Today's post is going to be about parents and babies, although nutrition, lifestyle, conception and reproductive health will be part of the discussion. Recently, quite a few people especially mum-to-be, asked me about what to eat when she is pregnant, is soymilk infant formula ideal for her and babies, would cow's milk be alright during the first couple years after the baby is born, etc.
First of all, let's talk about the reality. What is the most common situation after a couple got married? "Let's make babies!". Yes, that's what most couples plan and want after their wedding bells and exchange of wedding rings. Every couple do want to have babies at some point of their marriage lifespan, but the question is, can unhealthy parents produce healthy babies? Out of 10 random married couples, how many ever think about this question? Let's all be honest here!
Apart from living a modern stressful lifestyle bombarded with layers of stressors accompanied with poor nutrition and diet, and all whacked up sleep wake cycles, and exposure of environmental toxins as well as toxic skin care products, could both husband and wife healthy enough to make healthy baby? Let's take one step backward. We all call ourselves EDUCATED people, is that right? Now, let's use some common sense here, and think, unhealthy parents produce healthy babies? Possible? No? Yes?
One of my relative member, who is a young doctor, a health professional, at the age of 20's, suffers oral degradation, teeth decay and had to undergo root canal. Apart from skin disorders and malnutition (skinny underweight), what does that tells you about a person with similiar conditions at such a young age? Not to mention if he or she is a health professional. Same scenario apply for a so called personal trainer who is out of shape and overweight trying to train his or her clients to get into shape and being fit? Three words, silly, pathetic and absurd It just doesn't make any sense at all. So if any of you parents out there thinking you can produce health babies if you are sick and unhealthy, think again, it doesn't require a DEGREE of health science or medical science to figure this out.
Let's try to recall one of the familiar moments here. Does any of you remember when you walk along the shopping malls or supermarkets and notice that there are more autistic or hyperactive(ADHD) children? No? The next time you stroll and does some window shopping, try to be a bit more observant when you spend you time during weekends in shopping malls. Even my friends and relatives kids, from range of 3-8 years old, most of them experience some levels of attention deficit and hyperactive symptoms. Is that normal? The answer is NO. It may appear to be common symptoms but it is certainly not normal.
Now, let's venture into the journey of 'making' a baby for both future parents. Before plunging into being pregnant or conceiving a baby, let's look at what's happening to most adult females in this 21st century. Tons of adult females are on contraceptive methods, whether it is pills or implanted 'substance' in their body. The question is, how many females know that is this going to do to their health and body? Apart from the increased risk of developing the 'C' word, you are interfering with your body's natural hormonal regulation. Those synthetic estrogen pills which you are taking month in month out, is it destroying your reproductive health and that includes your previous LIBIDO. Wonder why you feel irritable, mood swings and develop high fat storage around your butt and thigh areas? Wonder why those steamy endorphins releasing sessions are no longer explosive and pleasurable? Tons of questions but so many contradictory answers found in medias including GOOGLE and so called health magazines.
How about the ladies who is not on contraceptive methods? How would they know if their steroidal hormones pathways are working properly? How would they know their reproductive health and immunity is normal and working the way it suppose to be? I've met quite a few ladies who only has menstruation a few times for the whole of 12 months! Most of the females I know, have irregular menstrual cycles, some experience twice a month, some bounce from short to long heavy periods, apart from painful cramps.
Let's talk a bit about physiology and steroidal hormones pathways. Does anyone knows the raw product of all your steroidal hormones? CHOLESTEROL! Yes, that includes the manufacturing of your stress and sex hormones! Yes, the demonized villain, cholesterol. Yeah right! If cholesterol would to give us heart attacks and kill us, we wouldn't have evolved until today and I wouldn't be writing this post right this very moment! Our ancient ancestors @ caveman since 2 millions years ago until the ancient homo sapiens (around 30000-40000 years ago) were still surviving and consuming high fats, high protein and high cholesterol foods.
