101 most nourishing foods while ttc/pregnant/nursing

[WuWei]

Which foods do you feel are the most important nutrient-dense foods to consume while ttc/pregnant/nursing? Which to avoid?

homemade bone broth every. single. day. 1cup (MANY nutrients needed, plus minerals)
homemade milk kefir every. single. day. 1 cup (gradually work up) (B vits, enzymes, most probiotics in proper ph)

green smoothie every. single. day. day 2 cups (any fruit + any dark leafy greens, rotate produce. tons of vit, minerals, enzymes)
liver one ounce, only three times a week. (B-vits, iron)

coconut oil 1 Tbls every. single. day. (medium chain fatty acids, kills candida in the large intestine)
fermented CLO, every. single day. (most expensive item) (vit A, D, K, EFAs)
Bubbies sauerkraut 1 Tbls. every. single. day. (or other raw, fermented food) (probiotics, improves stomach acid)
Brazil nuts 1 ONLY, every. single. day. (selenium)

Celtic Sea Salt a pinch in every glass of water, broth. (microminerals)
Lemon juice, fresh squeezed, 1 tsp. in every glass of water or smoothie. (alkalizing to body ph, paradoxically)
Raw local honey, 1 Tbls at bedtime. (helps bifidum bacteria to grow in the gut)
Egg yolk, 1 per day. (if not IgE)

Lentils, 1 cup per day. (folate, molybdenum)
Red Raspberry Leaf Infusions, 1 cup per day.
Nettle Leaf Infusions, 1 cup per day. (Vitamins A, C, D and K, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron and sulphur)
Wild Alaskan Salmon, 4 oz, three times a week.
Kelp, 1 tablespoon, organic, heavy metal tested.


Epsom salt baths for the sulfate.

http://www.herbshealing.com/Article_...y_Problems.htm
http://www.naturalbloom.com/articles...php?article=37



Pat

[newcastlemama]

My list is similar--

Long (24-72 hour) simmered beef bone broth
HVCLO
Chicken liver pate
Kerrygold butter
Greens (dandelion/kale/collards/lettuces)

[mom61508]

Oh Pat I can't tell you how happy this thread makes me


I would add quality ghee to the above and perhaps roe once in awhile since it's pricy
sardines
coconut milk
Not food but Lots of sunshine

As for foods to avoid
Gluten and eggs for me. Although I'm not Ige to eggs so does that mean I should still have an egg a day???

Maybe cut out dairy but I love my raw milk and homemade yogurt(although someone else makes it for me) I have to trial dairy but I keep procrastinating.

[Magelet]

those sound great.
also (like a pp):
plenty of grassfed butter
plenty of grassfed raw milk (or at the very least grass-fed non homogenized if you can't get raw)
roe
CLO with BO


I'm curious, why 1 brazil nut? also I feel that stressing too much over eating all your nutrients on a daily basis isn't worth it, and looking at say, a weekly basis is better.

[Ambishop19]

This is a great list, and definitely something for me to work towards. Thanks for sharing.

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by Magelet

I'm curious, why 1 brazil nut? also I feel that stressing too much over eating all your nutrients on a daily basis isn't worth it, and looking at say, a weekly basis is better.

Brazil nut=selenium Agreed totally stressing over it is not worth it, advice to remember because I will stress over it!

[Koalamom]

subbing!

[BeagleMommy]

Thanks for posting this! I'm a nursing mom and while I tried really hard to eat well while pregnant, I have really slacked off since the baby was born. It's a good reminder that my increased dietary needs still exist! I haven't had red raspberry leaf tea in ages!

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by WuWei

Brazil nuts 1 ONLY, every. single. day. (selenium)

I wonder, why ONLY one brazil nut? Is there any harm in eating more? I eat 2 a day (along with my organic apple and my whey protein smoothie) but I also enjoy a daily handful of raw almonds, some raw cashews and a teaspoon of peanut butter.

