Monday, October 8, 2007

Diet for moms

Betcha thought this post was about how to lose weight. Well, it's not.

Kim at Starry Sky Ranch posted a series a while back about Home Management Notebooks. This, I have found, is a secret of moms with lotsa kids. They don't keep it all in their heads - they write out everything they know. :)

Anyway, this morning I was looking through the info I downloaded from her. One of the things she included was a "WAP diet for pregnant and nursing moms."

Before copying it here, I want to make a couple of observations. First, midwives all over know that this diet keeps pregnant women from getting eclampsia. The high blood pressure issues that cause doctors to induce labor to "keep the mom and baby safe," (even though these inductions often end in c-section, but that's another post) these issues can be solved through just a couple of days with a diet like this. You must have protein and fat to make a healthy baby. Nursing is a similar story.

I ate similarly to this during both pregnancies, gained about 30-35 pounds both times, and lost it easily by four or five months postpartum, partially thanks to breastfeeding. I had no swelling whatsoever, and my blood pressure never went above 118/80 ish.

So, here's the diet, straight from Kim's download:

Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Mothers

Cod Liver Oil to supply 20,000 IU vitamin A and 2000 IU vitamin D per day

1 quart (or 32 ounces) whole milk daily, preferably raw and from pasture-fed cows

4 tablespoons butter daily, preferably from pasture-fed cows

2 or more eggs daily, preferably from pastured chickens

Additional egg yolks daily, added to smoothies, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, etc.

3-4 ounces fresh liver, once or twice per week

Fresh seafood, 2-4 times per week, particularly wild salmon, shellfish and fish eggs

Fresh beef or lamb daily, always consumed with the fat

Oily fish or lard daily, for vitamin D

2 tablespoons coconut oil daily, used in cooking or smoothies, etc.

Lacto-fermented condiments and beverages

Bone broths used in soups, stews and sauces

Soaked whole grains

Fresh vegetables and fruits

AVOID:

  • Trans fatty acids (e.g., hydrogenated oils)
  • Junk foods
  • Commercial fried foods
  • Sugar /White flour
  • Soft drinks
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Cigarettes
  • Drugs (even prescription drugs)

6 comments:

  1. Did you seriously eat liver--GAG!!!! I can eat most everything on your list, but I can't do liver.

    No drugs--funny story, a few months ago I went for my annual check-up w/ the ob/gyn and they asked me what drugs I was taking and I said "none"--the nurses face dropped "none at all...not even birth control" and I said "nope...no drugs at all, not even birth control my husband had a vascectomy" She was SHOCKED. How sad is that, that taking drugs is the norm, not the exception.

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  2. LOL. No, I did not eat liver, but my midwife wanted me to. I agree. Gag. I forget what's so good about it - high protein content or something? On the other hand, any toxins that were in the animal are going to be in the liver, so it doesn't seem like the best idea to me anyway.

    Wow. That is sad. I hope the norms will swing back in the other direction someday.

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  3. Wow, what a great reminder for me! I'm going to print this out and hang it on the fridge- I am definately wanting a healthy baby! ;)

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  4. Liver is for vitamin A among other things. I only ate it once, but I have been meaning to find a good source of it and learn to cook it well as I am still breastfeeding.
    I give that Weston A Price guideline to all the pregnant women I know. I am a WAP Foundation member and HUGE fan. You should get the book "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It makes me happy to find other WAP-ers out there!

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  5. Marianne - interesting... I honestly know nothing about WAP. I'll have to check it out!

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  6. I've been scanning some of your old posts and found this one. There are a lot of similarities to the Bradley nutrition plan, which is what I followed with my last pregnancy. It was great! I gained 30 lbs., had no trouble with swelling or blood pressure, and lost the weight within 4 or 5 months with breatsfeeding. High protein and healthy fast are so important in pregnancy and during breastfeeding! thanks for sharing this :)

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