Raw Foods in Pregnancy

Curious about raw foods in pregnancy?

When a Facebook friend asked which raw foods she should avoid in pregnancy, I decided to do some research. Raw foods diets are popular in crunchy circles, is there any reason they can't be continued in pregnancy?

There are a lot of mamas out there doing it! I found three especially interesting blog posts on happiness and success with raw foods pregnancy diets.

The Raw Food Effect shares stories from mothers

The Raw Food Family includes great videos

Tera Warner has some beautiful posts on the topic

The consensus is that women who follow a raw diet pre-pregnancy should feel free to continue to do so once expecting.

If you're wondering what foods you should avoid, the American Pregnancy Association has the following thoughts...

Foods to Avoid:

*Raw meat
*Deli meat
*Fish with mercury
*Smoked seafood
*Raw shellfish
*Raw eggs
*Soft cheeses
*Unpasteurized milk
*Pate
*Unwashed vegetables

See their website for more information.

What are your thoughts? Have any of you eaten a raw foods diet while pregnant? We'd love to hear!

Should moms avoid caffeine while pregnant or nursing?

This topic seems to be one linked with lots of opinions either direction. I’ve known nurses to tell moms they were not “allowed” soda in the hospital, and moms who never altered their intake a bit and felt their children were unaffected. The experts are torn, so how are you to make up your mind?

If you are looking for some data to decide what you should do, check these out…

The March of Dimes says women should limit their caffeine to 200 mg a day, and quotes several conflicting studies:

http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/nutrition_caffeine.html

The Cochrane Review says there is no benefit to avoiding caffeine:

http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab006965.html

This study found no convincing evidence of link to fetal harm:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21254365

Here is info on a study that takes the “other side”:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/21/health/21caffeine.html

This study said there is no link to miscarriage risk:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18091004

And here is one more recommending limiting intake:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/womens-health/articles/2010/07/21/moderate-caffeine-intake-safe-during-pregnancy-experts-say

So what do you think? Follow your instincts. If you are a person who is sensitive to caffeine, baby very well may be, too. If you nurse your baby after a cup of coffee and find her sleep patterns altered, you may want to review your personal intakes.

The Dr. Brewer Pregnancy Diet

I don't know enough about this to endorse it or steer people away from it, but someone asked me about it, so I am sharing a link.

Brewer Pregnancy Diet