I too struggle with my rasberry leaf and nettle tea (I have an organic pregnancy blend that also contains dandelion root, oatstraw, alfalfa and rosehips) as I'm not a fan of herbal teas at all

To the above list I'd just add a glass of unsweetened cranberry juice; it helps preventing UTIs and yeast infections, two very common pregnancy ailments.

[Gingercat]

Originally Posted by newcastlemama

Kerrygold butter

I've noticed that the Kerrygold butter (the Irish one, correct?) is frequently mentioned in American blogs and forums, but I have always wondered why! Is the American butter really so terrible that Kerrygold butter is such a good option for you?

Kerrygold butter is found pretty much everywhere here in Europe (yes, it is very commercial) and it is often the butter of choice used in baking. But I do not consider it that good as it is pasteurised and it does not come from organic pasture land. One can find way better choices than Kerrygold when it comes to butter and cheese.

Personally I'm not a butter/dairy fan, I stick to my CO and nut butters for cooking/baking/snacking so maybe I'm missing something here...

[mom61508]

Originally Posted by Gingercat

I wonder, why ONLY one brazil nut? Is there any harm in eating more? I eat 2 a day (along with my organic apple and my whey protein smoothie) but I also enjoy a daily handful of raw almonds, some raw cashews and a teaspoon of peanut butter.

I too struggle with my rasberry leaf and nettle tea (I have an organic pregnancy blend that also contains dandelion root, oatstraw, alfalfa and rosehips) as I'm not a fan of herbal teas at all

To the above list I'd just add a glass of unsweetened cranberry juice; it helps preventing UTIs and yeast infections, two very common pregnancy ailments.

Selenium is one of things you want to make sure you don't get to much of. I'm sure 2 a day is just fine tho. What about some raw honey in your tea, have you tried that?

[FairyRae]

Kelp, 1 tablespoon, organic, heavy metal tested.

Pat, would you use caution starting this (esp if pregnant or nursing at the time)?

I've tried starting this (very slowly--w/ a 1/2 tsp or less a day) multiple times but backed off b/c of the headaches/detox reactions I was having which I thought might be due to bromine (or is it bromide?) release...(I was also supping mag, vit c, etc at the time to support detox pathways.)

I plan to follow through w/ it when I'm done nursing, but just really don't want to dump anything into ds right now...

[tanyalynn]

I'm sure it's not all-inclusive, but a few for me for if/when this becomes an issue...

liver, beef and chicken -- not sure I'd limit beef liver to 3 oz/wk, I think 1/2 pound a week seems very reasonable, rocking source of so many vitamins and minerals, and as much chicken liver as seems tasty.

fat to taste, from whatever source works (for me, animal sources and coconut for the most part)

mom61508--if you think eggs are doing something funky, something that a regular food is not supposed to be doing, I'd avoid them. I'm not IgE to either gluten or dairy, but they mess with me. Eggs are one of the easiest animal products to find a really high quality source for, and I love them for us, love them for their cholesterol, their minerals, their vitamins, their flexibility in all sorts of dishes, their sheer yumminess. But if they do something funky to you, I'd skip 'em.

sardines and wild salmon -- I've been avoiding anything from the ocean for a long time, but I think for most people, and me now that I'm on getting to the healthy side, they've just got a lot of nutrients, esp with the bones, so if you're careful about understanding the source, then yeah, good.

lentils (French green ones are yummy, not lentil-y) and black beans -- nutritious, folate-rich, good amounts of other minerals, and since I'm not keen on grains, it's carb-y which in moderation I think is fine for me

broccoli, baby bok choy, beets, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes -- probably lots more green stuff, I just haven't cultivated a love for kale or collards yet ... considering a juicer for beet/carrot/celery juice

I love homemade kimchee rather than sauerkraut, the carrots and green onions and garlic and ginger are just so yummy.

And herbal infusions are tastier than I expected (I add some peppermint to improve the aroma) -- nettles, oatstraw, red clover, I think RRL is often saved til a bit later in pregnancy but I have only skimmed the really long RRL thread in the Pregnancy section. The thread in H&H on herbal infusions was helpful to me.

