I love the springtime. To me, it’s such a time of renewal and
rebirth. That’s when all the animals and
plants seem to come back to life after the long, cold winter season. I always think of baby bunnies hopping around
the yard and their prolific fertility.
Speaking of
fertility…when we as Americans think of fertility and preparation for having
babies, how many of us think about diet? Most people know that age-old advice
that as an expecting woman, one is “eating for two.” But what is being eaten?
Is it wholesome, nutrient-dense food? Or merely an increase in calories and/or
quantity of our day-to-day diet? Is that the healthiest choice?
Many of you
have probably heard about the SAD diet in America; SAD being an acronym for the
Standard American Diet. The Standard
American Diet is the diet touted by the US Government as being the best
nutrition we can eat. The US Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest 45-65% of
our calories should come from carbohydrates, while 20-35% should come from fat
and 10-35% should come from protein. Well,
I teach Nutrition, and to me, those numbers are not very pro-health. If you look at traditional diets, and the
diets of typical Americans before the advent of the Dietary Guidelines for
Americans in the 1970s, we ate far fewer calories from carbohydrates.
As a
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I typically urge clients to aim for a 40-30-30
ratio when eating; that is, 40% carbohydrates, 30% fats and 30% protein. 30% fat? Isn’t that a lot? I can hear the questions now…the quick answer
is, not really. Think about the fact
that for every gram of fat you consume, it has about 9 calories, so you need a
lot less fat by weight than you do of protein or carbohydrates, which only have
about 4 calories per gram. So what that
means, is that a half-pound of butter (1 stick or 8 oz, or 226.8 grams) will be
a little over twice as many calories (2041.2) as half a pound of protein or
carbohydrates (907.2 calories). And who
eats an entire stick of butter in one sitting, anyway? In other words, eating the same amount of fat
by weight makes more calories. Make
sense? That means that if we’re eating a ratio of 30-30-40, we need a lot less
fat than you think to achieve that based on calories; it’s actually quite a
balanced way to set up your plate and achieve an optimal amount of fat in your
diet.
Why are fats so important, anyway?
Fat is key to developing healthy hormones.
In fact, every cell membrane is made up of fat! Fat is essential. It ensures we are absorbing our fat-soluble
vitamins: A, D, E and K. Fat is required
for proper protein absorption, and also serves as protection for our organs
(think “padding”). Ever run into
something with your knee (no padding from fat)? It really hurt, right? What
about your hip, where most of us have a little more padding? Not as bad? Fat
also helps slow the absorption of food and make us feel full longer.
When was the last time you had a
meal without fat (usually cold cereal for breakfast comes to mind) – chances
are you were starving a couple of hours later, right? What about if you had
bacon and eggs for breakfast? You were probably good to go until lunch, right?
Plus, fat just makes food taste better! This whole low-fat, no-fat mantra we’ve
all been hearing for years is not only wrong, but dangerous. Ever known anyone that ate a low-fat diet and
had problems conceiving? I’ve known many.
When I see clients, that is one of the first things I ask them – what’s
your fat intake like? And what types of fats are you eating? Because both of
those questions are very important to determine if they are getting what their
body needs to support life. Fat-free and
low-fat foods have the fat removed (along with the flavor it provides) and have
to make up for that with other things – usually fillers, sugar and/or
salt. Wouldn’t it just be better to get
the flavor from the fat that was there to begin with? I think so! Stop buying
fat-free and low-fat yogurt and stick with the whole milk version – it tastes
better, has fewer additives, and will sustain you for longer, too!
There are
three types of fats: saturated, the most stable of all the fats, which is found
in animal products and tropical oils; your body can make this from
carbohydrates; monounsaturated fat, also relatively stable, which is found predominately
in nut oils like almonds, pecans, cashews and other sources like olive oil and
avocado oil; the body can make this from saturated fats; and finally, polyunsaturated
fat. This is considered an unstable fat,
and should never be heated or used for cooking.
Think of using this as a finishing oil to use AFTER something is cooked,
just to give it some flavor. It can also
be used in cold applications like salad dressing. Polyunsaturated fats are found in flax seed
oil, some nuts, fish and seed oils.
