Natural Pregnancy Project

If there weren’t already enough reasons to breastfeed your baby here’s yet another.

It is finally coming to the forefront that there is mercury in high fructose corn syrup. If you have recently read the nutrition label on infant formula you will see the majority of formulas contain high fructose corn syrup, or corn syrup of some sort.

Apparently the FDA has known about the mercury in HFCS since 2005, and has not done anything about it, not told the public and not set any guidelines for the use of high fructose corn syrup in infant products or adult products for that matter.

So now in addition to the vaccinations that still contain Thimerisol new parents also have to worry about giving their infants heavy metal poisoning from their infant formula.

I highly suggest you try to limit if not eliminate high fructose corn syrup from your infant and toddler’s diet. This is going to mean checking ALL the labels. You will be stunned the products that contain HFCS. Things you think are healthy often contain HFCS including a number of brands of yogurt, juice, crackers. It’s hard to get around, but worth it.

I’ve had my misgivings about high fructose corn syrup for a while, I’ve tried to seriously limit our household’s consumption, this just makes me a little more vigilant to keep the small amount we’ve been getting out of our house. (It also gives me yet another reason to give up my Diet Dr. Pepper addiction.)

Here’s the original article I read that brought this all to my attention. It has links to industry studies and more on this topic.  This should give you a real understanding of what’s going on, and how you can implement some changes in your home to keep you and your children more safe.

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Holistic Nutrition helps individuals achieve optimal mental, physical and spiritual health through the use of food and nutrients. It is used to help already healthy people stay healthy, but it can also be used to help improve symptoms of disease for those already living with a chronic ailment. It is a perfect nutritional plan for pregnancy because it is tailor made to your specific needs.

The focus is on eating foods that provide your body with the highest levels of nutritional value and supplementing one’s diet with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, essential fatty acids when necessary.  It is more than just eating a balanced diet though.

Diet and nutrition have a serious impact on physical as well as mental health.  The wrong food and/or a lack of balanced nutrients can lead to many problematic psychological and physical symptoms as well as chronic health conditions.

Holistic Nutrition: As Individual as the People Who Use It

Getting to know your body and what it needs is one of the most important steps you can take if you want to live a holistic lifestyle and follow the principles of holistic nutrition. .  Everyone is different which means every body is different and will need different foods and nutrients.  It all depends on your biochemical make up.

Becoming attentive to your body as well as your thoughts, feelings and reaction to what you put in your body will provide you information on how each nutrient, food or supplement affects your body.  Keep a journal of physical and psychological symptoms and then research their relationship to diet and nutrient levels.  Keeping a journal is helpful, but getting a biochemical workup of your blood is a wise idea. This will give you some exact measurements to judge your progress. Allergy tests can also help you identify hidden allergies that are affecting your body.

Holistic Nutrition is very individualistic. You will need to meet with a holistic nutritionist to figure out exactly what your body needs, and set up a program individualized to your needs.

The Basics of Holistic Nutrition

Even though holistic nutrition is largely individualized, there are some basics that apply to all individuals who wish to follow a holistic nutritional plan. Here are some of the basics you will need to know if you plan to follow a holistic nutrition plan. If you plan to use holistic nutrition during your pregnancy talk to your doctor and make sure she is open to helping you with your nutrition.

- All food should be organic as much as possible.

- Avoid junk food and processed food.

- No food with additives and preservatives.

- No sugar or caffeine.

- Drink adequate amounts of pure water. Filtered and free of chlorine and other contaminants.

- Avoid microwaves.

- No genetically engineered food.

- Identify hidden food allergies.

- Address nutritional deficiencies.

- Eat whole foods in their natural state as much as possible.

Getting started with Holistic Nutrition

If you are going to start living a holistic nutrition lifestyle during your pregnancy you need to take it slow. This is a major change from the average American diet. Start making one change at a time until you are meeting all the requirements for holistic nutrition. Be kind to yourself, this is not an easy process.

You also want to which changes are having what affect. If you make too many changes at once you will not be able to tell which changes were beneficial, and which were not.

Make sure to read labels ~ even at the health food store. All products marked as “organic” may not be completely organic. It’s important to know exactly what you are putting in your body.

As your body responds to the changes you are making, as well as the further you move into your pregnancy you will need to reevaluate your plan, make sure you are still getting all the nutrients and vitamins you need. As you move forward in your pregnancy you may find your nutritional needs have changed. Also food allergies may get worse or better simply by changing your eating habits. This needs to be watched and adjusted for if it does happen. You may find your food plan for this month may not be what you need next month.

No matter where you are at in your pregnancy you will find holistic nutrition a helpful way of life. You will find you have more energy, a clarity of mind, strength and a strong healthy body with which to give birth.

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