Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 13

Oatmeal Lactation Cookies: Helpful for Breastfeeding or Bad for Gut Health?

If you’re a breastfeeding mama…. or a mama who’s not breastfeeding, chances are you’ve heard of lactation cookies.

If you’re not, chances are they might sound like some sort of gimmick and admittedly, that is exactly what I thought they were the first time someone asked me about them, before I was pregnant myself.

Once I was pregnant, however, and in the midst of all the research we were doing in order to prepare, I noticed the topic of lactation cookies arose quite a bit, from other moms, from our lactation teacher, our doula and our midwife.

It was confirmed; lactation cookies are a thing, at least anecdotally.

I had to learn more about this concept. After all, I’d planned to breastfeed and given that I’d spoken with enough mamas who ate a clean, whole food diet who still reported having breastfeeding issues, I thought it was worth at least investigating.

So, what exactly is a lactation cookie?

Lactation cookies have been around for ages and most of the recipes on the social network include four ingredients, each of which is touted for its “milk-boosting properties”: oats, fenugreek, flaxseed meal, and Brewer’s yeast.

If 92% of first-time mothers encounter issues such as pain and trouble getting the baby to latch, with low milk supply is one of the most distressing concerns for new moms (1), there’s obviously a need for some missing piece.

But is the answer to be found in a cookie?

Let’s break it down.

Interestingly, when I began my search, I came up with health benefits of oats, first and foremost, the essential ingredient in these baked items and the very first thing that popped up with regard to why they’re helpful is the very reason why one might opt to avoid them when choosing to follow and anti inflammatory approach to eating.

In a word: saponins.

Those who are already familiar with an authentic Paleo approach, and / or an auto immune protocol will know that saponins are an anti nutrient, one which can increase permeability of the small intestinal mucosal cells, thereby inhibiting active nutrient transport, and facilitating the uptake of materials to which the gut would normally be impermeable as published in a Pub Med Study. (2)

Put another way: they’re a compound to be avoided, not just for those who already have an autoimmune dis ease, but anyone who wants to achieve or maintain optimal gut health.

On the flip side, the school of thought that backs the idea that oat-containing lactation cookies are beneficial, position saponins as being equally healthful and state that saponins are actually an immune-stimulating compound that may help increase levels of prolactin, a key hormone for milk production.

As for Fenugreek, flaxseed and Brewer’s yeast, collectively, they’d contribute phytoestrogens, omega 3s and B vitamins; depending on what else mom’s diet consists of, these may or may not be helpful additions.

And in terms of making them all into a cookie?

Other ingredients would factor into whether or not this would be an overall wise choice, as well as the frequency with which one might opt to eat them, and how they’re balancing the extra carbohydrate with their activity level.

Is there science behind the cookie concept?

I didn’t find any myself and when I checked with my mentor, Dr. Cordain,  here’s what he said:

“When investigating human lactation and oatmeal or oats on both PUBMED and Google Scholar, I found absolutely nothing. The best bet is to eat healthy grass produced meats, free ranging eggs, fresh seafood and shellfish and fresh veggies, nuts and fruit.”

So are they a go… or a no-go?

If a new mama is active, not suffering from GI distress or AI dis ease and bakes a batch of whole-food based, no-funny-business additives, and has a cookie now and then… probably not such a big deal.

On the other hand, if commercially prepared, highly processed, high in sugar lactation cookies start showing up on multiple occasions throughout the day, they’re probably not such a great idea.

Not only would the mom’s diet begin to decline as well as her energy levels, mental focus, gut health, and her expected goal of losing some baby weight, her breast milk wouldn’t be nearly as supercharged if she were eating a real food diet.

Bottom line:

A cookie is a cookie is a cookie.

When optimizing for issue-free breastfeeding in order to produce premium milk, it’s simple: eat real food. Local, in season veggies, moderate amounts of mindfully sourced proteins and ample natural fats.

Don’t rely on cookies.

Granted, there are many factors that feed into baby nursing properly so this is certainly not to suggest that eating cookies (or not) is going to be a magic pill.

Rather, if the foundation of mom’s diet is real food, she’s at least ticking off one box in terms of how to create optimal milk as well as supporting her own, and subsequently, her baby’s gut biome.

There are so many resources at our fingertips and benefits of breastfeeding are many, so it’s well worth giving it a chance, even if the road does start out a bit on the bumpy side.

https://www.health.com/nutrition/lact...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37...

Our Birth Day… Part II

Here we are on Yves’ 3 week ‘birthday’, getting some fresh air during our long morning walk, feeling stronger each and every day!

In my last post, I shared what I referred to as Part I of our home birth story.   I left off just about the time contractions had begun, although I didn’t know it at the time, nor could I have possible predicted all that was to come during the next few hours.

So now, the story continues:

…As my low back grew more and more uncomfortable I began to attempt to breathe through it.

In retrospect, the only analogy I’d come up with in advance was quite ridiculous; I’d actually thought that being in labor and having contractions was going to be like doing intervals in training for triathlon.

Whether swimming, cycling or running, you know what’s coming, you know it’s going to be challenging and you know there’s going to be a respite in the middle of each during which you can gather yourself, bring your heart rate down temporarily and then prepare to do it all over again.

The more you take advantage of the moment(s) to recover, no matter how brief, your confidence builds as does your focus, and you achieve that incredible feeling of accomplishment, having pushed yourself so close to the limit, but not too much as to overdo it.

Once labor began, that all went right out the door.

Chris’ efforts to time my contractions proved impossible as there was simply no break between them.

He called Aleks, our midwife around 6:30 pm, then Patti, our doula, and explained what was happening.

Knowing it was my first birth and that there was a good chance of labor not being all that expeditious, Aleks calmly responded that the time was near and that she’d likely need to come over later that evening.

Chris called Patti as well, and she, too, said she’d be en route teaching class, at 8:30 or so.

We entertained briefly the idea of  having a nice dinner and early night, both of which went right out the door as I became consumed with whatever it was that was going on in my body, literally gripping me from the inside out, in a way I’d never experienced before.

Despite what I’d envisioned of keeping calm, cool and collected, going deep within myself to reach another level I’d never visited before, one guided solely by intuition and the most primal of focal points ever, I found myself moaning, wailing and even, as my midwife later put it, roaring.

Primal indeed, but in a vastly different way than what I’d pictured.

Throughout all this, Preston and Pele stayed calm and patient. They sat together, observing, on doubt with some sort of profound knowing.

Chris called our Aleks and Patti again and told them time was of the essence; things were moving so fast that they’d need to come asap.

And fly over they did!

Patti arrived first, having left her own class early, and I fell into her arms. She looked me in the eyes (I was seated, clothed, on the toilet at the time; one of the less uncomfortable places I’d discovered) and spoke slowly, methodically and encouraged me to take my wailing down into a more focused, very deep breathing and began to breathe in that manner so that I could follow.

I tried my best but was only able to do so for part of the time, during the fleeting period when the feeling in my back seemed to subside for seconds.

I moved around from toilet, to bed, to the tub, which felt wonderful for a brief moment as the hot water streamed down on my back.

The next contraction drew me out of the tub and back to shifting all over the place in search of some way to sit or stand or just be that wasn’t excruciating.

I had moments of doubt. I began to imagine stories of women I knew who’d had labor lasting days and I questioned how and if I could do something like that. It seemed incomprehensible.

No matter how challenging any race I’d done in the past may have been, the one theme all of them had in common was that the distance was a given. I knew where the endpoint was.

With labor? No idea. Especially the first birth.

Subsequently, I found myself asking questions like, “How much longer?” to which Patti replied, I don’t know. How could she? Yet I felt I had to ask again, I don’t know how many times, like a child asking his parents from the backseat of the car, “are we there yet”?

