Natural Pregnancy Project

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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Good nutrition and your pregnancy diet is a key factor to a healthy pregnancy. This is no time to scrimp on calories or try to lose weight. Your body is doing some hard work and it needs the right fuel to get the job done! If you are going to Bradley classes you have been introduced to a great nutrition program for your pregnancy. If you aren’t attending Bradley Method classes you can pick up Dr. Brewer’s book The Brewer Medical Diet for Normal and High Risk Pregnancy. It is the diet Dr. Bradley recommends and the programs are virtually identical.

Let’s take a look at the Brewer Diet.

Protein is key in the Brewer Diet, as well as what you will learn in the Bradley Method. You need to be getting at least 100 grams of protein each day. You also need many other nutrients to help support your body as it makes this baby. If you follow the guidelines of either program you will have no problem getting all the necessary nutrients each day.

Daily servings:

4 Servings dairy

2 eggs

2 additional proteins

2 servings leafy greens

4 serving grains

1-2 fruits

Salt to taste

Drink to thirst

Additional foods each week.

Baked Potato 3 times/week

Orange Vegetable/fruit 5X/week

I know a lot of people are concerned about eating that many eggs. Don’t be. The egg is the perfect pregnancy food. It has so many necessary nutrients for a pregnant woman.

Eggs have:

• Protein - builds and maintains muscles.
• Vitamin A - important for eye sight.
• B vitamins - changes food into energy.
• Calcium - builds strong bones and teeth.
• Phosphorus - found in bones and teeth.
• Iron - carries oxygen to muscles.
• Zinc - helps body grow.

So don’t scrimp on the eggs. They are a key element in a pregnant woman’s diet.

How do you keep track of all this food?

I know when I saw all this food I was thinking how am I going to keep track of all the different foods and know what I’ve eaten and what I still needed to eat for the day. If you go to the Bradley Method website you will find a list of all the daily foods, as well as a protein counter. You can also download an excel version of the diet which will allow you to input your daily food as well as add up the protein for the day. This is the method I used and it worked well to keep me on track.

If you want a strong healthy placenta and baby you have to eat well. Each bite you put in your mouth is what your body uses to build your baby. Feed your body well.

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