What to Eat for a Healthy Pregnancy

In this article, we will be looking at what types of foods we should be eating for a healthy pregnancy – those that will give both mom and baby all of the nutrients they each need. Once conception takes place, all of the nutrients your baby needs to grow and develop will come from your body. If the mother’s body is weak and nutrient depleted, the baby will have a difficult time obtaining the building blocks (nutrients) he/she needs to develop properly.

At the moment of conception when the egg and sperm unite, they form one cell. This is known as a zygote. Within a few hours of conception, the zygote will begin its journey down the fallopian tube to the uterus. Within 24 to 36 hours, cell division begins. The zygote divides into two cells which will become four and then eight, sixteen, etc. Once the eight-cell point has been reached, the cells begin to differentiate and take on certain characteristics that will determine the type of cell they will eventually become. They will also separate into distinctive masses: the outer cell will eventually become the placenta, while the inner cells form the embryo.

Cell division continues at a rapid rate during the week-long journey from fallopian tube to uterus wall. The cells develop into what is known as a blastocyst. The blastocyst is made up of three layers, each of which develops into different structures in the body:

Ectoderm: skin and nervous system
Endoderm: digestive and respiratory systems
Mesoderm: muscle and skeletal systems

Finally, the blastocyst arrives at the uterus and attaches to the uterine wall, a process known as implantation. All of this takes place before a woman even knows she is pregnant. These cell divisions will continue until a new baby comes into the world with about 2 trillion cells. When you actually stop to think about all of the intricate divisions and development which has to take place in order for a healthy baby to be born – you begin to realize what a miracle it is that so many children are born healthy and strong. Hopefully, it also makes us aware of how important it is that we do everything in our power to ensure this developing fetus has everything it needs nutritionally to develop as optimally as possible.

We build life with life! This is a vital phrase to remember because it is only through living, whole foods that we can hope to supply our developing baby with everything he/she needs. This is definitely a challenge in our modern world. If we were to look at the typical American diet, we would see that almost half of the diet is coming from animal products – meat, dairy, eggs and their by-products. The rest of the diet is typically made up of processed foods, fast foods, refined sugars and flours. On this type of diet – there is no life!

If we look at live food using Kirlian photography which catches the energy surrounding living things, we can see that not only are we taking in the cellular matter as in the vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc., but we are also taking in this life-giving light and energy.

Along with the light, energy and life of living foods, they also contain important pre and pro biotics which help to give mom a healthy microbiome and helps to begin establishing the baby’s microbiome. Most fruit is naturally low in fat, sodium and calories. They are a great source of many essential nutrients such as potassium, Vitamins A & C, folate, antioxidants, phytonutrients (plant-derived micronutrients) and dietary fiber. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends adults consume a minimum of 2-4 servings of fruit per day, mostly whole fruit.

Vegetables are full of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that provide many important health benefits to your body. Common nutrients found in vegetables include fiber, folate, potassium, vitamins A & C, and iron. Vegetables are a good source of dietary fiber, a type of carbohydrate that helps pass food through your digestive system. Studies show that fiber may also improve vitamin and mineral absorption in the body. There are five main types of vegetables, grouped according to nutritional content – dark greens, starchy, red and orange, peas and beans, and others. The FDA recommends two to three cups of vegetables per day.

When I had my midwife practice, I recommended that my mothers try to make at least half of their diet raw. If they focused on fruit in the morning, a big salad for lunch, snacking on fruit, nuts and vegetables throughout the day and then had a cooked dinner in the evening – they would automatically make half of their diet live.

The foods I recommended they stay away from were: processed foods, fast foods, refined sugar, carbonated drinks, caffeine and processed meats such as bacon and lunch meats. On October 26, 2015, the World Health Organization issued a statement warning people that processed meats are carcinogenic. The WHO’s cancer research unit now classifies processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” based on evidence from hundreds of studies. They have linked it specifically to colon or colorectal cancer. They now classify processed meat in the same category as smoking and asbestos. The organization defines processed meat as any type of meat that is salted, cured or smoked to enhance its flavor or to preserve it. This would include bacon, sausage, ham, lunch meats, etc.

It is also important to stay hydrated. When you are pregnant, with a baby sitting on your bladder, it is tempting to skimp on the water, but it is extremely important that you don’t. In Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, Dr. Batmanghelidj tells us, “Chronic cellular dehydration painfully and prematurely kills. Its initial outward manifestations have until now been labeled as diseases of unknown origin”.

It is recommended that you drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day. Water helps your body absorb essential nutrients into the cells and transports vitamins, minerals and hormones to the blood cells. It’s those nutrient-rich blood cells that reach the placenta and ultimately your baby – all with the help of water. Drinking plenty of water also helps:

Avoid hemorrhoids
Helps prevent UTIs
Helps stop overheating
Fights fatigue
Helps ensure correct amount of amniotic fluid
Helps with needed blood volume increase during pregnancy
Helps with building milk supply

In the first trimester, this can be difficult if you are nauseated, but there are ways to get more fluid in, such as:

Drinking teas which calm the stomach such as ginger, red raspberry or peppermint
Eating fresh fruit which contains a high-water content
Sipping on a cool smoothie or fruit popsicle

Another important aspect of our diet needs to include healthy fats. Some fats, such as omegas 3 and 6, cannot be produced by the body and so have to be given to the body through the diet. Proper fats are extremely important for our skin, proper brain function, reducing inflammation, metabolizing fat, and lubrication of joints. Fats also promote activation of fat-soluble vitamins, lending support to the healthy function of the cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems, promoting cell health, repair and regeneration of cell membranes, etc. Some good sources of high quality fats include:

Flaxseeds
Hemp
Pumpkin seeds
Chia seeds
Avocado
Coconuts
Raw nuts
Cashews
Walnuts
Hazelnuts
Pecans
Pistachios

Fish can also be a good source of healthy fats, but be sure of where it is coming from as so many fish are now contaminated with mercury.

Protein is another nutrient we need for a healthy pregnancy. However, most women are turning to meat and dairy for the majority of their protein. One of the biggest problems with this is that if you are buying these products from a grocery store, the majority have been packed full of immunizations, steroids, antibiotics, pesticides, hormones and many other contaminants which you are taking into your body every time you eat them. All of these chemicals play havoc with our body’s chemistry and who knows what affect they may be having on our unborn child?

We all know that meat, eggs and dairy contain protein, but what are other sources we could turn to in order to reduce the amount of animal products we are consuming. Many of the greens contain substantial amounts of protein, such as spirulina, so incorporating some green smoothies into your routine might be a good place to start.

Other sources could include:

Almonds
Oats
Broccoli
Spinach
Brussel Sprouts
Legumes
Nuts, Nut Butters
Seeds
Tofu
Quinoa
Wild rice
Chia seeds
Hummus

Recommended caloric intake is the same in the first trimester as you would normally consume. In the second trimester you should be eating about 350 calories more, per day, and in the third trimester it is about 450 calories more, per day. The secret to a healthy pregnancy when it comes to nutrition is to make your diet full of nutrient-dense, whole live foods, so that you are not taking in a lot of empty calories. By doing this, you know your baby is receiving the building blocks they need to develop and grow and you will feel much better than you would if you continually binge on junk foods.