Aleks arrived shortly thereafter along with Jessika, her midwifery student, around 8:45 or 9, took one good sight of me and said to Chris, I found out later, “We’re having a baby here!”.

She asked if I felt ready to push and I said yes. I’d always wanted to have my baby in the water, but when I got into our tub (we’d chosen not to have a birthing pool), I wasn’t able to push with the force I’d need, so I got out after what seemed like only a moment or two.

I was back and forth between all fours on our bed and a birthing stool, which is akin to the frame of a small seat, but without the seat, allowing the woman to grip the frame and bear down with as much pressure as possible.

After not too much time, Aleks asked if I’d like her to check me and I said I would and I was so relieved when she told me she was able to feel my baby’s head! That must mean, I thought, that so soon I’d be able to meet our son!

I felt a surge of renewed energy and force come over me and I began to push in sets of three, for no particular reason. I noticed that during the time I was going to push, I felt a huge relief on the pressure in my back.

I also noticed how exhausted I was growing and that I was beginning to feel a bit dizzy.

I spoke only in incoherent segments as all my energy drew from within, in order to push out our baby.

Aleks monitored his heart rate often through her stethoscope so I was able to rest assured he was fine and on his way.

I don’t know how long the pushing lasted; time didn’t seem to exist but Chris later told me that around 10:25, Aleks signaled to him to come around in order to catch his son.

I pushed, I pushed and then, in one last effort, Chris saw just the very top of the baby’s head emerge and suddenly… his whole body came out, landing safely in his arms.

I couldn’t believe it! I looked down and tried to look behind, and, as the placenta was still inside, Chris passed Yves to me through my legs.

Supported by Chris, Aleks and Patti, and holding our newborn son (who let out a few brief cries to clear his lungs), we walked (hobbled) over to the bed.

I lay down, wiped out beyond any level of fatigue I’d ever before experienced, and placed Yves on my chest.

I knew from all our research that he would recognize the scent in the nipples (the same scent of the amniotic fluid) and use that to wiggle his way up and begin to breastfeed.

Though we’d seen this in documentaries, all of it, to witness it firsthand with our own child was out of this world.

The three of us stayed there, suspended in joy and bliss as we allowed the blood remaining in the placenta (still inside) to pulse into Yves’ body through the cord (still intact).

After Aleks could see the cord conclude its work, she advised that about 30 or 45 minutes had passed and that it was past time I pushed out the placenta.

She handed a pair of scissors to Chris who did the honors, then tied the stump of what was left of Yves’ cord.

“Ready to push?”, she asked? “ Yes ! ”, I responded.

But when I tried to push, the effort felt futile, to say the least. I literally had nothing left, nor did I have anything resembling a contraction.

More time passed and I was told that I’d lost quite a bit of blood, roughly 2 cups by that time, and it was becoming more and more pressing that I deliver the placenta.

But I just couldn’t.

Aleks suggested Pitocin, which, at that point, since Yves was not only not in my body anymore, but not even physically connected to me, made sense as there was no risk of harming him.

Injection administered… no reaction and I was still losing blood, yet I had no indication of such. I thought my fatigue and shaking (actual large muscle shaking uncontrollably) was due to having just given birth.

Jessika tried gently to asses the placenta and see if it was giving any signs of loosening up, but to no avail.

Aleks advised, much to my dismay, that the smart thing to do at that point would be to transport me to the hospital.

No! How could this be? After all had gone so well through the whole pregnancy and delivery? I asked if Yves would have to come; the last thing I wanted was to have to have my newborn baby go to a hospital! And as much as I abhorred the idea of leaving my new baby and husband, it was critical.

And there was a silver lining: Chris and Yves would be able to bond while I was gone, skin to skin, which had I been there, would likely not have happened for as long as period of time.

Aleks called 911 and an ambulance was there in no time.

I kissed my baby and my husband and left in tears.

I don’t remember walking downstairs ( or was I carried) but once I was in the ambulance, I asked Aleks if I could give it one last try. Maybe I wouldn’t have to go after all?

No use. Nothing. The last push only resulted in more clumps of blood being pushed out.

Off we went to the hospital, and I felt a slight relief knowing we were going to UCLA, which has a midwife presence.

Aleks stayed with me the whole time which was a huge comfort, never having been a patient in a hospital before.

The anesthesiologist came in and then the surgeon, who explained she was going to have to attempt to remove the placenta manually.

The last things I remember are Aleks reading me the verbiage from a document I was asked to sign by the hospital, the room becoming wavy and then a shot being injected and my leg being placed in a stirrup as I lie on my back.

I woke in another room and Aleks was still by my side. She’d asked to save the placenta (I’d planned on eating part of it in a smoothie at home and having her encapsulate the rest of it) and when she showed it to me, all I could think was that it looked like roadkill that had been run over, and over and over.

She made sure I was ok and asked if it was ok for her to go back to our home to check on Chris and Yves, who was drinking milk from a donor mom, brought over by another doula, which gave me comfort, knowing my guys were not on their own.

By then it was 4am and all I could think about was how starving I was.

Nothing was open for delivery (who knew?) except a deli around the corner, and after a FaceTime with Chris and Yves, which made me weep, he ordered me what proved to be the best burger (with bacon, tomato, avocado and slaw ) I’d ever eaten.

A nurse came in and asked if I wanted to pump and I did; resulting in about 10cc of colostrum which I’d be able to save and take home to my baby.

I dozed a bit and all of a sudden it was 6 am and another nurse came in to check my vitals.

My supine blood pressure and heart rate was somewhat normal (after I explained my normal RHR is 39 and BP is 100 / 60, that is) and I was then asked if I’d like to try standing and walking across the room to my bathroom.

I stood… so far so good, but my blood pressure dropped to 80 / 40 and I grew dizzy.

I had to lie down again and was told best case scenario, I’d be home in 24 hours!

NO!!!

I dozed a bit, drank tons of water and visualized being home with my guys and sending energy to Yves, talking to him the way I’d done for the past 10 months in my womb.

When the next nurse came in a few hours later, I was able to stand and walk without my blood pressure dropped.

Chris came in not too long after, Yves safe at home with the doula… and with more food! Veggies, steak, avocado… exactly what I was craving!

To our surprise, the next charge nurse who came in was not a charge nurse at all, but a midwife on staff!

She knew the most important thing was for me to get home to our baby and since my vitals were looking up, she said she’d authorize my release to go home!

Still physically weak, having lost 1/2 my blood volume, I couldn’t wait to get home.

I was wheeled down to the valet and Chris drove us home.

I walked slowly up the stairs, took a shower to get rid of the hospital evidence and crawled into our own bed and held my baby for the second time… but this time I’d never let go.

Birth Day was a mere three and a half weeks ago, but it will be forever emblazoned in my heart, mind and spirit, as will the immense gratitude I feel for my husband for his never-ending support and belief that I could do it, for our birth team, Aleks, our midwife (1), Patti our doula (2), Jessika, Aleks’ midwifery student and Preston and Pel, our two ‘older kids’, who contributed, as always, they magnificent, benevolent energy and calm.

Thank you, with so much love.

(1) Aleks Evanguelidi, Los Angeles Midwife

(2) Patti Quintero, Uma Mother

 

Welcome, Yves Blake

Hello from Babyland, or as our midwife and doula have referred to the area we’ve been spending much of our time these past two weeks… Bed Island.

On May 9, 2019, at 10:25pm, our son, Yves Blake Stephenson was born safely at home after a three hour labor. He weighed 6 pounds, 11 oz and is a healthy, happy boy, breastfeeding and sleeping like a champ.

The last post I wrote was nearly two weeks ago; on the forty week mark of my pregnancy.

I’d created an entry on my calendar and although the day began as planned – morning master’s swim, followed by a trip for a blow out (what can I say? I wanted to look my best when our son arrived!), I felt absolutely no different that day than I had during the past several weeks.

