ARTICLE SUMMARY
- Good maternal nutrition during pregnancy can protect the offspring from diabetes, stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, and memory loss later in life.
- Special preconception and pregnancy diets emphasizing foods dense in particular nutrients were universal among the traditional groups that Weston Price studied.
- Modern science has shown that fat-soluble vitamins are necessary for growth and development; the omega-3 fatty acid DHA is necessary for brain development; the need for biotin during pregnancy increases; folate boosts growth and decreases the risk of birth defects; choline causes a lifelong increase in memory and attention; and the amino acid glycine is required for growth.
- WAPF recommends a dose of high-vitamin cod liver oil per day to yield 20,000 IU of vitamin A, 2,000 IU of vitamin D, and 2 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (about 1 3/4 teaspoon per day).
- Grass-fed animal fats supply vitamins E and K2; palm oil, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and freshly ground grains are also sources of vitamin E; fermented foods are also sources of vitamin K2. Leafy greens supply vitamin K1.
- Biotin can be obtained from liver and egg yolks. Raw egg whites should be strictly avoided and cooked egg whites should be consumed in moderation. Egg yolks can be added to smoothies and ice cream to boost biotin status.
- Folate can be obtained from liver, legumes, beets, and greens. Choline can be obtained from grass-fed dairy, egg yolks, liver, meat, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Figure 7 provides examples of how to meet the folate and choline requirements.
- Muscle meats and eggs should be liberally matched with the above folate-rich foods and with skin, bones, and bone broths to obtain glycine.
Table of Contents
- Embryonic and Fetal Growth
- Primitive Pregnancy Diets
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin K
- DHA
- Cod Liver Oil
- Biotin
- Folate
- Choline
- Glycine
- The Developmental Origins Theory
- Nutrition for Fetal Growth
- Quality, Not Quantity
- Figures
- Figure 1. Important Nutrients Found In Fish Eggs
- Figure 2. Comparison of Commercial U.S. Milk Available In 1970 to Maasai Milk in Dry and Wet Seasons in Narok District of Kenya
- Figure 4. Biotin Content of Foods
- Figure 5. Meeting the Daily Folate Requirement
- Figure 6. Meeting the Daily Choline Requirement
- Figure 7. Folate- and Choline-Rich Meals and Snacks
- Figure 8. Percentage of Total Protein as Glycine
- Figure 9. Percentage of Total Protein as Methion
- Sidebars
- References
- About The Author
Human life begins, biologically speaking, at conception. This is the
moment at which the new organism possesses its own unique combination of
some 20,000 genes and the moment at which it becomes capable of growth
and cell division. The days and weeks following conception form a
critical window within which the nutritional environment of the womb
sets the tempo for fetal growth. But nothing more clearly illustrates
the continuity between the new life within the womb and the adult he or
she will become than the fact that the quality of nutrition during these
nine months produces lifelong effects on the brain, kidneys, and the
cardiovascular system; determines the risk of degenerative disease; and
profoundly influences the quality of life that persists through
adulthood and into old age.
Every human cell within a given human being has an identical set of
genes, called a genome. These genes come in pairs: one copy from the
mother and one from the father. Sperm and egg
cells are the exception to the rule and carry only one from each pair.
By shuffling the maternal and paternal genes into different combinations
to produce each sperm or egg, a
single man or woman could theoretically generate an incomprehensibly
greater number of combinations than the number of atoms that make up the
known universe, thus ensuring that no two human beings on the face of
the earth—save identical twins—will carry the exact same genome.1
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