In Part 5, I was discussing why parents-to-be should be fit and have strong immune systems in order to produce a beautiful, healthy, and tough baby, who would be able to resist and survive contamination and diseases and be born without defective genes and abnormalities, which taint their health and lives. I elaborated on how to reach optimal health when a mother decides to take the tough and long journey of the procreation and carrying of a little human being in her womb and how it could be debilitating her health and taxing on her body, making her weak and frail if she neglects herself, does not eat well, and does not take her supplements. Giving the proper attention to her health and body is of paramount importance to her wellbeing and her baby’s. Let us see how.

According to Shanahan, researchers believe that prenatal vitamins are behind a successful pregnancy and that they reduce incidents of preeclampsia, anemia, deficiencies, and weakened immune system, which provoke the body of the mother to reject the pregnancy, resulting in miscarriages and preterm deliveries and babies and increasing the risk of the baby being underweight or having defected genes. That is why the nutrient, folic acid, is strongly prescribed to mothers-to-be to decrease incidents of neural tube defect, known as spina bifida.

Despite prenatal vitamins, an important study found that pregnant mothers still had insufficiencies of vitamin A and certain B vitamins (niacin, thiamine, B6, and B12) during the pregnancy. The deficiencies include vitamin D, which appeared low in most newborns. Mothers who had D insufficiency raised the incidents of schizophrenia, diabetes, and skeletal diseases in their babies.

Another deficiency that was found in many women was long chain fatty acids, which are, unfortunately, not included in prenatal vitamins. Mother’s insufficiency in “healthy” fatty acids reflected on the baby’s intelligence.

On the other hand, pregnant moms who took cod liver oil seemed to have enhanced the intelligence quotient (IQ) of their babies. Don’t forget a developing fetus needs these essential fatty acids to develop its brain and its nervous system. I explained in earlier parts how mother’s brain shrinks after a pregnancy, because the unborn, as a parasite, takes its needs of fatty acids from her brain, when they are not available in her dietary intake (mainly omega-3).

Choline insufficiency during pregnancy has also been linked to “life-long learning deficits” in children, because women miss it in their diets. Sadly enough, it is not included in prenatal supplement in the American markets.

It is not enough for the mother to take prenatal supplements, she also requires to eat a variety of live foods in order for her to stay healthy, robust, and fit to carry on with her pregnancy; receive her newborn with joy and a radiance; and become ready to assume her new duties of nursing with delight and happiness after the birth of her infant. She should take care of her health and eat nutritious food. This should include a variety of fresh vegetables (dark leafy greens, squashes, cabbage family, carrots, tomatoes, roots, avocados…), multi-colored whole fruits, whole grains, lean protein, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, healthy essential fats (olive and coconut oils, omega-3). She should also continue with a healthy diet after the birth of her child to enrich her milk with live and rich nutrients to enhance the growth of her infant.

A balanced nutritious diet will also strengthen her and boost her infant’s immune system that would protect it from viral and bacterial infections, pathogens, and malnourishment. The baby will be happy and smiling, emanating with health. The teeth will grow smoothly and bones and muscles become strong, indicating healthy growth.

Healthy, fresh, live food is a necessity for the mother, pregnancy, child, and breastfeeding, but the way food is cooked is also very important. Modern way of cooking has become very simplified and food processed: grilled or fried meat and chicken; boiled refined pasta or rice, and canned vegetables and fruits. The most available food consists of pre-prepared meals, which are processed, canned, and pre-packaged made with trans fats, hydrogenated oils, protein isolates, hydrolysates, flour stripped of fiber, tons of sugar, additives, sugar substitutes, and toxic preservatives and colorings; in other words dead foods and lacking the nutrients, goodness, antioxidants, fiber, and freshness of live foods of Mother Nature.

There was an interesting finding that puzzled UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) researchers. It was labelled the “Hispanic Paradox.” What caught their attention is that newly settled immigrants from Hispanic countries, who kept their traditional diet, produced healthier children than their Caucasian counterparts, compared to the ones who lived in the US for generations and left the diet of their ancestors for the American diet of fast and processed foods.

According to Shanahan, people, who still hold on to traditional diets and way of cooking, prepare meat (organic, free-range, grass-fed and not grain-fed beef or lamb) in a pot with bones, marrow, joints, skin, connective tissues, natural fat, liver, kidneys, heart, and other organ meats and cooked it on very slow low fire for long hours, sometimes overnight, in order to retain the goodness, nutrients and flavor of the meat. They add fine herbs (bay leaf, sage, rosemary, thyme…), condiments (garlic, onion…), and spices (ginger, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom, pepper…) to the stew to enhance the flavor and increase the antioxidants, nutrients, and benefits. Such fine ingredients and slow cooking, which are rich in gelatinous gravies, build strong bones, connective tissues, and healthy cartilage, joints, and skin, and support good physical and mental health of mother and fetus.

The Indians cook goat meet on very low fire for fourteen hours and more. I recently ate a Turkish recipe of beef ribs, which took eight hours to cook on very low fire. It was extremely tender and flavorful. The meat was easily stripped away from the rib bone; that was how tender it was.

Now, I need to dedicate a couple of paragraphs to animal fat to correct the erroneous belief instilled in us. For decades, modern medicine maligned animal fat for containing “bad” cholesterol and clogging the arteries with cholesterol plaque. However, recent research indicates that trans fats from heated vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats are the major causes of artery blockages. In fact, fat from organic, free-range, grass-fed and not grain-fed beef or lamb and game meats do not only add flavor to food and make it tasty and delicious; it also enhances the absorption of nutrients from vegetables, legumes, and grains. Fat also binds to the receptors of our taste buds, making it easier to distinguish the different tastes such as sweet, sour, salty and bitter, hence enhancing the taste of food. The food industry adds so much fat (trans and hydrogenated fats), salt, and sugar to packaged foods to improve the taste of lifeless manufactured foods and get you addicted to the product.

The advantage of fat coming from organic, free-range, grass-fed and not grain-fed beef or lamb is that it is rich in the “healthy” omega-3 fatty acids, which is brain and heart friendly, because of its anti-inflammatory properties. Even the meat is leaner, tastier and healthier than commercial meat, which contains hormones, antibiotic, and more toxins.

Next week, I talk about the harmful foods and substances in mother’s food and environment, which can alter the growth of her unborn.

References:

• Dr. Catherine Shanahan and Luke Shanahan, MD, Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937803004952, Probiotics and preterm babies

• http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/8337048/Fight-to-prevent-allergie... Fight to prevent allergies in the womb

• http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/03/21/36528.aspx Folic acid improves a man’s chance of becoming a father

N.B.:

Individuals with medical conditions or on medication should consult their physicians when they decide to introduce anything new in their diet even if it is natural.

The previous Health Solutions articles are located at www. arabnews.com

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