Still working, still exercising daily and while I was moving considerably slower, I had none of the signs of early labor we’d learned to be on the lookout for.

I wasn’t remotely worried as I’d also learned that the due date has a five week leeway around it, from three weeks before to two weeks after during which delivery would still be considered timely.

Many women with whom I spoke over the next week all offered reassurance that this was normal and that they. too had delivered a week or longer after their due date, and although I didn’t need it, it was good to hear.

I knew our son just needed a little more time and that he’d start the process of being born when he was good and ready.

The only factor we needed to consider was that in California, a midwife can only attend a birth up until week 42 in home.  Fortunately, ours has a colleague who is an OBGYN that exclusively delivers in home and even works with high risk pregnancy, so even if I were to carry past term, it wouldn’t mean our dream to have a home birth would have to change.

I welcomed input from our doula and midwife, so collectively we decided I’d do a few acupuncture sessions as well as up the ante on raspberry tea and increase the number of dried dates I was eating (both have properties to help  bring on and support labor). (1,2,3).

Nothing happened Friday. Or Saturday. Or Sunday.  Customers and friends at my weekend markets as well as Monday in the commercial kitchen commented, “Oh, still pregnant!  Why are you still working?”

Nothing Tuesday, or Wednesday when I was out for my usual 3 hr hike with the dogs on the trails and same questions, all out of care and concern.

Why?

Because I felt great and had zero signs of labor.

Until the next day.

I woke at 5 to go to the pool and saw a small splotch of blood (about the size of a silver dollar) on the ground near the toilet that must have dropped in the night.

Was this the mucous plug?

I texted our midwife and she said probably, yes… don’t go swimming.

Anything else I should or should not do?  No, she said, just keep alert for other signs.

The day progressed as normal, yet I noticed an odd feeling of a pulled muscle in my right low back.  So  mild that simply changing positions completely alleviated it.

I went to my scheduled acupuncture appointment, this time with micro stim, and then had this strange desire for a smoothie.

I’m not a smoothie gal and had zero cravings during pregnancy.

But something told me to stop at one of the smoothie shops that had pregnancy specific smoothies (4).

I drove home and hubby and I and the dogs went up to the trail head for an evening walk.

We only went for a short loop and the back sensation I’d been feeling was making itself more and more known.   By the time we headed back down, I was considerably more uncomfortable.

We got home and while hub prepared dinner, I found myself unable to find a comfortable way to position myself.

Yet I still had zero indication that this was labor… after all, nothing was going on in my abdomen and I had no new sensations in the abdomen.

So what was going on?

The next part, as well as blog posts on my continued learning postpartum as well as all the topics I still haven’t written about. prior to giving birth that you need to know about are all coming soon, one post at at time, as all you moms- new and experienced, can vibe with.

Stay tuned…

 

(1) Raspberry leaf and its effect on labour: safety and efficacy

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...

(2)Raspberry leaf in pregnancy: its safety and efficacy in labor

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...

(3) The effect of late pregnancy consumption of date fruit on labour and delivery https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

(4) https://www.livebeaming.com

Pregnancy + Meditation

Today is Birth Day… perhaps!

It’s my official due date and while being incredibly excited not only to welcome our son, I feel at the same time, an incredible calm.

I’ve felt this way throughout the entire duration of the pregnancy and without a doubt, this is largely due to having incorporated a meditation practice into my life about three years ago.

I’d tried meditation on and off for a good twenty years before I finally found a practice that stuck.

I would attempt to sit in stillness, in a certain position and attempt to force myself to think of nothing.

Inevitably, I’d last for a few minutes, decide it was a waste of time and opt to go on a run instead.

Arguably, a run, or any exercise can be meditative… but it’s not meditation.

Nor is yoga.

As I love running, I love my yoga practice; I feel incredibly grateful to have found a teacher I love with whom I’ve practiced for a few years now and more recently to have met our doula, also with a rich and experienced background in asana.

But there’s room for all and for me, all three have become part and parcel of a balanced pregnancy exercise regime.

Prior to having a meditation practice, any time I’d feel anxious, my only means of addressing it was through what felt like therapeutic exercise which, for me, was a far better option than going down the route of prescription meds.

By no means is this the only reason I have chosen to be an endurance athlete; I love my sports of Ironman triathlon and marathoning; the stress-relief side effect is simply one of many benefits.

However, I’ve learned along the way that having more tools in your back pocket to be able to deal with anxiety, or whatever emotions that may pop up that may feel uncomfortable, tools that you can use in a setting where you can’t simply go for a run, for instance, is an invaluable part of being able to progress down each of our respective journeys, whether we’re talking career, relationships… or becoming a mom!

This is one more reason why becoming pregnant for the first time at age 44 was the right time for me.

I wasn’t ready ten or even five years ago.

Details aside (hubbie was traveling extensively for three years for his agency and we were both uber competing in our sports), on a very fundamental level, I can only imagine how pregnancy may have been if I’d not yet sorted out how to sift through times of feeling anxious, and not doing so through training.

While there are many forms and styles of meditation, for me, the one which made the most sense was Transcendental Meditation.

A non-profit organization which uses 100% if their course fee to supports educational and charitable initiatives, it’s teachings simply made sense to me.

Our teacher gave us each a mantra and explained that the mantra and the thoughts are friends, so when one is sitting in meditation and realizes they’re thinking a thought and not silently repeating the mantra, all they need to do is gently guide their inner voice back to the mantra.

There was no right or wrong way to meditate, no need to ‘start over’ after a thought presented itself and the peaceful feeling, calm and focus it elicited even after the very first session was a clear sign that this was the right fit for me.

This is the short story.

There was peaks and valleys along the way, without a doubt, but incorporating this into daily practice has led to a not only a very sustainable feeling of calm, but the ability to flick away a thought which in earlier years could easily have turned into a huge worry, as quickly as one might whisk a pesky mosquito away.

Which is precisely why I’m so grateful to have learned all of this well before becoming pregnant!

I knew of the health benefits on myself as a healthy, athletic woman, but imagine the benefits on the baby; and backing up a little, how much this helps one become pregnant in the first place!

A few stats on the matter:

Moms to be who meditate have a 50% increased chance they’ll to carry to full term; Moms who have high levels of stress or anxiety during pregnancy are more likely to deliver their babies at preterm or low birth weights (1).

Prenatal stress can also impact fetal development. Studies have shown that it can even affect cognitive, emotional, and physical development in infancy and childhood. All the more reason to squeeze in some meditation time!

Meditation makes you more aware, which, during pregnancy can help you tune into you which in turn helps you tune into your baby. When you become more mindful of how you are feeling emotionally, you start to be able to listen to your body more. This can be extremely beneficial in pregnancy and labor. An increased body awareness can decrease pain during labor and help you manage stress and anxiety with more ease (2).

Moms who meditate experience 40% less pain in laboring in a natural childbirth versus moms who don’t have a practice. Meditation training found that they were able to decrease the intensity of painful stimulus by 40 percent (3). Decreased pain is also beneficial during pregnancy when your body is preparing for birth and recovery after birth when your new baby needs you more than ever.

Since pregnancy suppresses the body’s immune system (to ensure the fetus isn’t rejected as something foreign), your body is less able to fight off infection and illnesses, making it more susceptible to colds and flu. Meditation enhances the body’s immune function. (3) A healthy immunity can help keep your body healthy during pregnancy and protect you and your baby from immune-related issues after delivery.

Studies show that babies that are born to moms that meditate tend to have a better temperament. They can self-regulate themselves sooner, and get into negative states less often (4). Having a happier baby is good for your mental state, and can make transitioning into motherhood a bit easier.

And those are just the tip of the iceberg!

Just like the opportunity to create an optimal gut biome and brain development for our babies by continuing to eat the most nourishing, nutrient dense foods during pregnancy, this incredible moment in time is equally one in which we expectant moms can also provide them with a calm and peaceful energy both in utero as well as during their transition into this world.

