[freespirited]

What do you think? I just started reading about TF and about how diet can affect facial structure. My first dd has a narrow, heart-shaped face. While pregnant with her I was nearly vegetarian, I couldn't eat eggs (had an aversion) and only ate meat like twice a week. I ate lots of veggies and apples and beans, like canned Amy's chili, and bread with her. Very little dairy. With dd2 I ate lots of eggs, wild salmon, grass-fed beef, kefir (store-bought) and veggies. She came out with very strong facial structure and high cheekbones and her mid-face is wide. Can't genetics account for this or do you believe maternal nutrition is truly a big factor? I have a narrow, longer face. I was not a healthy child. I think my mom ate horribly while pregnant with me. She doesn't remember but I think so. Neither of my dds have my face shape, but dd1 has the narrowness, except hers is heart-shaped. Both babies were the same size at birth. Both were breastfed. Dd2 is way chubbier than Dd1 was. My milk seems sooo much richer now that I am eating TF. Also, preconception to Dd2, I was eating lots of TF too.

I just wonder if this is nutrition-related or if Dd2 got more of her grandma's (MIL) wider face shape. Dd1's teeth seem fine, good spacing as far as I can tell. But there is a real difference in my dd's facial structures!

 

[spartz]

It makes you wonder doesn't it. Both DH and I are narrow-faced with crowded teeth. I ate NT before and during my pregnancy, and our daughter as a wide face, lovely bone-structure and (so far) well-spaced teeth. Now it could be down to NT, or perhaps she takes after her paternal grandmother who has a round face. How can you tell?

I've also noticed that while she is petite, taking after both me and DH, she has a certain sturdiness to her that a lot of other slender children don't have. Sally Fallon makes a comment in NT,that babies should be plump and toddlers sturdy and she does seem to fit this within the constraints of her genetics. She is also rarely sick.

 

[JessicaS]

I have three sisters.

We are all short, but two of us have sturdier frames and evenly spaced teeth due to our wider jaws. The two that have more petitie frames have small feet and hands. The two of us that are more study tended to be more active in sports.

None of us are overweight but there is a definate difference in our frames and bone structures.

My mom just ate whatever while she was pregnant, I grew up in a mainstream family.

IMO, it has more to do with genetics. When studying genetics in biology I would use us as examples for making punnet squares.

It was funny.

 

[kallyn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by abimommy IMO, it has more to do with genetics. When studying genetics in biology I would use us as examples for making punnet squares. It was funny.

Ok, that made me LOL.

:

 

[Vaquitita]

i look at myself and my two sisters and wonder the same thing. my mom grew up eating SAD. margarine, white bread, etc. (side note- my dad grew up on a farm so ate basically tf most of his life and has a sturdy build and wideish face. he has health problems now as a result of his adult diet) she discovered adelle davis while preg w/me (i'm the oldest) and became interested in nutrition. so prepreg and for atleast the first part of her first preg she was not eating well. i have/had crooked teeth, a narrowish face, and a smallish frame. my next sister has a wide face and straight teeth. my youngest sister also has a wide face and straight teeth. i don't think its genetic, my youngest sister and i take very strongly after my dads side of the family and have been mistaken for twins by strangers. while my other sister takes after my moms side of the family.

its kind of early to tell with my ds, but so far he looks very much like me (my dad must have very dominant genes

) with the exception of having a much wider face.

eta:
maybe i should add that all 3 of us were bf'd for over a year.

 

[weliveintheforest]

it's kind of hard for me to guess with our family, because aybe te reasons my parents and I have bad teeth etc is because we have been eating bad for generations?
it looks like genetics because I look like my Mum but maybe her mum ate badly too...?

 

[JessicaS]

I should note, the two of us with sturdier frames take more after my dad's mom as far as build goes. The two with more petite frames take after my mom's mom in build..

There are no tall genes in my family at all.

 

[freespirited]

Interesting responses. I hope to hear more. I wonder about the generational aspect too. Like with Pottenger's cats. Probably several generations of my family were poor eaters, except on dh's side since he is from Central America and the traditional diet is lots of fresh, whole foods. I wonder if the father's nutrition has anything to do with the child's facial/jaw structure. One thing I can say is, fertility has NOT been affected by the bad eating, as was the case with Pottenger's cats, lol. I pray my dds won't have the tooth issues I had. I had to have 8 teeth pulled and I STILL had overcrowding. I have a small mouth. Both dds have wide smiles, hopefully that translates into wider jaws. I breastfed in part to try to spare them my fate, as I was a 100% formula fed baby. It might have had something to do with all my orthondontic issues, among other things.

P.S. Do you think narrow faces usually mean bad jaw structure and tooth overcrowding? It seems to from what I can tell.

 

[Metasequoia]

I ate pretty much the same with my Dds - pretty good diet, but far from TF. I ate pretty much TF with Ds.

Dd1 has crowded teeth & a fairly narrow face - she looks like me. Dd2 has a beautifully broad face, high & broad cheekbones, beautiful spacing between her teeth & dark skin - she looks like her Daddy, who is from Mexico. He grew up on a TF diet, I didn't. Dd1 only nursed for 2 months, Dd2 for 3.5 years. Ds is 15 months, will nurse as long as he wants & his teeth look like they'll be crowded - & I ate TF while pg with him.

In our case, I think it's genetics.

 

[JaneS]

It was Weston Price's research that proved that palate and facial width is not genetics.

For 10 years he studied the traditional diets of native people in 40 different societies across the world untouched by modern foods. He was a dentist and the head of research for the ADA of his day, supervising a staff of 50... he was well versed in the scientific method.

His book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration describes this and other evidence of nutrition effecting the shape and health of our bodies:

Ancient Dietary Wisdom for Tomorrow's Children
http://www.westonaprice.org/traditio...ry_wisdom.html

Book review of N&PD
http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0203...ppnf/PPNF.HTML

 

[Taedareth]

Thanks for posting those articles, Jane

This thread is interesting. Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone.

So, my story is that I have a narrow jaw and needed lots of teeth pulled out, even before my adult teeth came in. I had years of braces and retainers. I also have about 5 fillings, but have been cavity-free the last several years. I probably was not breastfed very long, as my mom went straight back to work. I used to think I was breastfed for longer, but then I saw a photograph of myself being fed with a bottle, so I don't know. My mom may have been more into LLL when her second child was born.

My husband grew up on a mostly SAD, but supplemented with home-grown vegetables. He has never had any teeth problems (except that they're more yellow than most people's.) Well-spaced, no cavities ever.

Our son has a round face but his teeth seem to not have much space between them. They're also weak, break easily, and have small brownish holes in them. My diet during my pregnancy was not the best, but we did eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.

I'm hoping our next child will have better teeth, now that I've been on TF for all of 2007, and will be during my pregnancy as well.