Nutrition for Pregnancy

Posted Jul 24, 2008

Pregnancy Issues – What to eat, what to avoid, and how to deal with Morning Sickness!

It takes 75 000 calories to make a baby that equates to 300-400 extra calories a day over the 9 months. You should be eating 2300-3200 calories a day based on your unique needs (from nutrient dense foods)

The nutrients that you want to make sure you get enough of are protein, calcium, Iron and B Vitamins (folic acid in the first 28 days of pregnancy, but at this point a general B complex may be helpful)

Protein needs essentially double in pregnancy, you can eat 75-85g/day and if you do not get enough protein than your body will cannibalize itself to get the protein needed by the fetus (lean sources of protein – white chicken, fish, tofu, tempeh, eggs)

Calcium needs also increase by as much as 50% you can consume 1200-1600 mg/day. Again the body will draw calcium from itself (bone, tooth enamel etc) because the fetus is the priority. (calcium rich foods include yogurt, cottage cheese, almonds, asparagus, broccolim collards, molasses, tofu, salmon, walnuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried beans, dark leafy green vegetables)

Iron needs also double up to 40-80mg/day and this is higher than any other time in life but is necessary in pregnancy. It is needed for making new blood cells in both the mother and the fetus.

If you take an iron supplement do not take iron sulphate as it is constipating. You can also increase your iron rich foods such as apricots, blackstrap molasses, beans, peas, eggs, fish, grapes, green leafy vegetables, potatoes, poultry, raisins, wheat germ, whole grains.

Folic Acid is necessary in the first 28 days of your pregnancy after that point it will not make a difference although you will still benefit from a B Complex and/or vitamin B rich foods such as nuts, grains, seeds, eggs, legumes etc. make sure you take 800-1200mcg/day in the first 28 days. If you are planning a pregnancy then start taking folic acid while trying to conceive to ensure you have adequate amounts in the first 28 days. (foods rich in folic acid include dates, green leafy vegetables, milk products, salmon, spinach, tuna, fish, whole grains)

Things you should be avoiding during pregnancy include over the counter drugs and laxatives, and Rx drugs, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, pesticides, sugar substitutes, artificial flavours, food dyes, nitrites (processed meat), sulfites as these may all pass through the placenta.

Morning Sickness

You may feel sick any time of the day, but it is referred to as morning sickness because it often results from hypoglycemia (blood sugar disturbances). Overnight when you are fasting, your glucose is transferred to the fetus, therefore it is important to maintain your blood sugar with 6-8 small meals a day. There is a liquid meal or “baby shake” that can help do this by having one twice a day (the recipe is below). A quick remedy for morning sickness is to eat soda crackers or dry toast upon waking (even keep it on your night table). Soda crackers bring your blood sugar up very quickly to relieve the bout of nausea, but this will need to be followed up with the shake or more food or you will crash again. You should avoid acidic, greasy and spicy foods.

Raspberry Leaf Tea (1-2 cups/day or make it into ice cubes to add to your water) will also help. Other helpful anti-nauseant teas include anise, fennel, as well as mint and ginger but the latter two are stimulating so drink them during the day not at night.

If you do all of this and you still feel sick, than the nausea may be due to the increased liver burden. In addition to your own detoxification you now have to detox and get rid of waste products from the fetus, and the liver is not used to this burden in the first trimester which is why you experience morning sickness in the first 3 months. As your body adjusts the sickness subsides in the second and third trimesters. The best remedy for this is B6 supplementation when you feel nauseous. It will increase liver detoxification.

A complete outline of other supplements, herbal remedies and homeopathics follows, but for fast relief I would first try controlling blood sugar levels with the recommendations above and if that doesn’t work just add B6 alone (25-50mg 3x day) before running out and purchasing additional supplements.

The baby shake is great for controlling blood sugar and cravings and is packed with all the nutrients you need. You can have 2 a day (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) and it includes:

Blend Together:

½-1 cup apple juice

1 banana

½-1 cup yogurt

½ -1 cup rice or nut seed (almond) milk

1-2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

1-2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon wheat germ

1-2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup or agave

1/3 teaspoon kelp

Make the shake and drink right away, don’t make a big batch that sits and you take from each day.

MORNING SICKNESS PROTOCOL

Nutritional Supplements

First and foremost, stress and worry are major contributors to morning sickness...the thoughts more linked to nausea are "I don't know if I can handle this". Please make sure you read the aroma therapy below to get more information on calming the mind

Supplementing the B vitamins is often helpful in relieving morning sickness. The B vitamins are necessary for optimum liver function and for healthy digestion. Injections of vitamin B₆ and B₁₂ are particularly effective in eliminating morning sickness. Vitamin B₆ specifically treats nausea and vomiting.

Other helpful supplements are vitamins C and K. Vitamin C can help stop nausea and vomiting quickly. Vitamin K supports the liver' s detoxifying action and is found in all green foods and green food supplements.

Daily Dosages

Vitamin B6, 25-50 mg (3x day)
Vitamin B complex, 100 mg
B12-sublingual

Vitamin C, with bioflavonoids, 1,000 mg
Green food supplements, 1 tbsp or Chlorgen from Seroyal at 3 caps 3 times/day

Herbal Remedies

Many herbs contain properties to prevent vomiting and nausea and soothe the stomach.

Peppermint tea helps to overcome nausea and ginger prevents vomiting. Take 2-5 drops of ginger tincture in water or weak tea combined with peppermint, or take by the tablespoon when feeling nauseous. Sucking on ice-cubes made from these teas will also help.
Drink camomile juice to overcome nausea and calm the stomach. Take 1 tbsp. in liquid or 1 cup of tea before rising. Alternate with lemon balm, fennel, basil, alfalfa or catnip tea.
Regularly drink juices of stinging nettle and horsetail which are both rich in calcium and silica, calming nutrients for the stomach.
According to some sources, morning sickness is the body's attempt to rid itself of toxins dangerous to the baby. Drink 1 tbsp. of dandelion and carrot juice to aid the liver in detoxification. Detoxification before getting pregnant would be even more beneficial.

Added TIP

Once the baby is born breast feeding is a fantastic way to help encourage weight loss. Here’s how:

Lactation is a calorie and fluid outlet

A newborn can drink 2-3oz of milk /lb of weight

There are 20 calories/oz of milk

i.e. 8lb baby = 16-24oz of milk/day x 20 cal/oz = 320-480 cal/day

low milk levels can be caused by

1.low prolactin levels. Prolactin is the hormone responsible for milk production

2. low fluid consumption, you want to make sure you consume at least 3 L/day

3. excessive calorie reduction (dieting)

4. high dose B6 (>100mg/day)will lower breast milk volume.

All factors lower milk quantity, not quality