Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Fetal Origins Hypothesis

The more that I learn about the endeavor that I am about to embark upon, conceiving a child, the more freaked out I become.  I should have started this pre-conception diet when I was 5 years old according to the sources that I am reading.

I am taking it all in and doing my best to allow the knowledge to motivate me towards the humdrum daily tasks of fermenting my dairy, making sauerkraut, making ghee, eating soup over and over again….haha….

I have always been the artsy, creative type.  You may know the type.  You may not understand us.  One of the hardest things for me to do is to do the SAME thing day in and day out.  Talk about boring. Talk about breaking down my creativity.  And yet I find myself committed to my journey to create a baby that will change this world and that will not contract disease later in life.

Yes, you heard me correctly.  The studies that have been conducted on fetal development show that the nutrition of the mother during pregnancy can be directed correlated to the development of their baby even into adult years.

In fact, according to Dr. Barker, one of the forerunners in fetal health and development research, found that:

1.  Low birth weight links directly to the later development of heart disease in numerous studies in the US, European countries, and India.  In fact, the risk of a 5-pound baby is higher than a 6-pound baby, which is higher than a 7-pound baby and so on until the baby reaches 9-pounds.  Babies who are born small are not necessarily premature, rather, they developed slowly in the womb because of the lack of proper nutrition coming from its mother.

2.  In fact, low birth weight linked directly to the later development of diabetes.  Beta cells are cells in the pancreas that produce insulin.  Beta cells are formed in the womb and babies that are born at a low birth weight may not have had the opportunity to produce enough of these critical beta cells.  Thus, this may set up a baby to struggle with blood sugar handling later in life, possibly increase their chance of developing obesity and diabetes.

Just these two studies alone have enough impact to really rattle my mind and my emotions into action.  I must ensure that my child develops properly in the womb.

According to the researchers and scientists involved in the study of fetal health and development, our ability to thrive later in life in our bodies begins in the womb.  "The kind and quantity of nutrition you received in the womb; the pollutants, drugs, and infections you were exposed to during gestation; your mother's health, stress level, and state of mind while she was pregnant with you-all these factors shaped you as a baby and a child and continue to affect you to this day (Annie Paul Murphy, TIME magazine in response to Dr. Barker's research)."

In most traditional cultures, this is simply common sense and ancient wisdom that has been passed down from generation to generation which form and shapes the traditions and behaviors of those who continue to practice them.  For example, tribes who lived in the Andes mountain range send men down to the sea to collect fish eggs for their wives' who were preparing for pregnancy or for those who were already pregnant.  In a similar fashion, Gallic fishermen in Scotland would feed woman of childbearing age fish heads stuffed with oats and chopped liver.

Hungry anyone?  I have a stuffed fish head in my fridge, if you would like.  Haha.  There are plenty of healthy foods that we can feed our bodies if we are planning on conceiving or if we are creating life even now without being completely freaked out.

One of the best things for women who are planning on conceiving would be to make homemade bone broth from 100% grass-fed beef bones.  The amino acids, the minerals, the healthy fats make for the perfect food for women at the childbearing age.  One of the best benefits that I have notices has been an immense decrease in food cravings.  My body is so satiated by the nutrients in the broth, that I don't tend to overeat or crave towards any types of sugar (even natural and healthy sweeteners such as honey).

The grim reality is that more and more young couples are discovering that they are infertile.  As of now, the Mayo Clinic reports 15% of American couples are infertile.  In Canada, the infertility rates were 5% in 1984 and in 2009 infertility rates jumped up to 13.7%.

Why are infertility rates on the rise?  Why are cancer rates on the rise?  The National Cancer Institute predicts that 41% of all children born in 2012 will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.  41%??!!! This percentage is insane and completely frightening.  The solution starts and ends in our diets and in our food supply.

We MUST be educated as to what is in our food supply, water, personal care products, cleaning products, and how this can potentially destroy our genetic potential and turn on genes that express disease and premature death.

Unfortunately for Americans, the battle to be healthy is one of the worst in our land.  And we continually export our refined, processed, and chemically altered foods to other countries who will receive it.  Thankfully there are some countries that will not receive what we are attempting to send.  There are plenty of countries who are legally refusing the entry of GMOed food into their land.  That is where I want to move when our food supply has been destroyed.

I know that I sound dramatic to some people.  But when you start to learn and become educated about what is happening, you may start to sound like me and may begin to fight not only for your health, but for the health of your fetus, your children, your husband, and your friends.