An absolute gift.

Already pregnant and not yet meditating? It’s never too late to start.

I recently learned of an app created for this very purpose!

Expectful (5) is an app designed by a mom for Meditation, sleep, fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood!

They offer different types and durations of meditation for all stages during pregnancy and have a pay it forward program they call 3 for 1, and for every subscription purchased, they give one to someone in need, reminding us that our meditation practices will benefit the lives of three other people: your baby, another expectant woman, and her baby.

So this evening, as the expected due date approaches its end (although there are still six hours left!), I sit in a calm, supported space, ready to welcome our son whether he decides to begin his journey tonight, or hang out a bit longer before he starts.

The timing will be just as it’s meant to be.

https://www.healthline.com/health/pre...

The Value of Meditation during Pregnancy

Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Davidson, R., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., Rosenkranz, M., Muller, D., Santorelli, S., Urbanowski, F., Harrington, A., Bonus, K. & Sheridan, J. (2003). Psychosomatic Medicine 65. 564–570.

“Maternal mindfulness and anxiety during pregnancy affect infants’ neural responses to sounds” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24...

EXPECTFUL

“Organic” Isn’t Enough: Where Did Your Food Come From?

It wasn’t that long ago that it was tricky to find organic food.    

Not only was it not easy to find, once you did find it, options were quite limited.

Limited, that is, in the US Marketplace, and that’s what this post will focus on.

Other countries continue to grow and source locally and fresh, and their food is organic without question, and without need to tout it as such, any sooner than one would need to mention that the blueberries, picked that morning, are blue.

India, Uganda and Mexico, are the top three countries with the most organic food producers (1), while the US holds the unfavorable distinction of  having more genetically modified food than any other country (2).

New Zealand and Australia are known for their staunch opposition to GMO crops in favor of organic and local.

And in Europe, the organic market continues to grow. In 2017, it increased by almost 11 percent and reached 37.3 billion euros. Many of the major markets enjoyed double-digit growth rates (3).

This isn’t going to lead to an article about why we should leave the United States; rather, a look into what we can do to change things, each in our own way, regardless of how small or insignificant it might seem.

What prompted me to decide on this topic today in particular was an interview I heard on my favorite weekly podcast, the NPR production, How I Built This (4), a weekly narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists and the movements they built (a must-listen for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit!).

Alice Waters was the guest this past week and if you’re in the food space, this is a name that needs no introduction. 

An American chef, restaurateur, activist and author, the founder and owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine, which she opened in 1971 (5).

And the movement she built?  Undoubtedly, what we now refer to day in and day out as farm to table.

I loved listening to her interview as so many of the things discussed resonated with me so deeply and were put so succinctly and eloquently, reigniting a passion within me on the importance of sourcing our food.

This goes beyond and even, perhaps, supersedes whether or not a food can be categorized as being “paleo” or “keto” or “vegan”; these are all just labels (and we don’t even really know who’s approving these labels anyway, do we?) and they don’t speak at all as to one critical thing:  where did the food come from?

It’s not due to lack of awareness that we as Americans are willfully eating food of whose origin we are unsure; we know about it, but according to research, we tighten our belts and opt not to pay.

US consumers consistently say they want more sustainable products (and services) but are often unwilling to pay a premium; consumers care about a company’s sustainability and ethical sourcing efforts and may reward it with brand loyalty, but they generally don’t want to pay more for the products (6).

In other words, the idea and allure of procuring all our produce from the farmer’s market,  fish from the local fish monger and grass-fed and finished beef from the rancher who sells at the very same market sounds great, but when the rubber hits the road, is the followthrough there with this mindful intention…. or is it just too hard and costly, making Costco and Walmart more convenient options?

Somehow, to borrow a brilliant term used by Ms. Waters in her interview, we’re ‘greenwashing’ our food and trying to position food labeled as organic, with no other stipulations in terms of where it came from, how long ago it was sourced, how the animals were raised and what they ate as somehow automatically making that food healthy.

Costco has become the largest organic grocer in America, surpassing Whole Foods with $4 billion in organic grocery sales last year (7); Whole Foods came in second with $3.6 billion.

Keep in mind, however, that organic grocery is not particular to produce, meat and fish; it includes packaged, canned and boxed items as well, which in and of itself speaks to the integrity of the product inside and how fresh and unrefined it could possibly be.

And while the concept of being able to walk into a mega store like Costco in order to purchase outstanding, local, fresh organic food in bulk at a low price sounds great, are we really thinking about total cost, above and beyond dollars paid at checkout?

How about the cost of not supporting our communities when we overstep what they may be capable of with local support, if more of us bought directly from them?

Wait… aren’t we supporting them indirectly if we purchase items marked as being local and organic within our grocery stores?

Not so fast… in the interest of bottom dollar, local, mindful sourcing is far from being the top priority when it comes to stocking product.

One case in point, a decade ago when Walmart publicly committed to “Supporting America’s Farmers as Produce Aisles Go Local,” they claimed they were on track to buy $400 million annually in “locally grown produce.” 

The company refused to divulge how much it spent on produce overall, but it promised that nine percent of its US fruits and veggies would be local by the end of 2015.

Nine percent.

Where is the other 91% coming from?

How far has it traveled, how long ago was it harvested, what materials was it stored in and what was done to it to enable it to withstand time, temperature and handling?

When we factor in the other organic items we find in the stores, the frozen, powdered or canned items, the question of freshness becomes a moot point; how fresh can it actually be once those states are achieved and subsequently, how much nutrient density could they possibly have to offer?

The solution is both simple and complex at the same time.

Simple in that we simply just need to stop buying foods that are anything but local and fresh.

Complex in that we view this step as being too complicated, time consuming or expensive.

But it’s not until more of us support local and organic and conscious providers that the local producers have enough demand to produce more and begin to garner enough profit upon which they can sustain their businesses and support their families. 

It starts with awareness and a thoughtful approach to what we buy.

We’re so used to being spoiled; we can buy anything at any time of year.

I, too am guilty of this; it wasn’t until about a decade ago that I personally began to consider anything other than organic.

I was living in Seattle at the time, doing my weekly shop at one of the Whole Foods there in the dead of winter, adding organic blueberries to my cart when it dawned on me that those very blueberries had been flown in from Chile.   

Did I really need to have ‘fresh’ (only as opposed to the local, frozen option) blueberries in December?    

Not really.

Why not select some of the local, fresh organic apples that had been grown locally?

And better yet, why not not buy them that day but purchase some apples over the weekend at a farmer’s market?

What about the wild fish I was about to buy?   MSC Certified yes, but frozen and then shipped in from Fiji?

No, no, no.

It has to stop there.

Once you know, you can’t not know.

And while total dollars paid per week on food is far from unimportant for most, having a clear understanding that real, fresh food doesn’t necessarily have to break the bank is critical to employing new solutions.

Keep in mind:

When we purchase local, in season produce, it’s less expensive to begin with because we’re not paying in arrears for shipping and handling
When we focus on a largely, fresh plant (mostly veggies) approach to eating, cost is lower compared to even buying conventional, improperly sourced meat in far too large portions per person.  Think of your mindfully sourced proteins as more of a garnish rather than the main feature in your meal.
With fresh, real food being the foundation of what we eat, versus powdered / boxed / canned items, we pay less here are well due to not having to contribute to all the packaging costs.
With a very simple approach to cooking, we create less chance of food waste due to not knowing how to prepare it as well as the opportunity to revamp leftovers into a new meal.   On the podcast mentioned before, Alice Waters suggests that a single, properly sourced chicken can actually render three full meals for a family of four.  How’s that for nothing wasted?
When considering the hefty amount of confusion associated with food labeling, here’s the quickest way to cut to the chase:  buy things that are not in a package in the first place!  No need to label the ingredients in a stalk of broccoli or a piece of wild salmon.  It’s just what it is!

