Eating for Two: Part 12 – Eating for the Future

Eating for the Future: A Look at Prenatal Nutrition

Considering the widespread knowledge about the dangers of tobacco, it's perplexing that people still smoke. The allure of big business, personal enjoyment, perceived coolness, and the highly addictive nature of nicotine all contribute. However, the stark reality is that poor dietary choices can lead to just as much cancer, death, disability, and chronic illness as cigarettes. The Modern American diet poses the greatest public health threat to our children. Given what we know about unhealthy food, why do people continue to consume it?

What a remarkable opportunity you have! For many generations, parents were unaware they could positively influence their children's nutritional foundation even before birth.

To gain perspective, consider watching an hour of children's television programming or observing a group of kids at a fast-food establishment. You'll notice the powerful, enticing, and seductive marketing of unhealthy foods to children through songs, toys, commercials, and characters.

It's far more beneficial to establish a tradition of good nutrition before children are exposed to such influences. It's also much better to foster their enjoyment of delicious, healthy foods when they begin eating solid foods.

And now, there's an even more unique opportunity. While in the womb, your baby's senses are shielded from the temptations of commercials, kid's meal toys, and peer pressure. Your baby experiences and remembers the foods you eat! Their entire world is shaped by what you consume, both directly and what your partner provides for you. They thrive on these foods, grow from them, and develop tastes for the future.

While prenatal vitamins are valuable for bridging nutritional gaps, babies were naturally designed to flourish from their mothers' diets long before supplements were even conceived.

During my childhood, my father cultivated tomatoes in our backyard. These vine-ripened tomatoes were incredibly flavorful, surpassing any others I recall. As plants grow, new development relies on nutrients absorbed from the soil. Nothing can be integrated into a plant unless it's present in its growing medium. Plants cultivated in depleted soils simply aren't the same. Yet, plants do their best with the available resources; they can achieve a great deal with limited inputs.

You are, in essence, your baby's soil.

When you first hold your baby, you'll see cheeks and toes that have been formed from the food you've consumed.

What an incredible opportunity!