The following information should really light the fire under every woman seeking to have a baby. It explains and highlights how women have the power to influence the health of their babies (and even their grandchildren). While I explain this in my book, Lily Nichols’ paper is insightful and presents some of the latest research into the importance of diet, nutrition and your baby’s health.
For years, pregnancy nutrition has been framed as something that only matters for nine months. But the research tells a very different story. A growing body of evidence shows that metabolic health begins in utero and preconception — and that what a mother eats during pregnancy can influence her child’s health not just at birth or in early childhood, but all the way into adulthood.
We’re often told that chronic disease is inevitable — that if it “runs in the family,” there’s little we can do to change the outcome. Yet genetics alone don’t explain the dramatic rise in metabolic disease over just a few generations, and especially the rise in childhood metabolic issues. Research in developmental biology and nutrition points to something else entirely: early-life exposures, especially your diet during pregnancy and even before pregnancy, help shape how genes are expressed (aka “epigenetics”) and how metabolism functions long term.
Read the full article at: https://lilynicholsrdn.com/metabolic-health-starts-in-utero/