Pregnancy Nutrition???

And cereal?

Protein powder?

Canola oil?

Okee, Neil is back.

I said low-fat NOT fat free. The reason I recommend low fat versus full fat, is because she doesn’t need to get all of her fat in one place (i.e the dairy fat). So, she’s going to get a variety from ALL sources of fats by including some dairy etc.

Now, pumpkin seed oil. It appears that this oil is mostly the n-6 linoleic ALA. So, it does have a EFA in it, but, you can get this from other sources more readily. Make sure you get the other EFA’s: LNA, EPA, DHA , the n-3’s, from flax, fatty fish, and supplements.

Wow Scrub thank you for the list. I have not heard of all of these drugs, however, I do believe that she has not come in contact with any of these. I printed the list off and we will keep it for our records.

BTW Cass I saw that you had mentioned lower fat yogurt and not fat free yogurt.

So Pumpkin is not a source of Omega 3, I didn’t know that. We will both include fish oil caps and flax oil and occasionally salmon(not our favorite fish, we like haddock, but haddock is not a great source of fat is it??)

Once again thank you everyone who has contributed. This forum is a great place to learn little bits of info from a wide variety of people. We will take this info and we will both benefit. :slight_smile:

I just researched this for a pregnant friend:

More specifics on EFAs:

This is from Artemis P. Simopoulos who works/worked at the national institutes of health, and wrote The Omega Plan:

amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/ijuu

“Dr. Simopoulus indicates about 80 percent of the North American population is deficient in DHA-fat. In the book PREVENTIVE NUTRITION (Humana Press 1997), it indicates women will donate 600 grams (600,000 milligrams) of essential fatty acids to their child during pregnancy. It would require about 2200 milligrams per day to meet the needs of the child and another 1000 milligrams for mother’s needs. Thus 3000-4000 milligrams of omega-3 fish oil with DHA per day is suggested during the first trimester, increasing to 5000 milligrams per day by the fourth month of lactation.”

Pregnant women need DHA preferentially over EPA. Supplements which are either all DHA, or mainly DHA as opposed to the common EPA/DHA mixtures are sold by thorne research and nordic naturals.

If you have any questions call Nordic naturals 800-662-2544 and ask to speak to Betsy (X117). She is a good resource person on this topic. There are also references on EFAs and pregnancy on their web site: www.nordicnaturals.com/professional/research.asp

One thing I want to ask cass about is the nuts and allergy deal.

You believe that avoiding “common” allergy foods during pregnancy will help the baby not have allergies to those foods?

If so, does that ability carry on in early childhood?

It just sounds hokey to me. Sorta like the thoughts over the years of avoiding pets as a kid to avoid pet allergies (seems to work opposite in real life) and avoiding bacteria at any costs to not get sick (when it merely seems to make you more susceptible).

?

Great question A,

Nuts, especially peanuts are common allergens. It’s not recommended to completely devoid the diet of these foods, but to eat them in moderation. Meaning: don’t eat nuts like they’re going out of style (eg at every meal, every day).

In fact, it’s encouraged to expose the fetus to all foods to help build a wide range of immune protecting parameters. I have a hunch that these children that have all these crazy allergies today are the result of improper fat intake and avoidance of the common allergy foods (nuts, shellfish, dairy, soy etc). This is why a static diet is not good for a growing baby. Variety is beneficial.

Oh, and regarding soy. A friend of mine was saying that soy is stupid because it’s estrogenic. Well, women are vehicles for estrogen and they need this hormone. Women who have low estrogen levels are those that have a hard time getting pregnant, and typically have problems with their period. And when I said soy, I was referring to having tofu as a source of EFA’s, and protein. Some women have days where they don’t want to eat meat, fish, etc, and this is where tofu can come in handy.

Found out from pregnant clients that fruits before noon could prevent constipation. Try to get them BIO stuff without insecticides (highly toxic for feotus) and if you can’t get any biological fruits , there are soaps especially made for that purpose.

Put a banana, some rasberrys,strawberries, pineapples, blueberries, mangos, peaches in a blender add a little milk…and you’re done.

Should be first thing she eats in the morning

as a rule of thumb i’ve heard more than afew times gaining 20lbs during the whole pregnancy is optimal (this includes the babies weight, and the placenta weight etc etc, most of this weight is to be put on during the last few months so in reality actual fat gain is minimal) anything over 40lbs of weight gain is actually considered dangerous & detrimental, and imho i’d be worried if my doctor said it was OK to gain 60lbs during my pregnancy x.x
make sure she gets proper nutrition & she isnt focusing on maintaining or loosing weight during her pregnancy, if you can get her to crave large salads w/ dressing of choice, a big hunk of meat, and a glass of water instead of bread & butter pickle ice cream with tripple fudge chips smothered in carmel sauce chased with a 2liter bottle of JOLT cola I think she’d be OK. Cravings I believe also have a purpose though, if she craves something its probably because she’s craving a particular nutrient, vitamin or mineral. So yeah, dont go hog wild on the bad stuff, but make sure she pays attention to her needs.
Lauren

“A friend of mine was saying that soy is stupid because it’s estrogenic.”

For the sake of scholarly integrity, this conversation should be cited as follows:

Cressey, E. Personal correspondence. 28 Sep 2003.

And, just for the record, I noted that the estrogen issue predominated in my dealings with male clients. My opposition to large amounts of soy during pregnancy are centered on the correlation between increased soy consumption during pregnancy and asthma rates. I’ll defer to the greater nutrition authority on this one, though, as I neither the time nor desire to explore the finer details of prenatal nutrition.

Eric,
Soy consumption during pregancy isn’t associated with higher instances of asthma in children. However, the following study may be what you are referring to. Here it explains that dietary soy intake duing young adulthood increases the risk of asthma.

