BABY BUILDING Nutrients

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1 BABY BUILDING Nutrients These are the specific nutrients that are most important to baby building. You definitely want to get a head start in building up your nutrient stores so that baby has exactly what s/he needs to thrive! Biotin Biotin is technically a B vitamin, but sometimes goes by the name Vitamin H. What it does: it s necessary for fatty acid & carbohydrate usage in the body. It also helps utilize folic acid, vitamin B12, & protein. Deficiencies can cause: In rat studies, deficiencies led to palate & limb malformations in the fetus, as well as death in the first few days of life. The deficiency is magnified in the fetus. Mother rats with a biotin deficiency see a 10% decrease in the activity of biotin-dependent enzymes. Her fetus sees a 50% decrease. Where to get it: you can get biotin from egg yolks, sardines, & liver. Eating egg white, without the yolk, contributes to biotin deficiency because they contain a biotin-binding glycoprotein called adivin, which prevents absorption. You can also get it from healthy animal proteins, milk & cheese. Choline Related to folic acid & can be substituted for folate for certain reactions. What it does: It s used in the formation of DNA, RNA, & nucleic acid inside the cells. Choline also plays a role in nerve development & functioning, & normal muscle contraction. It is hugely important in proper brain development. Deficiencies can cause: low choline intake is associated with a four times the risk of neural tube defects compared to those with sufficient choline. Deficiency is also linked with mental disorders, stomach ulcers, kidney damage, & liver cancer in the young. On the other hand, studies show that feeding pregnant rats three times the recommended amount of choline gave the offspring a 30 percent increase in certain memory function, a lower likelihood of senility, & better multitasking skills. Where to get it: Once again, egg yolks & liver are both really good options. You can also find a good amount in high quality, raw & grass fed dairy. Other sources are calciferous veggies, high quality meats, fish roe, & properly prepared nuts & legumes.

2 DHA An omega-3 fatty acid that cannot be made inside of the body What it does: DHA is crucial to brain development. It may be necessary for the formation of neurons & helps to protect them from oxidative stress. DHA contributes to the membrane of all cells & plays a large role in the functioning of hormones. DHA also helps to activate enzymes & absorb nutrients. Deficiencies can cause: Insufficient DHA, along with other Essential Fatty Acids (omega-3 s & omega-6 s, in proper ratio) can lead to preeclampsia as well as heart & circulatory conditions. There has also been an association with low birth weight rat-pups born to a DHA-deficient mother. When a mother is pregnant, the fetus hoards DHA in order to develop, leaving the mother deficient; a DHA deficiency is thought to be associated with postpartum depression. In childhood we see sometimes see hyperactivity in the DHA deficient. Where to get it: The best sources are in wild fatty fish & fresh cod liver oil. You can get minimal amounts in healthy animal fats. We are able to convert ALA, from plant oils, into DHA however the rate of conversion is less than one & a half percent & therefore insufficient. Folate (Folic Acid) Most commonly associated with pregnancy What it does: Folate is used to create DNA, & therefore new cells. Not only is new cell formation important in developing babies, but the increase in blood supply of the pregnant mother also requires folate. It is also utilized in the creation of bone marrow & antibodies. Folate helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects, increases healthy birth weight, helps prevent mental retardation, & malformations of the heart, mouth, & face. Deficiencies can cause: deficiencies have been linked to malformation of the fetus palate, limbs, heart, blood vessels, adrenals, eyes, skeletal structure, diaphragm, lungs, kidneys, & brain. It is most commonly associated with spinal bifida. Folate absorption is directly linked to zinc, & therefore it is important to have sufficient levels of zinc on order to be able to properly use folate. Synthetic folate, known as folic acid, has been shown to reduce neural tube defects, but does not convert to usable folate in all women. Folic acid cannot cross the placenta.

3 Where to get it: Dark green vegetables, liver, brewers yeast, & legumes. If you are not getting enough from your food, a supplement is recommended. Try to find one that is a natural food source of folate, rather than folic acid. PABA Para-amino benzoic acid What it does: PABA stimulates your intestinal bacteria, encouraging it to make folate. It helps with red blood cell formation & protein breakdown & use. PABA plays a large role in pantothenic acid creation. Deficiencies can cause: PABA is not widely considered essential, but is important to pregnancy, when there is more blood creation & folic acid use. Deficiencies are not a huge issue, but an increase in PABA is beneficial. Where to get it: You can get PABA in liver, organ meats, brewers yeast, green leafy vegetables. Pantothenic acid Essential for every cell in the body. What it does: Pantothenic acid allows sugar & fat to be turned to energy in the body. It helps reduce stress, synthesize cholesterol & utilize choline. Deficiencies can cause: In rat studies, deficiencies in pantothenic acid resulted in fetal abnormalities of the nervous system, palate, heart, & brain. It is strongly believed that it has the same effects in humans, although we are not able to study it at length. It is important to note pantothenic acid plays a role in myelination, which is the layering of a protective sheath on the axon of our neurons. The myelin sheath protects our nervous system & brain function. Where to get it: Pantothenic acid is in organ meats, egg yolk, green vegetables, human milk (once they are out!), properly prepared legumes. Saturated fats Whole, real fat What it does: Natural saturated fats contribute to overall better health. These fats help the functioning of brains & contribute to the health of our skin, heart, & other organs. Breast milk is 3-5% fat roughly 36% of the calories come from fat. It is important to take note of what nature is telling us is important to a growing baby through our milk.

