Calories
“Eating for two” is an oft-repeated phrase during pregnancy. But when it comes to the additional amount that women need to eat, it is more like eating for 1.1! Okay, for some women, perhaps a bit more - but generally not as high as eating...
Calcium!?
My favorite OB textbook says that vitamin D requirements double in pregnancy, and that calcium and phosphorous requirements each go up by 50 percent. The latest scientific evidence, however, suggests that requirements for vitamin D,...
Not Found in Most Prenatal Vitamins!
Chromium is a mineral that works with insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. This can be especially important during pregnancy. Only 30 micrograms a day are needed, but many people don't get enough. ...
Vitamin B6 and Iodine
We only know of two other nutrients whose requirements increase by more than 40 percent during pregnancy. Again, we have one vitamin and one mineral: vitamin B6 and iodine.
The Gift of Iron
Iron requirements also soar during pregnancy. Both the mother and the baby need iron to build red blood cells. A pregnant woman's blood supply increases by 1/3 over the course of the pregnancy. Babies must grow their entire blood...
During pregnancy, every ounce of baby's growing body after that very first single cell has come from her mother's own body. The brain, the heart, the muscles are all built from nutrients that were once part of her mother.
Folate and Iron
Out of all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in our diets, we only know of two whose requirements increase by 50 percent or more during pregnancy: one vitamin and one mineral, folate (also known as folic acid) and iron....
Calories
'Eating for two' is an oft-repeated phrase during pregnancy. But when it comes to the additional amount that women need to eat, it is more like eating for 1.1! Okay, for some women, perhaps a bit more - but generally not as high as eating...
Calcium!?
My favorite OB textbook says that vitamin D requirements double in pregnancy, and that calcium and phosphorous requirements each go up by 50 percent. The latest scientific evidence, however, suggests that requirements for vitamin D,...
Not Found in Most Prenatal Vitamins!
Chromium is a mineral that works with insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. This can be especially important during pregnancy. Only 30 micrograms a day are needed, but many people don't get enough....
Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
These are the only remaining nutrients of which we know women need to increase their proportional intake during pregnancy. Pregnant women are designed to eat diets richer in...
Zinc
The only other nutrient whose requirement increases by more than 30 percent is zinc. Zinc is found in almost every cell in the mother's and the baby's bodies. The baby needs zinc to support its burgeoning growth and to make each new copy of...
Vitamin B6 and Iodine
We only know of two other nutrients whose requirements increase by more than 40 percent during pregnancy. Again, we have one vitamin and one mineral: vitamin B6 and iodine.
Vitamin B6, also called pyridoxine, is actually a...
The Gift of Iron
Iron requirements also soar during pregnancy. Both the mother and the baby need iron to build red blood cells. A pregnant woman's blood supply increases by 1/3 over the course of the pregnancy. Babies must grow their entire blood...
How Much Folate Do You Need? Preventing neural tube defects is the poster child for folate supplementation. But folate is also critically important whenever a new copy of DNA is made. Each new cell in the baby's rapidly growing body requires a new...
A Special Time
During pregnancy, every ounce of baby's growing body after that very first single cell has come from her mother's own body. The brain, the heart, the muscles are all built from nutrients that were once part of her mother. The baby is...
Pediatricians are among my favorite doctors. As a group we tend to care about prevention and love kids. We tend to be smart and caring. But many of us work in systems that put higher value on speed than on caring and prefer prescriptions to teaching...
Today was the first known slip-up of the second year of my organic journey. But the real slip might not be what you think.
I'm in Oregon tonight on a college visit, and when I mentioned that I was only eating organic food a local parent enthused...
Folate and Iron
Out of all the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in our diets, we only know of two whose requirements increase by 50 percent or more during pregnancy: one vitamin and one mineral, folate (also known as folic acid) and iron.
The Parent Detective
As parents, you get to be detectives, solving the ever-changing mystery of what will make your baby smile. And the clues you unearth are also the best clues to the developmental tasks that are important for...
In an effort to identify plants that can filter air in sealed environments, NASA spent 2 years testing common plants to determine the best natural filters. Check out the top ten list to find plants that perform the best in removing formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide, three common yet toxic contaminants that we regularly find indoors.