Recently, I did an informal talk about steroidal hormones, stress and sex, to a group of my clients and friends on the weekend. I explained in details about 'pregnenolone steal' and how stress hormone cortisol from chronic stress could impact overall and reproductive health which include gut dsyfunction as well. Women nowadays would prefer to spend time in facebook, rather then having sex! People spend time with their Ipads, mobile phones and laptops during their lunch breaks and meal time, in restaurants, at home and even while walking on the roads and in the malls! I seen people using facebook and mobile phones while they are exercising on stationary bikes and treadmills! What on earth are they thinking?
As pregnenolone is the great grand daddy of all steroidal hormones (please see graph below), you will notice both stress (cortisol) and sex hormones (estrogen & testosterone) in seperate pathways. Imagine, your parents gives you an allocated amount of money each day at school, let's say $10, both to you (assume you are a boy and cortisol) and your sister (sex hormones). Both sister and brother, has a budget of $10 each to spend in school on daily basis. What if, you overspent before the day is over, and you come back to your parents and ask for more money? Your parents is not going to be happy and tell you "I don't have anymore money, I need to borrow from your sister". Then what happen next, in order to fulfill the stress load experience by you, your sister (sex hormones pathways) has to sacrifice and 'borrow' it towards the stress pathways of cortisol. If this happens regularly day in day out, week in week out, and for prolonged periods of time over the years and even decades, your body will experience something called 'Pregnenolone Steal'. In other words, your adrenals are suffering, dsyfunction and failing to adapt to this type of chronic stress levels. For whoever have been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, you will know what I mean. By the way, applying testosterone cream or medication WILL NOT fix anything as it will only address the symptom and not the underlying cause.
Now, let's discuss about lifestyle, nutrition and diet. Well well. What have you been eating all along? Adult males and females, for the last 10-20 years, how well did you score in nutrition and diet? Remember the saying, "You Are What You Eat". Better still, "You absorb what you break down". Most people just think of foods as just foods and eating to make one feel full and satisfied. Most of us abuse foods and overeat from time to time, but for some, it is a habit and routine. Although all of us are being told and advised by the USDA and so called dietitians and nutritionists to eat according to the one and only FOOD PYRAMID, our health condition has become from bad to worst. In fact, we have never hit this rock bottom, in terms of health status and disease rates. We have the most advanced medicine, but why are we getting sicker and fatter and health status are declining and all diseases rates are increasing yearly? What went wrong?
If you would to consult any registered dietitian or conventional nutritionist, you will be told to eat according to food pyramid guide, which consists of grains, legumes, low fat, less meat, more carbs. How many people realize that the USDA food pyramid guide is created by a bunch of politicians who have no solid knowledge about nutrition, health and diet? Does anyone also realize that most dietitians and conventional nutritionist courses are funded by food industries? If you liase enough time with a registered dietitian, you will realize that you are being advise by a food products salesman/girl. Calories in, calories out right?
Imagine, since your childhood when you are being fed on junk and high crap diet by your lack of knowledge parents, your immunity has become normal to depressed and gene expression turns from not so bad to really bad. If you did not have adequate physical movements or exercise, do expect sluggish metabolism and poor state of cardiovascular health. Let's say now that you are in mid 20's, and starting to enjoy dating and perhaps being a young married couple, prior to being pregnant, both men and women's state of health is crucially important. It's not as simple as just being "Let's have babies!". Ask yourself, do you want a healthy baby? Or a sick unhealthy baby?
I'm sure every parent wants the best for their children and siblings. But question is, where do I start? How I can ensure that during the pre, during and post natal periods are well taken care of with the right nutrition, diet, lifestyle? Firstly, for men, if you want to ensure you build a strong quality healthy sperms, you should be practicing and avoiding things as below.
Avoid: (Men)
- smoking
- regular alcohol consumption
- High crap diet (include junk, processed and fast foods)
- Sugar/High glycemic foods (you don't want your sperm to be sugar-drunken right?)
- Pesticides contaminated foods (it kills your sperms!)
- Unfermented Soybean based foods (erectile dsyfunction and libido issues)
- Poor sleep wake cycle ( sleeping at 2am and wakes up at 11am does not count as quality 9 hrs of sleep!)
- Installing/keeping mobile phones around crotch or hip areas (mobile phones radiation signals kills sperms)
- Prescription drugs such as antibiotics, as well as recreational drugs
To practice: (Men)
- Eating organic whole foods to your best ability (no money to eat organic? Sell your expensive car!)