An item labeled organic in and of itself is simply not enough and it’s about time we make becoming more aware the top priority.

There’s far too much at stake not to do so, for our families, our communities and our planet.

FiBL/IFOAM. The World of Organic Agriculture: statistics and emerging trends.
https://nomadcapitalist.com/2013/06/25/the-best-countries-to-live-abroad-and-gmo-free-no-genetically-modified-food/
https://www.organic-europe.net/home-europe.html
https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Waters
http://spendmatters.com/2016/02/15/ethical-sourcing-do-consumers-and-companies-really-care/
https://www.thedailymeal.com/news/cook/which-grocery-store-chain-sells-most-organic-food-surprisingly-not-whole-foods/060515
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/03/walmart-groceries-organic-local-food-deserts/

Why We’ve Chosen A Home Birth

Hang on, no, this one’s not ours!

We have another four weeks until our due date, but isn’t he just gorgeous?

This little guy was probably born a very short time frame before this shot was taken; I’ve been attempting to memorize what babies look like at every stage from our extensive research above and beyond the work we’re doing with our doula, our childbirth class teacher and our midwife and I’d guess this little one is a pretty recent arrival!

What struck me about this image was the natural beauty of this photo; surrounded by water, cord and placenta still attached and what appears to be a very peaceful entry into the world, from one aqueous medium to another.

Which is precisely the way we’ll be welcoming our baby into the world, a mere 28 days from today!

Just as I’ve devoured any opportunity to share valuable information on the significant impact of what we eat and how it affects us, mind, body and soul, since I began this blog back in 2007, my newfound niche of learning and subsequent education on the vast field of childbirth has become a topic about which I am equally as passionate.

Some of the things we’ve learned along the way weren’t that surprising, such as some of the textbook dietary recommendations both for pregnancy as well as for what foods to introduce first to babies, while others were eye-opening at the least, and alarming, even terrifying at the worse.

Specifically, the entire process of giving birth, we have learned, in the US, is presented from a fear-based, medical viewpoint, so much so that even we initially planned on having our baby in the hospital, for no other reason than that’s just what you do.

I vividly recall a conversation I had at 4 months pregnant during which a family member asked if I’d be having the baby at home, to which I replied, “absolutely not… too risky.”

But was it?

With time on our hands, hubbie + I dove deep into this topic, in addition to all the learning we’d already planned on doing in advance of actually become parents to a tiny human, as much as one can do prior to birth that is.

Having seen case after case of clients being put through the ‘health care’ system, getting sicker, more medicated and more frustrated prior to beginning our work together, never having been asked once about what their food sourcing, type or intake looked like, I gather I should not have been quite as surprised that the business of being born, as the documentary with the same title shares, but I was.

Simply put, it is a business and not only are we not given all the information we need in order to make an intelligent decision about how and where we’d like our babies to be born, we’re also presented with the notion that it will be traumatic, it will be so painful that we will want to be medicated and quite possibly could be the most awful thing we’ve ever experienced.

I can’t help but make parallels to sport, having been an athlete for most of my life.    For you runners out there, do you recall being told before you ran your first marathon that it goes without saying that at mile 16 you’d hit a wall and that certainly, at mile 22 you’d ‘bonk’?

Neither are facts yet both, when presented as such, plant a seed of an unfavorable outcome of what is sure to come and in many cases, does manifest since the runner is quite sure it will.

These are all sentiments shared with me by real women and while three statements on their own might not seem like a lot, knowing that these emotions are far more typically seen versus approaching this magical time with a mindful and calm headspace imparts a sense of sadness for what will easily be taken away from so many women.

How about instead, remembering that the body knows what to do and that if we treat our pregnancy mindfully, eat properly, rest and exercise, we’re setting the stage for less complications.

If, in addition, we learn to spend more time in a space of positivity and trust, we can invite in and experience fully what is one of the most powerful things a woman’s life can present.

Let me preface what’s to come by stating that I believe every woman, every family must make their own decision as to what is comfortable to them when opting for a home versus hospital delivery.

Certainly, there are times when, for example, a C-section is a medical necessity when mother or baby’s health or life is at stake and ’m not anti-medicine by any means and acknowledge that I’m writing this prior to giving birth.

My emphasis is simply on getting more of this invaluable information out there, so that we can all make our own best informed decision for what can be a beautiful welcome into the world.

Some of the stats to be cognizant of which I found most alarming:

Less than half of American women who gave birth in a 1-year period surveyed in a study were allowed to have labor begin naturally, as opposed to being induced (1). Letting labor begin on its own with the optimal number of oxytocin receptors and optimal levels of natural oxytocin on board increases the likelihood that labor and birth will progress successfully and that breastfeeding and attachment will get off to the best possible start. Once pitocin is introduced, increased incidence of postpartum hemorrhage occurs as does a decreased chance of being able to begin labor with optimal levels of endorphins. It can also affect lactation and latching as well as increase risk for respiratory problems at birth and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
About 1 in 3 American babies are born via cesarean. According to a 2017 Consumer Reports study, about 26% of healthy women with low-risk pregnancies and full-term babies positioned headfirst (therefore typically considered equipped to deliver vaginally ) end up undergoing c-sections (2) This is well off from the 10 to 15% that the World Health Organization considers a “normal rate” for safeguarding against maternal death. Countries with rates that go beyond that, WHO says, don’t show any improvement in birth mortality rates.
Women are often presented with the option to have a C-Section for reasons such as, “It gives you a lot more control over childbirth than waiting to go into labor naturally; you can choose the day, the surgeon, and you know exactly how it will happen” (3) or that somehow this major surgery will involve less potential pain than a vaginal birth. Are these women also educated on all the side effects that a C-Section brings, including that Caesarean birth prevents important bacterial functions from being passed on, impacting immune stimulations during the first days of life and may explain why caesarean-born children suffer more frequently from chronic immune disorders (4)?
The umbilical cord is often immediately cut in a hospital setting (5); cutting the cord too soon after birth might stress the baby’s heart, increase the risk for bleeding inside the brain, and increase the risk for anemia and iron deficiency (6).
Erythromycin, an antibiotic, in the form of an eye ointment is typically applied to the eyes of newborns in order to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum (“ON”) which causes blindness in 3% of affected infants (7). However, Adverse effects can include chemical pink eye, blurred vision which could potentially interfere with bonding by disrupting early eye gazing between the newborn and parents. Plus, erythromycin is not 100% effective at preventing gonorrheal ON; it had a 20% failure rate due to growing resistance and may not be effective at preventing chlamydial ON or ON from other non-gonorrheal bacteria.
Historically, it has often been hospital protocol to bathe the baby in the first few hours after birth, in order to remove amniotic fluid and blood from your baby’s skin. But bathing doesn’t only remove the aforementioned fluids from your newborn’s skin, it also removes the vernix caseosa, which is a white substance found on your baby’s skin and leaving it on your babe has many health benefits, including natural antimicrobial properties, temperature regulation and moisturizing properties to baby’s delicate skin. Even if you only delay the first bath for 24 to 48 hours, your newborn benefits (8).

That’s only the tip of the iceberg and doesn’t even factor in some of the fundamental basics.

How would you feel in your own home, your own clothing, free to move around as your body dictates, focused on a calm mindset compared to being hooked up to medical devices, numerous people checking in on you repeatedly and possibly being rushed and urged to introduce intervention which may be unnecessary?

For us, the first step was deciding to hire a doula, a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during and shortly after childbirth to help her achieve the healthiest, most satisfying experience possible (9).

The great thing about working with a doula is that she or he can be present at any birth scenario, from home to birth center to hospital, and is there completely to be your advocate.