There are two types of fats that
are essential, which means we MUST get them from our diet, because our body
cannot make them on its own. They are
linoleic acid (aka omega-6) and alpha linolenic acid (aka omega-3). As I’m sure you’ve heard, salmon is a great
source of omega-3 fatty acid, as are sardines and other oily fish. Especially in pre-conception and during
pregnancy, walnut oil, wheat germ and hemp are also good sources. Omega-6 fatty acids can be found in sunflower
and sesame oil; again, these are the best sources during pre-conception and
pregnancy. Most people get plenty of
omega-6 fats in their diet, but are often lacking enough omega-3 fats. In fact, most people are around 24:1 omega-6:omega-3,
and should be more like 3:1 or even 1:1 for a better ratio.
Getting back to nutrition and
preparing for children…did you know that so called “primitive” cultures often
had a pre-conception fertility diet to ensure healthy mother and offspring?
Some started 6 months before marriage (assuming that conception would start
shortly after), while others started 6 months before conception. Typically these cultures would increase the
vitamins, minerals, fats and organ meats in the diet for both the mother and
father in preparation of children. Not
only that, but the special diet would continue through pregnancy and even
after, to provide satisfactory nutrition to the baby while nursing. These “special foods” were set aside
specifically for those in the group/tribe that were preparing to conceive,
because they were known to be the best sources of nutrients for a healthy
pregnancy and baby.
Here in the United States, we
really don’t get much guidance when it comes to pre-conception nutrition. Usually, it starts when we’ve already
conceived: “Limit your caffeine. Give up
smoking. Stop drinking alcohol. Take pre-natal vitamins.” Yes, that is all good
advice; and yes, it is best to start that as soon as possible, even before
conception. But does that advice
constitute good nutrition?
Here’s what I would love to see
instead: eat three to five meals a day, with a good combination of fats,
protein and carbohydrates at each meal.
They don’t have to be big meals; eating consistently throughout the day
will help balance blood sugar, alleviate cravings and give one steady energy. This is especially important for anyone
dealing with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), because low-fat, high-carbohydrate
diets are associated with a higher risk of developing PCOS.
Make sure you’re getting the best
nutrition you can afford; ideally, aim for locally grown, organic foods. If you can only afford to buy one thing
organic, invest in organic butter. I
really like Kerry Gold Butter, which is cultured butter from grass-fed cows,
high in fat-soluble vitamins thanks to the fresh grass and sunlight. Toxins are stored in the fats of animals (and
humans are an animal, too!), so getting the best sources of fat you can is
crucial for a few reasons. Toxins may be
released into the placenta during pregnancy, and into the baby, especially if
someone experiences significant weight loss during pregnancy (think: morning
sickness). This is also the case prior
to pregnancy – since toxins are released when one loses weight, and if one
loses significant weight, those toxins will be released into the blood stream. If the body is not properly detoxified, those
toxins can be reabsorbed into the body and wreak havoc in different body
systems.
Get enough sleep! Pregnancy can take
a toll on your body, and you won’t get much after baby arrives, so soak it up
while you can! This will allow your body time to repair and recover, and you’ll
have more energy to get things done the next day, too. While eating a varied diet can certainly help
ensure you have the vitamins and minerals you need, getting a good multi-vitamin
certainly doesn’t hurt. Some good
choices that are bio-available forms are Metabolic Maintenance’s FemOne or
Vital Nutrients Prenatal.
Even better, join a local
pre-conception support group! I am very excited to offer the Feed Your Fertile Body!TM
Program just for such support! In this class, which is designed for either
couples or singles, you will get step by step recommendations on what to do to
prepare for welcoming a baby into your family.
There are pantry clean-outs with recommended swaps, and we even get to
try new foods in the group. I look
forward to working with you to address your nutrition needs.
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Sources and Suggested Reading:
Special
thanks to Sara Russell, PhD, NTP, CGP of Your Probiotic Kitchen for
information about PCOS and Toxins in pre-conception