The literature explains that the biggest reason that eating soy as your sole protein source has this effect is because soy is rich in omega-6. An improper ratio of omega-6 to omega 3 will induce more instances of asthma because of the pro-inflammatory effect of omega-6 prostaglandins.

Food and nutrient intakes and asthma risk in young adults.
Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3):414-21.

Woods RK, Walters EH, Raven JM, Wolfe R, Ireland PD, Thien FC, Abramson MJ.

Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Central and Eastern Clinical School, Monash University, and The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Some aspects of diet are relatively newly recognized potential risk factors for asthma, but the evidence to date is conflicting. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to determine whether the food and nutrient intakes of adults with asthma differ from those of adults without asthma. DESIGN: This was a community-based, cross-sectional study of 1601 young adults ( +/- SD age: 34.6 +/- 7.1 y) who were initially recruited by random selection from the federal electoral rolls in Melbourne in 1999. Subjects completed a detailed respiratory questionnaire, a validated semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, skin-prick testing, and lung function tests, including a methacholine challenge test for bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR). A total of 25 nutrients and 47 food groups were analyzed by using multiple logistic regression with alternate definitions of asthma and atopy as the outcomes. RESULTS: Whole milk appeared to protect against current asthma (odds ratio: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.46, 0.97), doctor-diagnosed asthma (0.73; 0.54, 0.99), BHR (0.68; 0.48, 0.92), and atopy (0.71; 0.54, 0.94). Conversely, soy beverage was associated with an increased risk of current asthma (2.05; 1.19, 3.53), doctor-diagnosed asthma (1.69; 1.04, 2.77), and BHR (1.65; 1.00, 2.71). Apples and pears appeared to protect against current asthma (0.83; 0.71, 0.98), asthma (0.88; 0.78, 1.00), and BHR (0.88; 0.77, 1.00). CONCLUSIONS: The consumption of dairy products, soy beverages, and apples and pears, but not of nutrients per se, was associated with a range of asthma definitions. Dietary modification after diagnosis is one possible explanation for this finding. Intervention studies using whole foods are required to ascertain whether such modifications of food intake could be beneficial in the prevention or amelioration of asthma.

Tofu can be eaten as part of a pregnant womans diet but it definitly should not be the only fat and protein source consumed.

Here’s another abstract relating to allergies. In summary, feeding soy-based formula to infants results in greater instances of allergies.

Take home message: Breast feeding is the best food for an infant. If you can’t breast feed, find a formula that has the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA and is not soy-based (Canada and the US do not make these yet, but the United Kingdom does have them and they can be ordered).

Factors associated with the development of peanut allergy in childhood.

N Engl J Med. 2003 Mar 13;348(11):977-85. Epub 2003 Mar 10.

Lack G, Fox D, Northstone K, Golding J; Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children Study Team.

Department of Paediatric Allergy and Immunology, St. Mary’s Hospital at Imperial College, London, United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of peanut allergy appears to have increased in recent decades. Other than a family history of peanut allergy and the presence of atopy, there are no known risk factors. METHODS: We used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, a geographically defined cohort study of 13,971 preschool children, to identify those with a convincing history of peanut allergy and the subgroup that reacted to a double-blind peanut challenge. We first prospectively collected data on the whole cohort and then collected detailed information retrospectively by interview from the parents of children with peanut reactions and of children from two groups of controls (a random sample from the cohort and a group of children whose mothers had a history of eczema and who had had eczema themselves in the first six months of life). RESULTS: Forty-nine children had a history of peanut allergy; peanut allergy was confirmed by peanut challenge in 23 of 36 children tested. There was no evidence of prenatal sensitization from the maternal diet, and peanut-specific IgE was not detectable in the cord blood. Peanut allergy was independently associated with intake of soy milk or soy formula (odds ratio, 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 5.2), rash over joints and skin creases (odds ratio, 2.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 5.0), and oozing, crusted rash (odds ratio, 5.2; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.7 to 10.2). Analysis of interview data showed a significant independent relation of peanut allergy with the use of skin preparations containing peanut oil (odds ratio, 6.8; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 32.9). CONCLUSIONS: Sensitization to peanut protein may occur in children through the application of peanut oil to inflamed skin. The association with soy protein could arise from cross-sensitization through common epitopes. Confirmation of these risk factors in future studies could lead to new strategies to prevent sensitization in infants who are at risk for subsequent peanut allergy. Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society

Okay, we know that “dietary soy intake duing young adulthood increases the risk of asthma.” Now, who’s to say that prenatal soy can’t have a similar carryover effect as drugs and alcohol do? What the developing fetus gets is surely a function of what the mother takes in. That said, are you aware of any studies that confirm or refute this hypothesis? I know that I’m not.

Good stuff, slugger.

Though I can’t back this up with data like Eric and Cass, I think ‘cravings’ are very important to follow. Of course, everything in moderation, but if she is craving pickles and ice cream she should eat some.

(Did someone already say this?)

I’m going to post this statement that I also PM’d to my boy Eric.

Until I start studying soy, allergies, and the developing infant in great detail (which I’m not planning on doing anytime soon), I’m not going to try and profess to be an expert in this area.

All I can say is that if she eats some tofu once a day each month, in replace of something else, I wouldn’t fear it would cause her baby to develope asthma or other allegies.

Now, I’m going to get back to studying stats because I have a midterm tomorrow.

Thank you Eric for bringing up a great topic though. Does anyone else have any thoughts/ research/ feedback?

:slight_smile:

Dammit, Neil is back.

haha, someone made the name “NeilGisGay”. Look up NeilG and it comes up. hahahaha.

Oh, and congrats on the baby on the way. I’m not gonna be a father for at least a few years (that we plan on) but I’m looking forward to it.