The Motherhood Diet

All of us want to have happy, healthy children. Diet makes a difference in our own health; naturally, it makes a difference for our children’s health, as well. But can what we eat before we even become pregnant affect our baby’s health? What about our diet during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding?

Sandrine Perez addresses all of the above in today’s discussion. Sandrine is the founder and head of Nourishing Our Children, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Established in 2005, the mission of Nourishing Our Children is to educate and inspire parents to return to the whole, natural foods that have produced generation after generation of healthy children.

Sandrine sets forth exactly what foods help the babies develop well in the womb, and which foods should be avoided. The information she shares is based on the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, that showed a strong tie between the diet of the mother and the health of her offspring.

Over the years, Sandrine has seen proof of the efficacy of this diet, with mother after mother in her community birthing and raising healthy, happy children following the guidelines set forth in today’s episode. Whether you are a mother now (or hope to be one at some juncture), this show is for you. Learn now what to eat pre-conception, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding for the sake of future generations.

Notes

Sandrine Perez has a background in education and therapy so she was well-equipped to launch Nourishing our Children, a project of the Weston A. Price Foundation, in 2005. Its mission is to educate and inspire parents to return to the whole, natural foods that have produced generation after generation of healthy children. This is exactly what Sandrine focuses on in today’s episode. The motherhood diet emphasizes what mothers should before conception, during pregnancy, and while breastfeeding.

In today’s show, Sandrine touches on:

how we can begin to prepare our bodies for our children, even before conception
what motivated Sandrine to begin the “Nourishing our children” project
why prenatal vitamins cannot make up for a nutrient-poor diet
why a person cannot simply eat whatever they like during pregnancy
how traditional people had foods that they would offer women in the childbearing years, and those who were expecting and nursing
why food is preferred over prenatal vitamins
Sandrine’s personal story – how her mother abandoned her traditional diet in favor of convenience foods and how this impacted Sandrine’s health
Sally Fallon Morell’s story – how she had poor eyesight and crooked teeth but nourished herself well and reversed the “trend” and showed that such concerns are not genetic. None of her children needed orthodontics or glasses.
the freshness of traditional foods (neither canned nor boxed, w/o additives or preservatives)
the relevance of Dr. Price’s research today
the Weston A. Price Foundation’s specific dietary guidelines for pregnant and nursing moms
how that diet includes liver, fish eggs, eggs, beef and lamb, sardines, butter, and lard and more
resources for how to find these foods, prepare such foods, and include them in your diet
why the diet is very heavy with animal foods
the list of foods to avoid (which includes “trans fats” and processed oils)
why the simplest foods are the best (i.e. “one-ingredient foods”)
which traditional oils and fats are best (including butter, suet, lard, cold-pressed olive oil, marine oil)
the oxymoron of the phrase “junk food”
how critical it is to avoid commercial fried foods, sugar, white flour, caffeine, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, soy imitation foods, etc.
how diet impacts the quantity and quality of breastmilk
the importance to nutrition for top quality breastmilk
the links to studies that show the wide range of fat content in breastmilk and how it depends on the mother’s diet (2% milk v. 9 % milk)
what the “motherhood diet” has to offer