- Increase healthy fats and clean protein consumption (not from deep fried foods or vegetable cooking oils)
- Proper exercise which stimulates metabolism and gene expression (not jogging or marathon)
- Low stress lifestyle
- Incorporating fermented foods into diet regularly (no time to prepare? That's a lame excuse)
- Hit the bed before midnight and wakes up by 7am daily.
As for women, good practices and avoidance is quite similiar, apart from a few additions to prepare them for getting pregnant and during development of the fetus during the 9 months and post-natal period.
Avoid: (Women)
- smoking
- regular alcohol consumption
- High crap diet (include junk, processed and fast foods)
- Sugar/High glycemic foods (due to hyper and hypoglycemic state and imbalance of blood sugar levels)
- Pesticides contaminated foods (these are endocrine disruptors)
- Unfermented Soybean based foods (reproductive issues including low libido and malnutrition)
- Poor sleep wake cycle ( sleeping at 2am and wakes up at 11am does not count as quality 9 hrs of sleep!)
- Installing/keeping mobile phones around crotch or hip areas (mobile phones radiation signals damages reproductive organs)
- Prescription drugs such as antibiotics, as well as birth control pills and recreational drugs
To practice: (Women)
- Eating organic whole foods to your best ability (no money to eat organic? Buy less on cosmetics)
- Increase healthy fats and clean protein consumption (not from deep fried foods or vegetable cooking oils)
- Proper exercise which stimulates metabolism and gene expression (not jogging or marathon)
- Low stress lifestyle
- Incorporating fermented foods into diet regularly (good gut flora is super crucial in immunity)
- Hit the bed before midnight and wakes up by 7am daily.
- Practice all these healthy habits and avoid or eliminate as much toxins as possible, and perform pre-natal detox and cleanse, at least 9-12 months before being pregnant.
The above guidelines, are just the basic stuff, the least which one can fulfill and avoid, that is what I have been advising and telling people I met over the past years. How about during the 9 months period or labor? Bear in mind, whatever the mum-to-be is eating, all nutrients and toxins will be absorbed by the developing fetus. If you eat McDonalds or junk food filled with trans fat, sugars and MSG, then those harmful substances will be passed to your child. How about during the BIG day? C-Section or normal birth? Any birth which has to go through C-Section surgery, will bypass/avoid the vital vaginal flora (beneficial bacteria). That is why normal vaginal birth is so important in terms of future health status of that baby.
How about breastfeeding? How important is that? Would infant milk formula replace mother's breast milk? The answer is BIG NO. An increasing numbers of mothers are having problems with breast milk production, thus, reducing the period of breastfeeding to that developing baby. The most ideal healthy foods and immunity inheritance for the newly born and growing baby, is mother's breast milk. There is no replacement for it, NONE. Whatever infant milk formula that states how much DHA and EPA and minerals and nutrients, is nothing but plain synthetic substances and processed ingredients loaded with toxins.
Now, the common question, is soy infant milk formula safe for baby consumption? To be honest, this issue is getting to my nerves and I always need to rant whenever I talk about this topic. I won't elaborate too much about processed/unfermented soybean, please go read my earlier posts if you want to know more about this food. What I can say is, soy infant milk formula is the most dangerous foods any parent can feed their new born or developing kid, or even adults. Ask yourself, do you want to mess with your infant's reproductive health and hormonal levels? Do you want your infant's estrogen levels as high as the mum as the age of 1 or 2 years old? Imagine feeding your child soy infant formula for a day, that's the equivalent of 5-10 birth control pills ingested by the poor baby! And yes, I know what your doctor said when you bring your sick child to the hospital or clinic whenever the baby has diarrhea or digestive or elimination problems. Conventional doctors don't know SH*T about nutrition and health, not to mention soybeans.
Well, sorry for my personal rant and honest advise and point of view on this topic. I hope parents-to-be, mums and dads, married couples and even young adults, do seriously consider about pre, during and post natal periods, when comes to producing a healthy strong baby, not only during birth, but also throughout his or her adulthood and perhaps the next generation.
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