Natural Pregnancy Diet Guidelines

· Consume daily Lacto-Fermented condiments and beverages http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/lacto.html

· Fresh vegetables and fruits especially dark leafy green vegetables taken either cooked or raw, depending on your digestive strength.
· 1-3 teaspoons of Cod Liver Oil daily (20,000 IU’s worth for Pregnant Women) http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/codliveroil.html
· 2 8-ounce glasses whole milk daily, preferably raw and from pasture-fed cows or goats (learn more about raw milk, http://www.realmilk.com/)
· 4 tablespoons butter daily, from pasture-fed cows
http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/butter.html
· 2 or more eggs daily, from chickens raised on pastures
http://www.westonaprice.org/farming/realeggs.html
· 3-4 ounces fresh liver, once or twice per week (If you have been told to avoid liver for fear of getting "too much Vitamin A," be sure to read more)
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitaminasaga.html
· Fresh seafood, 2-4 times per week, particularly wild salmon, shellfish and fish eggs
· Fresh beef or lamb, Raised on a Pasture, always consumed with the fat
http://www.westonaprice.org/mythstruths/mtbeef.html
· Oily fish for vitamin D
http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/lard.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitamindmiracle.html
· 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin coconut oil daily, used in cooking or smoothies
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html
· Naturally Dried Seaweed (use carefully as some types contain extremely high amounts of trace minerals that the body cannot easily handle)
· Bone Broths used in soups, stews and sauces http://www.westonaprice.org/foodfeatures/broth.html
Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/children/dietformothers.html site. (Guidelines Slightly Modified by Author)
Additional Guidance: For sources of Pasture Raised animal products http://www.eatwild.com/

Foods to Avoid for Pregnancy or Before Conception

What not to eat, is at least as important was what you do eat. Many items at your local health food store are not healthy. Many modern foods actually rob the body of the vital nutrients, instead of fulfilling the bodies nutrient needs. Even many organically labeled foods are unhealthy because these foods do not contain highly absorbable nutrients. I advocate purchasing organic products whenever you can, but do not assume that just because it says organic, that you are fulfilling your nutrient needs. Many organic foods, which have been processed, do not have some of Nature’s delicate nutrients intact. Particular food hazards to avoid are pasteurized milk including organic, especially milk that is not from grass-fed cows. Avoid all processed grain products even organic ones, like cereal, cookies, crackers, ect. Meanwhile, grass fed raw milk, and grains that have been freshly ground at home which are soaked or fermented in an acidic medium are extremely life giving and contain vital nutrients.

Avoid Non-Organic Food
”Pesticides and other toxins will be present in the mother’s milk if they are present in the diet, so all care should be taken to consume organic foods of both plant and animal origin during pregnancy and lactation. Organic foods also provide more omega-3 fatty acids needed for baby’s optimal development.”
Source: Nourishing Traditions, page 599
Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, etc. Avoid white flour, white flour products and white rice.
“[I]n the production of refined white flour approximately eighty percent or four-fifths of the phosphorous and calcium content are usually removed, together with the vitamins and minerals provided in the embryo or germ. The evidence indicates that a very important factor in the lowering of the reproductive efficiency of womanhood is directly related to the removal of vitamin E in the processing of wheat.”
Source: Price, Weston. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Page 493
Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup.
“Last but not least, sugar consumption is the cause of bone loss and dental decay. Tooth decay and bone loss occur when the precise ration of calcium to phosphorus in the blood varies from the normal ratio… Dr. Melvin Page, a Florida dentist, demonstrated in numerous studies that sugar consumption causes phosphorus levels to drop and calcium to rise. Calcium rises because it is pulled from the teeth and the bones.. Thus sugar consumption causes tooth decay not because it promotes bacterial growth in the mouth, as most dentists believe, but because it alters the internal body chemistry.”
“A survey of medical journals in the 1970’s produced findings implicating sugar as a causative factor in kidney disease, liver disease, shortened life span, increased desire for coffee and tobacco, arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease.”
Source: Nourishing Traditions, Pages 23,24
Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils. Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed. Do not use polyunsaturated oils for cooking, sautéing or baking. Avoid fried foods.
“High temperature processing causes the weak carbon bonds of unsaturated fatty acids, especially triple unsaturated linolenic acid, to break apart, thereby creating dangerous free radicals.”

“Most of these man-made trans fats are toxins to the body, but unfortunately your digestive system does not recognize them as such. Instead of eliminating them, your body incorporates trans fats into the cell membranes as though they were cis fats – your cells actually become partially hydrogenated! Once in place, trans fatty acids wreak havoc with cell metabolism…”
Source: Nourishing Traditions, Page 14-15

Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume lowfat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products.

“[T]he milk sold in your supermarket is bad for everybody, partly because the modern cow is a freak of nature. A century ago cows produced two or three gallons per day; today’s Holsteins routinely give three or four times as much. This is accomplished by selective breeding to produce cows with abnormally active pituitary glands and by high-protein feeding. The pituitary gland not only produces hormones that stimulate the production of milk, it also produces growth hormones. Recently the FDA approved a genetically engineered growth hormone for cows.”