4 Deficiencies can cause: Low fat diets have been linked to poor brain function, heart disease, weight gain, unhealthy liver & infertility-proving that reproduction & baby building relies somewhat on your fat intake. Where to get it: It is important that you are getting quality fats, in their natural form. These sources include fatty grass fed meats, fish oils, coconut oil & butters, raw grass fed dairy, raw nuts, & grass fed butter. Vitamin A What it does: Vitamin A is hugely important during pregnancy. It plays a part in the healthy development of the eyes, skin, hair, mucus membranes, digestion, red & white blood cells, teeth, & even male reproductive hormones. Vitamin A helps to differentiate the pattern of all cells & facilitates communication between the organs. Deficiencies can cause: Vitamin A deficiencies, even minor, can cause everything from kidney problems to blindness to heart issues. In animal studies, deficiencies affected the animals immune & reproductive systems, eyesight, hearing, & kidneys. It is also associated with overall lack of coordination & body spasms. It is important to note that excessive Vitamin A has also been associated with problems during pregnancy. In animals, excessive Vitamin A results in cleft palate, spinal bifida, harelip, & cranial abnormalities. Studies show, however, that there is an interdependent relationship between Vitamins A & D, & that when both are taken simultaneously, it reduces the risk of excessive amounts of either. The RDA in the US is 2,600IU/day & any lower is absolutely not recommended. Toxic levels, without the introduction of other vitamins, is somewhere around 10,000-15,000IU/day. With other vitamins, & from natural sources, certain studies claim only anywhere from 25,000IU/day to 50,000IU/day is possibly unsafe. A program in the UK that works to increase fertility naturally recommends between 2,600IU-5,000IU/day & has not seen vitamin A issues in either direction. Where to get it: Animal sources (in the form of retinol) include: cod liver oil, fatty fish, egg yolks, organ meats (especially liver), & healthy grass fed/pastured animal fats. Plant sources (in the form of carotene) include: broccoli, spinach, carrots, kale, chard, tomato, red pepper, & apricot. Although the body can directly use retinol, it must convert carotene into proplasma Vitamin A, which relies on zinc for its conversion. The amount of Vitamin A actually received depends on zinc levels, among other things. It s hard to know how much you actually get from carotene.

5 Vitamin D What it does: Vitamin D is important in the development of the bones & teeth. There is also reason to believe that it aids in lung development. It also helps with the absorption of phosphorous & calcium. Vitamin D is especially important in the last trimester of pregnancy, when the skeletal structure undergoes rapid growth. Not only does the baby need the Vitamin D, but the mothers body is greatly taxed for it in these last few months. Deficiencies can cause: Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to malformations of the skeletal structure, poor jaw development, incorrect tooth placement, & poor skull development which can lead to poor brain development. In children we see tooth decay & rickets, & a future of osteoporosis, joint pain, depression & nervousness. The majority of mothers are extremely deficient in vitamin D. One study, conducted in Britain, showed that up to 36% of new mothers, & 32% of newborns had levels so low that it was literally undetectable. Where to get it: It s not called the sun vitamin for nothing! Getting unblocked (no SPF, clothing, or glass) sun exposure for about minutes, or as long as you are able to without turning pink is best. Vitamin D sources from food are pretty poor but can be found in cod liver oil, fatty fish, fish eggs, egg yolks, grass fed butter & lard. Vitamin E What it does: As it pertains to fertility & pregnancy Vitamin E has been found to be very important. At the time of discovery in 1992, Vitamin E was originally named fertility factor X, since rats were not able to reproduce without it. Even tocopherol (the scientific name for vitamin E) stems from the Greek word tokoschildbirth, & ferein-to bring forth. Science has not yet uncovered why there is such a strong link, it has only been made clear that it is crucial to pregnancy. Rats that lacked the protein to transport vitamin E through the placenta gave birth to pups that did not live past 15 days. Humans make the same protein to transport Vitamin E, although studies have not been conducted on humans. Vitamin E has been found to heal certain congenital heart defects when supplemented in early babyhood. It may also protect premature babies from hemorrhage.

6 Deficiencies can cause: Deficiencies have been linked to an inability to get or maintain pregnancy. We also see central nervous system disorders, muscular dystrophy, liver & kidney damage, & vascular system defects. Where to get it: The best sources of Vitamin E are grass fed animal fats (they have FOUR TIMES the amount of Vitamin E as grain fed animals). You can also get it from fresh fruits & veggies, & well-prepared nuts. Vegetable oils are high in Vitamin E, but also high in polyunsaturated fatty acid, which leach Vitamin E from the body, and is therefore counterproductive. Vitamin K What it does: Vitamin K is most commonly known for it s blood-clotting effects. Although there is not much research on Vitamin Ks interaction during pregnancy, it is believed that it plays a part in facial structure/proportion & nervous system development. Deficiencies can cause: In 1997 a child was born to a mother on Warferin (a blood thinner that creates a desired Vitamin K deficiency). The baby was born with calcified facial features, resulting in a malformed nose. There were also divots in her spinal chord, she had trouble breathing, & she became quadriplegic by the time she was two. Although it is unsure if it was the use of the drug all together, or the lack of Vitamin K, it is an example of what could happen with extreme Vitamin K deficiency. Where to get it: Vitamin K1 (which transports to the placenta more slowly) is found in leafy greens. Vitamin K2 is found in ferments foods like sauerkraut & kefir, & grass fed animal fats. Resources: Fallon, Sally, and Thomas S. Cowan. The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby & Child Care. Washington, DC: New Trends, Print. Barnes, Belinda. Beautiful Babies, Fabulous Families, Wonderful World: For 30 Years, Restoring Natural Fertility and Creating Happy, Healthy Babies. S.l.: Foresight Association Promotion of Pre-conceptual Care, Print.