3 Easy Ways to Boost Nutrition: For All Moms and Moms-To-Be
- Eat fat, fiber, and protein at every meal and snack
- Eat fermented foods
- Eat more fish and seaweed
1-Eat fat, fiber, and protein at every meal and snack:
A simple formula for nutritious eating is to include fat, fiber, and protein at every meal and By doing so you will ensure a low-glycemic and nutritious diet. And as long as you eat predominantly whole, unprocessed foods, you will naturally get many wonderful vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.
Good sources of protein: meat, fish/seafood, eggs, dairy, beans, nuts, seeds.
Good sources of fat: extra virgin olive oil, Flora brand sunflower and flax oils (this is the only brand I recommend for these types of oils), other oils such as macadamia nut, avocado, almond, walnut, etc, butter, ghee, goat or sheep dairy, seeds, nuts, avocado, coconut, olives, high quality meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.
olives.
Good sources of fiber: veggies, fruit, beans, seeds, nuts, avocado, coconut,
Starch: beans, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, and wild rice.
2-Eat fermented foods:
We now know that not only does the newborn inherit the bacterial population from mom and dad, but also that in utero the baby is being influenced by mom’s bacteria (microbiome). 1
It is very important for mom and dad (if mom and dad engage in sexual intercourse because they share bacteria this way) to nourish and promote the growth of a robust, well-balanced, and diverse microbial population before and during pregnancy.
This can be done by taking probiotics. But in addition, it is a great idea to obtain a multitude of types of bacteria through fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha, and fermented veggies such as kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, and beets.
3-Eat more fish and seaweed:
Fish and seafood are considered to be very potent fertility foods in many traditional cultures around the These foods (and seaweed) are extremely rich in minerals, which most people do not get enough of. They also contain healthy fats and are a great source of protein.
It is important to eat only safe fish and seafood during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so avoid tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, swordfish, shark, and King Mackerel due to high levels of mercury (pretty much everyone should avoid these guys). For tuna I recommend eating albacore tuna a maximum of once every other week.
In terms of mercury, safe fish generally include: wild-caught salmon, flounder, cod, sole, pollack, catfish, clams, mussels, oysters, sardines, herring, and anchovies.
It’s not only mercury we have to consider. Some other contaminants, such as PCBs and dioxins, can accumulate in the fatty tissue of fish. Some fatty fish include: wild striped bass, bluefish, American eel, and seatrout. These types of fish should be avoided or minimized as much as possible during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Alaskan wild caught salmon has some of the lowest levels of contaminants such as PCBs in the world, so go for that when buying salmon.
And avoiding farm-raised fish is critical because most farms use pesticides that could be harmful to you and your baby.
Seaweed is a wonderful addition to any diet. I recommend buying kelp or dulse in shakers at a health food store and adding to salads and soups.
Some nutritious meals might look like:
2 whole-egg omelet with cherry tomatoes, spinach, and feta cheese and a small bowl of homemade chia pudding on the side
OR
1/2 cup of savory (i.e.: no sweetener, just add a dash of sea salt) oatmeal made from steel-cut oats with hemps seeds and slivered almonds AND a small bowl of goat kefir with berries and chia seeds.
OR
3-5 oz of wild-caught King salmon with a large salad containing romaine lettuce, endive, arugula, kale, cherry tomatoes, fermented sauerkraut, olives, sprouted pumpkin seeds, and chickpeas with a homemade dressing made from extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, minced garlic, raw apple cider vinegar, and kelp flakes. With a 1/2 cup of wild rice on the side.
OR
3-5 oz of grass-fed beef tenderloin with 5-6 asparagus stalks and a large salad, and 1/2 of a small Japanese yam or sweet potato with butter and sea salt.
OR
Lentil soup with goat cheese and sundried tomatoes, roasted green beans and broccoli, slice of whole-grain sourdough bread with butter
OR
Chicken and cauliflower curry with collard greens satay.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26035769, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25242582
For more articles or information about Jill Cruz, MS, CNS go to www.bodywisefoodsmart.com
Or to make an appointment for nutritional counseling please call Full Circle Women’s Health 914-421-1500