On the avoid list: gluten and dairy -- maybe some dairy will be okay for me at some point, but gluten does some weird stuff and I think it's going to take a long time before my body could consider that just a food like any other--and nutritionally, it's not impressive.

[WuWei]

Originally Posted by FairyRae

Pat, would you use caution starting this (esp if pregnant or nursing at the time)?

I've tried starting this (very slowly--w/ a 1/2 tsp or less a day) multiple times but backed off b/c of the headaches/detox reactions I was having which I thought might be due to bromine (or is it bromide?) release...(I was also supping mag, vit c, etc at the time to support detox pathways.)

I plan to follow through w/ it when I'm done nursing, but just really don't want to dump anything into ds right now...

I've pondered this all day. The halide and mercury displacement from the thyroid could be the issue. I'm not keen on iodine supplementation for this reason (along with my whole foods bent). But, kelp sops up (absorbs and binds) heavy metals. But, kelp has "negligible" measured iodine, compared to iodine supplementation and most people tolerate a small amount of iodine (supplement) directly, even. I tolerated a tablespoon of kelp straight up; and I know I have messed up metals/thyroid/halide issues. So, I'm wondering what else is happening.

I wonder if the iodine in natural kelp is more bio-available in a manner we are not aware yet. JaneS. is concerned about bromines/bromides in kelp. And was your kelp heavy metal tested? Arsenic is the concern, which is a whole 'nuther toxin thread. (Chicken breasts have arsenic also.)

I also take selenium as Brazil nuts (I take two a day). Selenium is HUGE in binding excess mercury for safe excretion. Chloride helps with detoxing the halides. (sodium chloride or potassium chloride). Getting enough sea salt? We are naturally detoxing every. single. day. I'm comfortable with natural forms of whole nutrients which support natural detox pathways, even while ttc, pregnant, nursing. I'm not keen on synthetic or mega-dosing supplements during those times as imbalances could easily unfold, imo. We each choose our own comfort with the alternative routes to optimizing nutrition.

There are many nutrients necessary to effectively detoxify naturally, gently and safely, slowly. Magnesium and vit C are huge. But, so is folate, B6, B12, Sulfate, glutathione, molybdenum, selenium...

I totally trust you to listen to your body as the expert of you, rather than me/us/website abc.


Pat

[newcastlemama]

Originally Posted by Gingercat

I've noticed that the Kerrygold butter (the Irish one, correct?) is frequently mentioned in American blogs and forums, but I have always wondered why! Is the American butter really so terrible that Kerrygold butter is such a good option for you?

Kerrygold butter is found pretty much everywhere here in Europe (yes, it is very commercial) and it is often the butter of choice used in baking. But I do not consider it that good as it is pasteurised and it does not come from organic pasture land. One can find way better choices than Kerrygold when it comes to butter and cheese.

Personally I'm not a butter/dairy fan, I stick to my CO and nut butters for cooking/baking/snacking so maybe I'm missing something here...

It is a higher quality butter that I can get at a reasonable price (I can't afford the raw butter here).

[dealic]

subbing to read later.

[Sativarain1]

great list of healthful and nutrient rich foods. I personally do not like the taste of red raspberry herbal tea, but I do drink other herbal teas and green tea.

[AJP]

Kerrygold is one of the few grassfed butters available widely in the US, and raw butter isn't widely available or affordable in most areas here. Some widely-distributed organic brands of pasteurized butter are grassfed, but it's inconsistent. As Ireland is the land of grass and most of their herds are still kept on pasture year-round, it's considered by many here to be a reliable source of the fat-soluble nutrients in grassfed butter. It also tastes a lot better, IMO, than most store-bought butter.

[Sayward]

What does RRL tea do for ttc/nursing? I thought it was just for uterine toning for labor and I stopped drinking it after I gave birth. But I have some left (I'm 5 weeks pp and breastfeeding) - should I drink it?

[Bri'sgirl]

subbing