“Another factor contributing to the degradation of today’s milk is pasteurization. We have been taught that pasteurization is beneficial, a method of protecting ourselves against infectious disease, but closer examination reveals that its merits have been highly exaggerated. The modern milk machine and stainless stell tank, along with efficient packaging and distribution, make pasteurization totally unnecessary for the purposes of sanitation.”

“Vitamin C loss in pasteurization usually exceeds 50 percent; loss of other water-soluble vitamins can run as high as 80 percent; the Wulzen or anti-stiffness factor is totally destroyed as is vitamin B 12, need for healthy blood and a properly functioning nervous system. Pasteurization reduces the availability of milk’s mineral components such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and sulphur, as well as many trace minerals.”
Source: Nourishing Traditions, Pages 34-35
Avoid battery-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats. Avoid highly processed luncheon meats and sausage containing MSG and other additives.
“Our endorsement of animal products must be tempered with this important caveat: The meat, milk and eggs in our supermarkets are highly contaminated and vastly inferior in nutritional quality to those available to our ancestors just a few decades ago.. According to the renowned cancer specialist Virginia Livingston-Wheeler, most chicken and nearly half the beef consumed in America today is cancerous and pathogenic. Her research has convinced her that these cancers are transmissible to man.”
Source: Nourishing Traditions, Page 31
Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rise breads and extruded breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress.
“Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape, which is then carried past a nozzle and sprayed with a coating of oil and sugar to seal off the cereal from the ravages of milk and to give it crunch.
In his book Fighting the Food Giants, Paul Stitt has tells us that the extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process.”
“Let me tell you about two studies which were not published. The first was described by Paul Stitt who wrote about an experiment conducted by a cereal company in which four sets of rats were given special diets. One group received plain whole wheat, water and synthetic vitamins and minerals. A second group received puffed wheat (an extruded cereal), water and the same nutrient solution. A third set was given only water. A fourth set was given nothing but water and chemical nutrients. The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on this diet. The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived about two months. The animals on water alone lived about a month. But the company's own laboratory study showed that the rats given the vitamins, water and all the puffed wheat they wanted died within two weeks---they died before the rats that got no food at all. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves of the spine, all signs of insulin shock.”
Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/dirty-secrets.html
Phosphorus in the bran of whole grains is tied up in a substance called phytic acid. Phytic acid combines with iron, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc in the intestinal tract, blocking their absorption.
Avoid Soy Milk, Soy Meat, Soy Protein, Soy Formula and Tofu including Organic kinds
”High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.”

“Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.”
Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/index.html

“Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) is the major ingredient in soy-based infant formula”
“TOXINS ADDED OR FORMED DURING PRODUCTION OF SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE Nitrites – carcinogens, Lysinoalanine - a toxin, Aluminum - 10 times higher in soy-based formula than milk-based formula, Fluoride Compounds - very high in soy formula, Free Glutamic Acid or MSG - a neurotoxin
Source: http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/soy_fda_testimony.html -Power Point Presentation on this page.
Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. Avoid chocolate.
Many of these substances put an undue strain on the liver. Phosphoric acid is what gives soda’s their kick. “Phosphoric acid blocks the absorption of calcium and magnesium in the intestines… thus contributes to impairment of the immune system… Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to release an adrenaline-like substance, which in turn causes the liver to release sugar into the blood.” Wine and unpasteurized beer seem to be okay if used in moderation. In excess it can overtaxing to the liver. Regular beer should be strictly avoided.
Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered or irradiated fruits and vegetables.
Do not practice strict vegetarianism (veganism); animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods. [Unless you are doing a specific short term cleanse]
Avoid products containing protein powders.
Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled.

Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, commercial baking powder and commercial antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants.

Do not drink fluoridated water.
”In 1971, Dr. Dean Burke, Ph.D., began a study of the effects of fluoridation in drinking water in the United States. Dr. Burke was for 35 years, head of the cytochemistry section, and was co-founder of the National Cancer Institute, U.S.A. He has received many awards for cancer research and biochemistry, including the Domagh Prize, 1965, for cancer research. He has been involved in cancer research for 50 years.
Results of his studies show that a large increase in human cancer mortality in the U.S. is associated with public water fluoridation. "One-tenth of the 350,000 cancer deaths per year in the U.S. are linked with artificial public water fluoridation."”
Source: http://www.consumerhealth.org/articles/display.cfm

Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them.

Do not drink distilled liquors.

Do not use a microwave oven.
Do not use Cigarettes and Drugs even Prescription drugs if possible.
Source of guidelines: http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/dietdangers.html
And “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon

Modern Foods Lead to Decay and Disease
Healthy Pregnancy Diet Overview Guildlines

Diet Myths

Pregnancy Diet Plan