Pregnancy. McGraw Hill: New York.<\/em>
\nMurray, M., Pizzorno, J., & Pizzorno, L. (2005). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Designing a Healthy Diet. New York: Atria.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emily Wade Adams, CNC for Natal-Nutrition.com We\u2019ve all heard the old adage, \u201cYou are what you eat.\u201d This concept is even more important during pregnancy. Not only are you what you eat, but your baby is what you eat. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3695,59,58],"tags":[10246,23,4318],"class_list":["post-78140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diet-and-nutrition","category-pregnancy","category-womens-health","tag-emily-wade-adams","tag-guest-blog","tag-healthy-baby"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78140"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78140\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78144,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78140\/revisions\/78144"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dietsinreview.com\/diet_column\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}