Our doula also happens to be an experienced yoga teacher and it was a comment she made which really sparked the idea for us to have our baby at home. Without suggestion to any of the students present in one class, and not even during a prenatal class, she merely asked us whether we were making decisions from a place of belief and trust… or from fear.

It was then that I realized that for us, opting to have our baby at home ‘just in case’ or ‘what if’, wasn’t the right fit.

Fortunately, Chris felt the same way and just to be sure, we still took the tour of the hospital with which the OB I’d seen for years was associated with and we knew immediately our decision was the right one.

Through our doula we have found an incredible midwife and through here, our childbirth / lactation teacher.

Further, we’ve received some incredible recommendations for resources to learn more and below, I share three of the documentaries we’ve found crucial to our own learning and subsequent decision:

The Business of Being Born, an exploration of the maternity care system in America
Orgasmic Birth, a film about creating a space for a woman to labor and birth with privacy, respect, support and confidence so that her body is able to release the hormones, which nature so wonderfully designed, leading to a more satisfying and even pleasurable birth experience
Birth Day, Midwife Naoli Vinaver joyously gives birth to her third child, Tamaya Okumura Vinaver, at home, sharing her exquisite and intimate home birth in the lush mountain countryside of Xalapa, Veracruz.

We are in the minority, undoubtedly, with only 1.5% of Americans opting to have a home birth (10), but for us, it is our best decision and we couldn’t be happier or more peaceful about it.

Again, it is my hope that this post serves only to stir some thoughts and to help encourage readers to do as much research and learning as possible in the months leading up to the birth of your babies.

Certainly there are many who have healthy, happy hospital births with zero complications and I truly feel that’s fantastic.

It’s personal choice and we’ve all got to approach with whatever rings true to our heart, soul and beliefs.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4235056/

(2) https://www.thebump.com/a/c-section-rate-problems

(3) https://www.statnews.com/2015/12/01/cesarean-section-childbirth/

(4) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/11/181130094328.htm

(5) https://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/cutting-umbilical-cord/

(6) https://www.nichd.nih.gov/newsroom/releases/051415-podcast-umbilical-cord

(7)https://evidencebasedbirth.com/is-erythromycin-eye-ointment-always-necessary-for-newborns/

(8) https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/vernix-caseosa#4

(9) https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/

(10) https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/out-of-hospital-births-on-the-rise-in-u-s/

Is Carb Loading Really Still A Thing?

Apparently so.

(And as I’m finding, not just for runners and endurance athletes, but for moms to be!)

Given that the article that prompted me to write today’s post was a recent one published in Runner’s World, I’ll focus today on the misconception that runners / endurance athletes not only need carbs, but a heck of a lot of carbs.

While I certainly was not surprised at the contents of the article, given it’s title, How to Carb Load for Your Next Race (1).

The article starts out with a seemingly logical explanation of why we ‘need to carbo load’ as well as the looming demise of race performance (GI distress, hitting the wall and cramping amongst other easily avoidable outcomes) that is sure to unfold, dare we not fill our boots with pasta, bread and brownies the night before a race.

Then, the by-the-book recommendation from the USDA panel on sports nutrition, as incorporated into the curriculum taught to many an aspiring dietician that we should aim for “4 grams of carb per pound of body weight for two to three days prior to an event. That means a 150 pound runner should aim for 600 grams of carbs for his or her loading phase”.

This would equate to 2,400 kcals just coming from carbohydrate alone, which begs the question, is this hypothetical person supposed to then add on more calories to supply even a trace amount of protein or fat, or subsist solely on carbs for three days?

There is a sample menu provided as well, of which the mere thought of consuming made me sense the subsequent lethargy that would no doubt follow after each of of the five very-high carb, refined-food based meals, including such items as bagels, fruit juices, not one but two bananas, chocolate milk, cookies, sports bars and drinks and the cherry on top?  A 12-ounce bag of Swedish Fish.

Sadly, this isn’t an early April fool’s joke.

Do carbs provide energy?

Absolutely.

All carbohydrates, whether it’s a regular Coca Cola, Diet Coke or a banana, in all forms which come along with the sweet taste our tongues detect, which then triggers an insulin response (2).

Quick recap: when digested, all carbohydrates are broken down into sugar and absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels.

When our blood sugar levels rise, our body releases insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that acts like a key. It allows blood sugar to leave the blood and enter our cells, where it can be used for energy or stored as fat.

Also important to keep in mind that insulin is a fat-sparing hormone. Translation: when the release of insulin is triggered, the body holds fat in reserve for energy.    In other words, we don’t burn fat when we have sugar at our constant disposal.

With rare exception, it behooves most of us to become more efficient at being a fat-burner… whether we are talking about performance on a day to day basis or during a race.

Sourcing more of one’s daily calories from fat provides numerous health benefits including a reduced risk of heart disease, breast cancer and type 2 diabetes (3), a substantial risk reduction for developing dementia versus those with diets favoring carbohydrates for whom the risk for dementia dramatically increased (4), improved mental focus and clarity thanks to steady blood sugar levels, a cleaner burning fuel during athletic feats… and not just those performed at a low heart rate.

With training, the body can begin to perform at a higher work capacity using fat as its fuel at heart rates which it previously would have needed to glean its reserves from sugar.

What’s the down side?

It takes work.

In order for the body to access fat as fuel, gluconeogenesis must occur, a metabolic pathway that results in the generation of glucose from certain non-carbohydrate carbon substrates, including amino acids,  lipids, glycerol and odd-chain fatty acids. (5)

The good news, however, is that our bodies are literally built to do just this; fat is the preferred fuel of human metabolism and has been for most of human evolution. Under normal human circumstances, we actually require only minimal amounts of glucose, most or all of which can be supplied by the liver as needed on a daily basis (6).

So why is this erroneous information continuously spoon fed to us time and time again, for athletic performance, for weight loss, for optimal pregnancy health and virtually every type of eating recommendation?

In his blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, Mark Sisson puts it quite succinctly when he states, “most MDs, the USDA and virtually every RD program in the country can’t seem to grasp why a lower carb approach to eating is a better choice for health and fitness is because their fundamental paradigm, the core theory that underpins everything else in that belief system  is flawed. They remain slaves to the antiquated notion that glucose is the king of fuels, so they live their lives in a fear of running low.” (6)

One might also look at the situation anecdotally; have you personally followed the USDA’s eating guidelines for weight management, for prevention of diabetes, for overall health or athletic performance and if so, how is it working for you?

Given the nearly 70% obesity rate in the US, suffice it to say it’s not working for most.

So what have you got to lose by bucking these silly recommendations and trying something as far-fetched as providing the body the chance to work in its most efficient, most intrinsic manner and letting it use fat as its fuel?

One easy way to start is to shift your percentage of calories away from carb-heavy foods (even something as seemingly benign as too much fruit as well as the obvious bad guys- the “white” foods and corn syrup containing culprits) and slowly begin upping your varied sources of natural fats, while simultaneously eating an abundance of local, in season leafy greens and moderate portions of mindfully sourced proteins.

(Psst… that’s what real food is anyway!)

Unless you’re trying to lose body fat, don’t also reduce your calories to an unfathomably silly low level.    You will notice, however, that with fat as your fuel, you may just end up eating a tad less anyway, thanks to the increased satiety level you’ll find.

Thinking you’re too lean to supply yourself with ample fat as your fuel?

Worry not; even the leanest marathon runner harbors “in excess of 30,000 kilocalories of adipose tissue reserves,” which is “an order of magnitude greater than maximum carbohydrates stores in the body” (7).

Do your research, throw in a bit of common sense and let that be the foundation upon which you decide whether eating three bagels, two bananas, cookies, brownies, chocolate milk and Swedish fish really sounds like a good idea of strategic, intelligent ways to fuel your body to perform a feat such as running a marathon.

