More Important than Folic Acid?! DHA!

As long as I've been aware of it the big caution through the child bearing years has been to intake enough folic acid. This is undeniably important, however a newer realization is leaving nutrition professionals promoting DHA supplements or adequate intake as equally or more vital.

DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, is a polyunsaturated omega 3. Among other things, its function is to aid in brain, nervous system and eye development. There is no greater time in our lives that we need a heavy dose of DHA than while we're growing in the womb. Because babies can't reach out and snag a serving of tuna salad, we as moms need to make sure that we're getting enough from our food (unlikely) or taking a fish oil supplement. There are vegan options, made from algae, and there is also the potential to convent plant-derived ALA fats into DHA if you're quite healthy and eating a lot of ALA-rich foods. (ALA is found in flax, hemp, chia and many nut oils.) The greatest need for DHA is during the third trimester.

Studies testing the effectiveness of various maternal nutritional efforts to increase childhood IQ came up with little benefit - most often a difference in score of 1 or less. Then, new studies showed DHA supplementation during pregnancy producing an increase of 6 - 10 points in IQ score. 

DHA can also decrease risk of preterm birth, and can lessen or prevent postpartum depression symptoms. Some doctors and researchers believe the mood changes are due to severe DHA depletion in new mothers - only to worsen upon breast feeding, when the infant continues to need high doses from mom's stores.

If you're looking for food sources of DHA some of the safer fish are pollock, haddock and cod. You can also go by the old rule that you shouldn't eat the same variety fish in one week in hopes that they'll contain different metals/ toxins and won't build up; or go with smaller fish that don't have the fat content in their bodies to store heavy metals.

Lastly, remember, pregnancy is no time to worry or stress. Advice should be considered with an open mind and positive thinking, it should not be a source of stress. In fact, stress raises cortisol levels and will undo any beneficial efforts you've been managing. It is a beautiful time and if you stay calm, nourish yourself and look forward to your little bundle of joy, everything will work out perfectly.

Never Trust a Sickly Nutrition Coach

Hello to those of you who have stuck with me through the dry spell of monthly posts. I've been doing well - actually, I just sat down to a bowl of hot, whole-milk oatmeal with dates and walnut. It tastes incredible.

I thought it would be interesting to some of you to see which supplements I take on a regular basis. Keep in mind, this is additionally supplemented with things like oil of oregano when I'm worried about a virus going around, various herbal teas to get me sleepy if I need to and an assortment of freebies that I get at work just to try.

Every morning I spoon down the following:

I received this as a product swap with my friend/co-worker Andy for a bottle of AOR Advanced Orthocore multivitamin capsules that I won in a raffle draw at yoga. Due to a problem with the tipping of my epiglottis, and a lifelong fear of choking, I can't swallow any pills whatsoever. I was excited about this trade because I've always wanted to try Vitamin Code's products - they are raw, vegan, whole food plus well researched and most often sprouted. This one admittedly does taste terrible (a mix of orange and gasoline?) but I follow it with apple juice and that makes it bearable.

As someone who has only seen the other side of anemia once (it was the day I was schedule to give blood, my iron levels finally increased to an acceptable amount for the first time in my life, the lady said I was good to go, then ended up withholding my blood because I'd been on a vacation to Mexico in the past year - boo), I desperately require a daily iron supplement. The ones at the drug store - liquid Palafer was my go to - will make you sick to your stomach guaranteed. This formula contains vegetable juices to increase absorption and taste. I only take 1 Tbsp per day because I also keep a ton of iron-rich foods in my diet (molasses being the most frequent) and I drink nettle tea every morning.

I'm a big believer in the idea that our current North American diet contains a lot of bad fat and a sparse amount of good fat. I would never, ever recommend a low-fat diet, but I would suggest making conscientious changes to increase the ratio of good to bad fats. One of the ways I do that is fitting avocado, walnuts, coconut and flax in my diet. I also keep hemp and chia in the house and have started using more coconut oil. To make sure my essential fatty acids are in check I take a bit of Genestra's lemon flavor EFA liquid. It's made from fish so I may switch away from it in the future, but for now it's doing me well.

If you want probiotics to truly give your digestive system a boost the only way to do so is take a capsule that will make it through the stomach and work on the intestines. Because that's not an option for me, I do the next best thing and take a probiotic lozenge that will at least introduce healthy flora to my mouth and throat. That's good for breath, dental health and illnesses related to the throat. I like to think it helps my immune system.

Speaking of immune system, another product I haven't mentioned but is definitely deserving of a paragraph is Sambu. It is a concentrated syrup made from wild elderberries. The flu virus cannot live or reproduce in the presence of elderberry. I put a spoon of this in a mug and add hot water to make an out-of-this-world delicious tea that tastes like hot blueberries and apples. I wouldn't say I take it every day, but certainly 80% of the time between October and March.

So that's that. I hope you've enjoyed this peer into my refrigerator (can't say medicine cabinet because all of these liquids are perishable - darn). Feel free to ask questions.