I feel like I want to make a revision to this blog. I am not convinced following any diet during pregnancy is easy nor is it realistic to imagine only eating an additional 200 calories a day!! I mean that would equate to eating one extra yogurt and a piece of fruit (and that’s not a banana)!! Still, I think Dr. Gowri Motha makes some interesting points by exploring alternatives to conventional obstetric practice. With clients like Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Elle Macpherson, her program includes diet and supplements (she strongly believes in cutting out wheat and sugar), creative healing techniques, deep muscle relaxation, visualization and pelvic drainage massage. I think I want to explore more the whole idea of visualization techniques, it’s done in various birthing preparation classes, and Motha’s relies on deep self-hynosis. Her book is available in my reading section.

I thought I would share with you her thoughts about diet during pregnancy (she also believes strongly in following Ayurvedic diet principles regarding the three doshas and eating according to your constitution and body type).

“What effects do certain foods have on our bodies? Wheat, for example, is known to create water retention. The first thing most nutritionists advise when presented with a patient complaining of neck tension and headaches, is to eliminate wheat from their diets. Eight times out of ten, the headaches disappear. Given that pelvic oedema, is very often the underlying cause for inconsistent labors, I reasoned that wheat could be the culprit, congesting the vaginal tissues and restricting the cervix from gently opening and widening. I became even more convinced when I started asking about the birth experiences of women diagnosed with coeliac disease. These women simply cannot eat wheat or gluten and although there has been no formal study into this, my own interviews with some of these women revealed that they enjoy incredibly short labors.

Sugar is problematic too. Sugar is metabolized via the Krebs cycle - the name given to the biochemical process that releases energy from the molecules of sugar. Studies have shown that a large number of free radicals are released during this process. The body finds it hard to neutralize these and they attack connective tissues like muscles, tendons and ligaments. When you are pregnant, you need your pelvic ligaments to be extremely supple and flexible, so avoiding sugar and sugary foods can prevent toxins being deposited in your uterus, cervix and pelvic structures.”

Her General Dietary Guidelines are as follows:

Foods to Avoid

Fruit: bananas (mucus-producing), grapes and mango (very high in sugar), citrus fruits
Wheat: bread, pasta, and cereals made from wheat
Sugar: cane and refined sugar, carbonated sugary drinks and fruit squashes, sugared cereals, chocolate, cookies, cakes, and desserts (if you have a sweet tooth you can have 2 teaspoons of honey per day).
Vegetables: restrict cooked tomatoes, reduce consumption of eggplant and potatoes, and eat raw salads, spinach and beetroot greens in moderation. Both in Ayurveda and in the Macrobiotic diet lightly steamed vegetables are regarded as highly superior to raw vegetables. This is because plant cellulose is digested in your gut by bacteria and this can release large quantities of gas. Once vegetables are cooked it is easier for the bacteria to digest them. In addition to this, in pregnancy the pancreas slows down its secretions of digestive enzymes. So to avoid abdominal distention and discomfort it is advisable to eat steamed or lightly cooked vegetables.
Meat: preserved meats, sausages, pâté, pork and red meat.
Fish: tuna has recently been given a bad press because of high levels of mercury found in its flesh (as a result ot industrial dumping in the oceans). The metabolism of the tuna collects the mercury wastes easily and this can be passed onto the baby through the placenta, so it’s best to avoid it while pregnant.

Foods to Enjoy

Fruit: pears - the royal fruit, lots of calcium; pineapples - for digestion; apples; peaches; nectarines; plums; avocado; apricots (look for non-sulphured organic) which are high in iron. CAUTION have only three fruit portions a day. If you are eating dried fruits, try to choose unsulphured ones and count it as part of your fresh fruit quota. In addition to whole fruit, you may have 1/3 of a glass (150ml) of pressed or squeezed fruit juice a day.
Carbohydrates: rice (preferably brown), corn pasta, oats, barley, lentils
Vegetables: cooked greens, marrows, cucumber, carrots, parsnips and, as a general rule, any local vegetables that are in season (as long as they are not on the avoid list).
Meat: chicken and occasionally lamb
Fish: with the exception of tuna, all types of fish are good. Oily fish like mackerel and salmon (preferably organic) are particularly important because they contain omega-3 oils.

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January 17th, 2007 | Permalink