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What foods to avoid during pregnancy for both mother and child

Monday, November 29, 2021 2:02 PM

In yesterday’s post I highlighted the nutritional support needs for both mother and her child.  Today I wanted to highlight the foods to avoid during pregnancy.   This article goes over both of these topics and I have several quotes from it in these posts.  You will notice a theme related to the effect of sugar and this really is one of the most important components to manage from a nutritional aspect.  Gestinal Diabetes is such a concern that it gets checked for every mother at some point in thier pregnancy.  Managing sugar consumption and getting proper protein go a long way to avoiding / managing this condition.  Here are some statistics: 

“ 1. Pregnant women with blood sugar levels in the higher range of normal are more likely to have cesarean birth and larger birth size with difficulties during birth.(source)

2. Repeated exposure to insulin (released when we eat sugar) predisposes babies to low blood sugar at birth, may cause breathing problems at birth, and may predispose them to develop obesity in childhood and type 2 diabetes later in life.(source)

3. Higher maternal intake of sugar in pregnancy may increase the risk of allergy and allergic asthma in the offspring.(source)

4. Rat studies have shown that high fat, high sugar diets can cause genetic mutations that increase risk of heart disease and diabetes in offspring - for up to three generations! (source)

5. Rat studies also show that eating junk food during pregnancy predisposes offspring to want those same foods as adults. (source)

6. Vegan and vegetarian diets that are not closely monitored can cause deficiencies in B12, fat soluble vitamins, fatty acids, and often zinc, iron, and complete proteins. These are essential for the health of babies while they develop. This study captures some of the concerns, including brain and developmental abnormalities. (source)