Pregnancy – The Fundamentals

I recently had two of my Hashimoto’s patients get pregnant in the same month. This is a big deal! Big.

I am a man who has never been pregnant. Thus, I had some work to do and started buying everything and asking my mentors all the questions. It is truly an amazing era, and I am so thankful for all the incredible healers and researchers that made the simplicity of this post possible, yet understand there is always danger in simplicity, and there is no One ring to rule them all. Furthermore, I think any potential mother and father should purchase the Health Baby Code by Chris Kresser; he does an absolutely phenomenal job of presenting the science in a manner that is applicable and easy to understand.

Here are my three big take homes from a weekend of baby research….

1) The Fundamentals…are even more important.

We need to make sure we have our pillars of health dialed in. Ideally, this would happen well before conception, as healthy mothers have healthy babies. This means stress management/perception and sleep have to be on-board, and movement and nutrition need to be individualized.

As Functional Medicine practitioners, we have to do a thorough health history and work-up. We have to check iron status, thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, and methylation. This is ground zero and hopefully all our ducks are in a row before that one swimmer crosses the finish line. Keep in mind that it is estimated that 1 in 3 women will be infertile by 2020, and 40% of infertility cases are actually due to the man not the woman, so there are many ducks not in a row.

We have to militantly guard against the bad and make sure to have as much support as possible. This means we must filter our water, our air, and our thoughts. We must eliminate food intolerances and immunoreactivites, and if you have an autoimmune disease, triggers must be avoided at all costs. Then we must build the system up from underneath with the cleanest food possible, meditation, mindfulness, and fun!

2) Pregnant women don’t need that much protein.

This one caught me completely off guard as pregnant women only need 50 to 75 grams of protein a day, and 10 to 20% of total caloric intake is sufficient. Pregnant women can become nauseated from too much protein because urea synthesis is down regulated during pregnancy. Therefore, it is best to allow cravings to drive intake, and always make sure that the minimum is met through the highest quality protein sources that are likely…fatty.

3) Pregnant women need way more fat!

Fat should comprise 50% or more of caloric intake for pregnant women. Babies are fatties. Breast milk is 55% Fat, 38% Carbohydrates, and only 7% Proteins. In the modern world, we just have to make sure that we are getting the cleanest forms of fat possible. Ladies, that means your diet should be full of organic coconut oil, olives, wild fish (clean!), and avocados. Pregnant women also need to optimize their intake of fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) and DHA and EPA, as all of these are crucial to fetal development. Our Paleolithic ancestors went to extreme lengths to find food sources that are high in these nutrients for pregnant women and we should do the same!

I also put together a sample diet protocol (below), which is middle of the road in terms of recommended caloric intake (which would need to be individualized), as well as a supplement package called the Pregger Package that covers 3 months of the basics. A lot of women are worried about taking a bunch of supplements during pregnancy, and I completely understand that, but unless you are eating duck liver and mollusks on a daily basis, I would err on the safe side and make sure you give your body what it needs from companies with a proven track record for guaranteed purity. Outside of the basics, please talk to your health care provider about any contraindications of taking any other supplements that you may have been taking pre-pregnancy.

Preggers Template Meal Plan:

Total Amount of Food for the Day

• 6 ounces (cooked weight) of Protein a day (Organic Grass-Fed Beef, Organic Chicken, and Wild Salmon 3 to 4 times per week)
• 3 Whole Organic Eggs
• 1 Scoop of Pure Paleo
• 2 Cups of Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• 1 Cup Organic Frozen Berries
• 1 Medium Avocado
  5 TBS Coconut or Olive Oil
• Unlimited Vegetables – Aim for 10 of your fists a day.

 

Suggested Breakdown:

Meal 1:

3 Whole Organic Eggs

Unlimited Vegetables

1 TBS Coconut or Olive Oil

 

Meal 2:

3 ounces of Protein

1 Cup Sweet Potato

Unlimited Vegetables

½ Avocado

2 TBS Coconut or Olive Oil

 

Meal 3:

3 ounces of Protein

1 Cup Sweet Potato

Unlimited Vegetables

½ Avocado

2 TBS Coconut or Olive Oil

 

Shake (in AM or Afternoon if you like):

1 Cup Frozen Organic Blueberries

16 Oz Organic Coconut Milk

2 Cups Spinach

1 Scoop Pure Paleo

 

Be Well,

Ben

 

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