(1) Sciolo, R.W. “How to Carb Load for Your Next Race.” Runner’s World, Apr. 2019, pp. 22–23.

(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

(3) https://www.cnn.com/2016/07/18/health...

(4) https://www.drperlmutter.com/dietary-...

(5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucone...

(6) https://www.marksdailyapple.com/a-met...

(7) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

 

Changing the Scope of What Pregnant Women Are Advised to Eat

“Eating for Two”?   Thinking pregnancy is a time to simply get in more calories, regardless of the source?

Or maybe it’s more like, “everything in moderation”?

It’s hard enough to decipher how to eat when it’s eating for one (a woman who isn’t pregnant… or a man).   But when the ante is upped and what you’re eating directly affects the development of another being, the confusion increases incrementally.

So when you’re in a new situation, you turn to an expert for advice, right?

Back when I started racing triathlon, I devoured magazines (this is pre-internet), books and learned from the then brand new club in the area, before it was even called LA Tri (it was triathlete zombies back in the day!).

Point is, I sought expert advise.

I made mistakes along the way, you can be sure of that, but I managed to improve steadily but slowly over a long period of time.   Something was working, I had time on my hands since this was something I was doing for sheer enjoyment and there wasn’t really anything at stake.

But what do you do if you’re in a whole new circumstance and the advice you’re given by what should be that trusted expert raises some red flags?

This is precisely what occurred at my first OB/GYN visit after confirmation I was pregnant, as I’ve shared in past posts.

I’m a bit of an anomaly here; having the good fortune to be able to practice what I love for a living- educating others on the importance of what we eat and they body of health we are subsequently able to create, so being able to send a quick email or make a fast phone call to ease any concerns I may have had about whether or not it would behoove me to modify what I eat at all was a gift at my disposal.

But then, I thought in horror, what about the millions of women who, like so many Americans and those in other countries who are now adopting the horrible eating patterns we have here, are unsure of what and how much to eat during pregnancy, who literally fall victim to the antiquated advice given out under the umbrella of sound pregnancy nutrition?

Even I have experienced the feeling of being uncomfortable (but still doing so) speaking my mind in a doc’s visit, so how must one feel who might not have the confidence to ask questions?

Wasn’t there even a single resource for pregnant women out there to get a breath of fresh air and maybe (fingers crossed) get some sound alternatives to the USDA’s recommendations for what to eat during this crucial stage of life, when time is absolutely of the essence?

And with serious consequence if mistakes are made, unlike my example of learning about triathlon, no less.

I would like to be that resource, but given this is my first pregnancy, and I’m learning as I go, too, it will take some time before I am equally as well versed in advising on pregnancy nutrition as I am in ‘how to be a successful paleo / keto endurance athlete’.

Until very recently, to my knowledge, there was no body of work to rely upon to provide legitimate, fact-based research to spell out in detail what a pregnant woman who just doesn’t buy the mainstream advices would be best served eating.

Thankfully, this is no longer the case.

Lily Nichols (1), who holds the credentials of being a registered dietician / nutritionist, has created a body of work that I believe is an absolute must-read for any pregnant woman.

When I began searching for reliable, authentic resource upon which I might rely to glean some solid, fact-based information for a women who prefers to eat real food (not food byproducts which come highly recommended by the USDA), ample fat and promote an optimal gut biome for her developing baby, answers were few and far between.

Fortunately, I learned about the research of a pioneer in her field, recommended by Robb Wolf, who was bucking the system by (gasp) recommending an authentic, ancestral eating regime for expectant mamas.

While she doesn’t go so far as labeling the recommendations as ‘Paleo’ or ‘Keto’, which is probably a good thing, given how confusing and silly these labels have become, in effect, real, whole foods which are suggested, each with a common-sense, rational reason for why it makes sense to include these foods, are, in essence those which are commonplace in an authentic paleo inspired approach.

Once I learned about her work, I bought her second book, Real Food for Pregnancy, (2) immediately and later learned it was her second piece, the first being one dedicated to prevention and treatment of GD (gestational diabetes), once again, through food, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes (3). 

I was sold before I even began the book itself; by page five of the intro, in which she does a side by side comparison of a conventional nutrition sample meal plan, one which would be recommended by the USDA as well as many US-trained, Western Med based docs to what she calls a Real Food for Pregnancy sample meal plan.

This is followed by a table in which a comprehensive micro and macronutrient breakdown is offered.

While the plans are similar in total caloric recommendations, the findings were that the Real Food meal plan topped out on nutrient density across the board.

If you’ve been following an authentic Paleo approach all along, the findings and guidelines in the book will not surprise you and in fact, they very well may be that little extra measure of assurance you may seek in ensuring what you’ve been putting in your body is precisely the very same whole food that will provide optimal nutrition for your growing baby.

If, on the other side, you’ve sought nutrition advice in an effort to become healthier yourself during pregnancy, are hoping to prevent GD or simply don’t quite buy the advice doled out to you at your biweekly 10 minute OB visit (such as one of the many sage pieces of advice I got:  take a baby aspirin each day to ensure adequate blood flow to the placenta), I highly recommend this book.

In her book, Lily put it best when she wrote that “depriving a mother’s growing baby of key nutrients needed for things like brain development* goes against the ‘first, do no harm’ principle that is central to ethical, global medical care”.

Why wouldn’t any mom do anything and everything she can to promote ideal brain function, gut health, decrease incidences of certain diseases and increase chances of using epigenetics to render favorable outcomes even in cases when babies have specific genes dictating higher risks of certain health issues?

It’s a no brainer and it’s common sense.

And so is all the invaluable information in this book.

Can’t recommend it highly enough!

*The conventional sample meal plan indicates low levels of of choline and Vitamin A, essential for brain development.

https://lilynicholsrdn.com/about/
https://amzn.to/2T7Dkxk
https://amzn.to/2TA9fM2

How Healthy are Those Healthy Snacks?

Are Vegan, Nacho “Cheeze” Flavored, non GMO, soy, dairy and nut-free, USDA Organic Certified kale chips all they’re cracked up to be?

Gone are the days when the line between healthy and so unhealthy was a glaring red divide.

 Think back to a time when one might wander into any run of the mill grocery store and could either opt for one of two choices:

Go down the into the small health food section  (a concept I always found odd; if that was health food, what would the rest of the contents in the store be classified as, anyway?) or produce section to buy real food
Peruse the rest of the store and stock up on packaged, processed items, often with their best feature being convenience

Back then, it was hardly even conversation worthy to consider whether steamed broccoli with olive oil versus trans-fat rich potato chips were the healthier choice.

Now the lines have blurred tremendously.

Forget about the items labeled as being “keto friendly” or “Paleo – approved”; let’s just focus on those we perceive to be healthy.

Organic ‘Nacho-Cheeze” Flavored Kale Chips
Gluten Free Tamari Edamame Puffs.
Non GMO Yam Crisps.
Oregon Tilth Certified Chick-Pea Bites.
Fair-Trade Coconut Flour Chocolate Wafers.

What else have you seen?

Let’s dig into this a little.

We know that the labeling we see on our foods is governed by the USDA.

And we also know who backs the USDA (1); amongst them are ConAgra, General Mills, Kellogg, the National Dairy Council, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, and PepsiCo.

So what does it really mean when we see the word healthy on a label?

Foods that “are not low in total fat, but have a fat profile makeup of predominantly mono and polyunsaturated fats; or contain at least ten percent of the Daily Value (DV) per reference amount customarily consumed (RACC) of potassium or vitamin D” are considered healthy.

No regulation to determine the amount of sugar, the presence of corn syrup or vegetable oils (hydrogenated or not), amount of processing and, on a most basic level, nutrient density.

This begs the question, as so eloquently positioned in a recent article in Vogue (3), “is the new breed of healthy snack food actually healthy, or just addictive?”

