Prenatal Nutrition: Advice

Load Up on Cancer-Fighting Whole Foods!

David Williams, a principal investigator at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, is testing the notion that certain foods consumed during pregnancy can help prevent offspring from developing diseases like cancer later on, providing them with chemoprotection from illness that may last for their whole lives.  “We have evidence that a number of chemicals that are protective against cancer and other diseases are capable of crossing the placenta and are available to the fetus.”

Williams’s experiments have shown that the offspring of mice who ingest a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts during pregnancy were much less likely to get cancer, even when exposed to a known carcinogen.  The same is true of the offspring of mice who were given green tea during pregnancy.  After they were weaned, the offspring in Williams’ experiments never encountered these protective chemicals again, yet their exposure during pregnancy and lactation was enough to shield them from cancer well into maturity.

– How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives (2010) by Annie Murphy Paul;

page 38

Karin Michel, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an expert on eating during pregnancy, advises in How the Nine Months Before Birth Shape the Rest of Our Lives (2010) by Annie Murphy Paul on pages 39 – 40: make your plate colorful.  Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of different colors ensures that you’re getting a full complement of micronutrients.

• Red tomatoes are full of beneficial carotenoids
• Orange yams are rich in vitamin A
• Green spinach have lots of calcium and iron
• Avocados are full of B vitamins, plus potassium
• Broccoli is rich in riboflavin and folic acid
• Cherries are an excellent source of vitamins A and C
• Arugula, which is high in vitamin K, is one of the few foods aside from fish that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids

Ms. Annie Paul says of the bread and cereal aisle: I look for products with whole grains, and check the ingredients list, as Michels had instructed: the shorter, the better.

Olive oil is a healthy monosaturated fat.

Beans provide protein without the saturated fat of red meat.

Eggs are rich in choline, a B-complex vitamin that’s a building block for the neurotransmitters necessary for learning and cognition.

Nuts — like almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts — are rich in nutrients like vitamin B6, and in minerals like copper, magnesium, and manganese.

Scallops are low in mercury and high in vitamin E.

Chocolate is good: A study conducted by scientists at Yale University and published in 2008 reported that, compared to pregnant women who age less than one serving of chocolate a week, those who consumed five or more servings of chocolate each week during their third trimester had a 40% lower risk of developing the dangerous high blood pressure condition known as preeclampsia.  Another study, by researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland, found that mothers who ate chocolate every day during pregnancy reported that their infants showed less fear and smiled and laughed more often at six months of age.

Minimize Consumption of Animal Protein

The health of children is not merely the result of what they have been fed as youngsters, but is strongly influenced by a mother’s diet and what she consumed and stored in her fat-supply years before her child is conceived. The National Academy of Science gave a clear public warning against eating a diet rich in animal fats, especially fatty fish and shellfish. Again, a plant-based diet containing healthy fat from avocados, raw nuts, and seeds, with much less or no animal fats, is revealed as a powerful weapon to beat the modern cancer epidemic.

– Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 95

It was reported in The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism that a maternal high-protein / low-carb diet can have adverse effects on the fetus, reduce birth weight, and cause higher adult blood pressures for the offspring later in life. A study presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology revealed more bad news for protein junkies. In the late 1960s, a group of pregnant women were advised to eat high-protein / low-carb diets. It was discovered that the more meat they ate late in the pregnancy, the higher the cortisol levels were in their now-adult offspring. Cortisol is a stress hormone! And in addition to causing stress, high cortisol levels can lead to diabetes.

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; page 90

While pregnant (or breastfeeding), you should aim for an additional ten grams of protein a day. But they sure as hell shouldn’t come from deli / luncheon / smoked / cured / processed meats like bacon, ham, hot dogs, bologna, salami, etc. (Or smoked fish!). These can contain nitrates or nitrites (food additives), which can cause childhood leukemia or brain tumors.

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; pages 90 – 91

Pus and radioactive particles aren’t the only dangers lurking in your milk. Oh no, batting third is dioxin, a known human carcinogen that can negatively impact hormones in fetal development. Dioxins are unintentional by-products from industrial practices (like chemical manufacturing, metal refining, combustion, etc.). They get released into the air and then settle into water (affecting the fish) and onto grasslands (affecting the cattle that graze there). Dioxin gets absorbed into the flesh of the animals exposed to it. So when we eat the animals’ flesh or consume the milk of the animals, we get exposed to dioxin. It crosses the placenta during pregnancy and endangers the fetus.

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin on pages 75 – 77

PCBs are other sinister chemicals that accumulate in fat. Like dioxins, PCBs are exceptionally dangerous for the developing brains in fetuses and children. Prenatal exposure can have permanent effects on IQ. Dutch researchers even found a link between these pollutants and gender-swapping behaviors. High dietary exposures to PCB had girls displaying “masculine” behaviors and boys displaying “feminine” behaviors. Even though PCBs have been banned in the United States for more than twenty years, they still persist in our environment and will continue to contaminate our meat and dairy for many years.

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; pages 77

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) resemble PCBs chemically. Research suggests that BFRs have adverse affects on the brain, liver, and reproductive system, and on thyroid function. Where do these BFR bad boys accumulate? Animal-based foods. A more specific class of BFRs is polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Studies showed PBDEs levels in mothers to be the same as the levels in their cord blood. Researchers believe that prenatal exposure to the chemicals may cause memory, behavior, and learning disorders. It’s suggested that PBDE exposure in the United States is among the highest in the world. Flame retardants used in household items pollute our environment. Farm animals and fish absorb these pollutants. When we eat their flesh or drink their milk, we’re exposed.

– Skinny Bitch: Bun in the Oven (2005) by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin; pages 77 – 78

From Disease-Proof Your Child (2005) by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, M.D.; page 108: The real concerns are not microwave ovens, cell phones, and hair dryers. The things we know to be really risky for you and your unborn children are:

• Caffeine
• Nicotine, including secondhand smoke
• Alcohol
• Medications, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs
• Herbs and high-dose supplements, vitamin A
• Fish, mollusks and shellfish, sushi (raw fish)
• Hot tubs and saunas
• Radiation
• Household cleaner, paint thinners
• Cat litter (because of an infectious disease called toxoplasmosis caused by a parasite found in cat feces)
• Raw milk and cheese
• Soft cheeses and blue-veined cheeses such as feta, Roquefort, and Brie
• Artificial colors, nitrates, and MSG
• Deli meats, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and undercooked meats