NUTRIENT INFUSION PROGRAM BEFORE PREGNANCY
(First of a three part series: Nutrient Stores, Detoxification, and Stress Management)
Why do we need to replenish our nutrient stores, and how do we do that?
Most mothers to be have heard the old adage, “The growing fetus takes from the mother what it needs”. So we assume that….. the baby is going to take from the mother what it needs, to be born a thriving baby with ten fingers and ten toes, right? We often just accept comments like this, especially if it’s spoken by a mother who seems to have a healthy, happy baby. However, unless we seek out professional information, women overlook the fact that the baby cannot take what it needs from the mother if the mother’s body lacks these necessary building blocks.
So what are we talking about here? What is it exactly that the baby needs from the mother? Macronutrients such as fat, protein, and carbohydrates, and micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. She also needs phytonutrients, enzymes, beneficial flora, and the proper balance of hormones, among others. If there is a deficiency of any of these building blocks, the baby is at risk for optimal development.
Unless someone has a very clean, varied, diet, comprised of fresh whole foods and little junk food, most likely they need to embark on a new dietary plan and high quality supplementation program. A couple has only one chance to make a life, and has a crucial 9 month window of growth. I can’t think of anything more worthy of an investment of improving the health of the parents before conception of their new precious life.
Timing: Six months to a year before conception is a good amount of time for a woman to begin preparing her body for birth. The father also needs to strengthen his constitution, as he has a one shot deal, so to speak, to provide healthy sperm. This can depend on numerous factors, such as general health, diet, lifestyle, diseases and ailments that she may have. Take one area of development, the brain, and we know that brain and neurological systems develop in the first trimester. This is even before many women realize they’re pregnant, and is an absolutely crucial time of development for the embryo.
What to do: Begin with eating the rainbow of fresh, seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables. Include 7–13 servings a day of a variety of produce. This may be harder than it looks, as obtaining high quality, fresh produce for the diet everyday is not something we are all used to doing. Consume about 70 grams of protein daily in the form of organic meat, eggs, fish, nuts and seeds, fermented tofu, quinoa, and dairy. Organ meats are recommened, such as grass-fed liver. The quality of these foods is of utmost importance, so it’s beneficial to see a nutritionist or do research to know which foods to purchase (or grow).
Stay away from: Refined sugar in the diet consumed regularly, alcohol, smoking, stressful situations, junk food in general, aspirin, OTC drugs, GMO’s, recreational drugs.
Nutrient absorption is an issue for those who eat the Standard American Diet, as may of us have intestinal permeability (IP), which inhibits nutrient absorption. So seeing a nutritionist is important to heal IP before coneption.
Supplementation: Even if someone has a very good diet, varied, whole foods, produce, and quality proteins and grains, the odds are they’re not eating like this every day, and are buying foods with fewer nutrient content that is assumed, or has problems absorbing nutrients. The body needs a certain amount of nutrients each day so that our body systems function well, which is why almost all nutritionists work with high quality nutrient supplementation.
In addition to a good probiotic formula, I recommend an essential fatty acid supplement, and a doctor recommended whole foods fruit and vegetable supplement by Juice Plus.
*Consult with your physician before starting any supplementation program.