The author mentions navigating her young child’s stroller around her local Whole Foods and coming across one such ‘healthy’ snack labeled as “Vegan, White Cheddar ChickPea Puffs”, whose package stated that the contents were “USDA Organic, kosher, soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free and non-GMO”.

Do all these qualifications mean this is a healthy item to give our youngsters?  Or to eat ourselves?

While eating a bag of USDA Organic Certified, kosher, soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, non-GMO crisps of some sort or other on a rare occasion certainly isn’t going to create the demise of a healthy human body all on it’s own, what happens when food byproducts such as these become the mainstay of what humans consume?

Common sense dictates a general trend of eating more things from bags, boxes, mixes or cans is less than ideal versus fresh, local and in season.

Another point of contention to consider is how much the ingredients, all of which are completely legal to use and approved for human consumption by the USDA, may do more damage long term as a result of what is, in effect, a domino-like effect caused not only by added addictive sugars but also potentially by artificial flavors, colorings and dyes.

Dr. Mark Schatzer wrote The Dorito Effect (4) in 2015, in which he posits that it is the growing presence of fake flavorings which are responsible for our country’s obesity rate.

In the Vogue article, the author closes with reference of another example of another product which was about to make its debut:  “100% Vegan Ch’eesy Mac and Ch’eesy Bacon Mac, a plant-based take on a classic comfort food that is shelf-stable, ready in one minute, completely free of nuts, dairy, oil, trans fat, cholesterol, GMOs and artificial flavors”.

How’s that for a mouthful?

Do we really want to choose to eat things that need that much qualification?

If we were to eat real, fresh, whole food, we wouldn’t need all that verbiage;  how much wording do you see when you buy a bunch of kale, or a piece of wild black cod or a bottle of olive oil?

Cut to the chase:  sure, a baked, organic, non GMO yam crisp made with coconut oil is a better choice than a conventional, white potato chip deep fried in hydrogenated oil.   

Have it once in a while.

Once in a while, being the key takeway.

But please, don’t do your body (or your kids’ and family’s) bodies the disservice of opting for packaged items marked as healthy as a regular occurrence.

It’s each and every one of our responsibilities to nurture and nourish ourselves through eating real food, moving and sleeping… and then, to allow our leading by example to facilitate better options for those around us.

http://www.eatdrinkpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/AND_Corporate_Sponsorship_Report.pdf
https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/ucm521690.htm
Adler, Tamar. “Grab And Go?” Vogue, Feb. 2019, pp. 156–177.
Schatzker, Mark. The Dorito Effect: the Surprising New Truth about Food and Flavor. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2016.

Kale + Fat: What’s Wrong with That?

I’m a kale fanatic; anyone who knows me will vouch for this, and it goes way back to before kale was a thing.

Far before kale was cool, and for that matter, far before health food stores were cool, there you’d find me as a toddler with my hippie mom, purchasing the 70s versions of ‘health’ food including organic alfalfa sprouts, whole wheat flour for mom to bake her own bread, raw cashews (a favorite snack of mine that mom allowed me to have, despite the pediatrician warning her they might cause me to become a fat child), carob powder and Dr. Bronner’s all in one soap, amongst a plethora of other food + household stuff that are now the norm but back then, were just… weird.

Fortunately, I latched on to what she demonstrated and fell in love with real food and healthy eating around the time I was born, and rather than rebelling during the time I was a bratty teenager, I kept these things which were the foundation of healthy living close at heart, and continued eating these foods that others would often comment as being strange.

Including eating a bell pepper, whole and raw, as a snack (still don’t see what the big deal here is).

And, including eating kale.

One thing that has changed, thankfully, is the misconception that kale, and all veggies, while we’re on the subject, must be eaten only in their raw form or that if cooked, they must only be steamed if we want them to most easily maintain their status as being good for us.

Far from it.

Of course, we do lose nutrient density when we cook anything, but if we weigh out the pros and cons, one common reason people cite for not eating enough veggies is that they don’t like them.

Other variables apply, certainly, such as not carving out a small amount of time to prepare them, or not being sure of the best preparations of a veggie we’re trying out for the fist time but if we ditch the idea that our only two options in the veg department are raw or steamed, we open up a world of possibility.. and taste.

Most importantly, we can move forward, full speed ahead with one simple trick which can transform even the more boring of veggies to something undoubtedly decadent:  add fat.

Simply put, you’ll never go wrong sautéing any veggie in coconut oil and garlic, or roasting it in duck fat with and capers, or blanching it then dousing it with olive oil and lemon.

As more and more people find themselves intrigued by a ketogenic approach to eating, whether or not they’re cycling into a paleo-inspired foundation of eating, slowly but surely, more fat-friendly veggie recipes and entrees at restaurants are popping up.

(To clarify, a properly executed ketogenic approach does not have to equal zero carbs and thus, zero veggies.  The key is to be mindful of which veggies have the lowest net carbs and stick with those, making it easy to stay below 50 grams of carbs per day while cosuming adequate dietary fiber to keep the system running like clockwork).

Some of my own regular go-to recipes are my duck-fat roasted cauliflower and of course… sautéed kale.

Which is precisely why I loved an article published today in the Times’ food section, Where Kale Is King (at Least, When It’s Stewed in Schmaltz and Bacon) (1).

Who knew!?

It turns out that there is such a thing as an actual festival to celebrate this beloved leafy green, which ranks a 100 on the A.N.D.I. scale (2)!

In a corner of Germany some 50 miles south of the North Sea, kale is more than the essential ingredient for superfood smoothies or a better-for-you-than-broccoli vitamin bomb. It is a season, an event, a tradition.

Unlike the Bavarians’ annual beer festival, Oktoberfest, which is known the world around,  the hikes and feasts surrounding the annual harvest of kale, grünkohl, in German, in the flat lands around Oldenburg and Bremen are unknown internationally and draw blank looks from most Germans.

A few years ago, the city of Oldenburg set out to change that. Calling itself the country’s “Kale Hike Capital,” it began promoting events surrounding the winter walks, held from November through late February.

I want to go!

I did detect a slight note of an apologetic nature when the preparation is reviewed; a long-cook or stew in bacon or goose fat and the reference to it being most delicious when eaten the next day, and I disagree that there’s any reason to not enjoy this preparation, again, so long as it’s balanced out with other means of preparing this, and other leafy greens.

Bring the fat on and own it.

When sourced properly, natural animal fats including pasture fed lard, grass fed tallow, duck fat, chicken schmaltz and you name which ever other ones you can recall your grandmother using, are a healthy part of our overall nutrient intake.

Products from grassfed animals offer us more than omega-3s. They contain significant amounts of two “good” fats, monounsaturated oils and stearic acid, but no manmade trans-fatty acids. They are also the richest known natural source of CLA and contain extra amounts of vitamin E and beta-carotene. Finally, grassfed meat is lower than feedlot meat in total fat and calories, making it ideally suited for the all too common sedentary lifestyle (3).

Sometimes sauté with lard; other times use coconut oil.

Sometimes roast in duck fat; other times add olive oil to steamed veggies after cooking.

Yet other times, simply cut an avocado in half, mash it up with some lime and dip in the raw veggies.

Find your own balance and get those veggies in somehow, and often!

One caveat: there is such thing as pushing it a little too far; if you’re attempting to count the bag of kale chips you munch on each day between that 9am latte and hasty fast food lunch at noon as part of your daily intake, don’t.  Once in a while is one thing, but if that’s the only time something green graces your plate, consider including options that aren’t quite so highly processed as your regular go-to.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post discussing how healthy many of the new ‘healthy’ versions of snack foods are these days.

In the meantime, which veggies will you eat next?

(1) https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/wo...

(2) https://www.drfuhrman.com/library/eat...

(3) http://www.eatwild.com/articles/confu...