Pregnancy Nutrition: Is It Safe to Detox During Pregnancy?

When I first found out I was pregnant one of the first things I wanted to do was detox my pregnancy diet. I wanted to be certain that my baby was getting maximum nutritional support from me and that everything I ate was going to have a positive impact on River’s development.

I remember talking to a client of mine at the time who told me that it wasn’t safe to detox during pregnancy because all of the toxins are released into the bloodstream and hence cross the placenta, so I did some research and realised that what she and I were referring to were entirely different scenarios.

A traditional detox - like the kind you find stocking the shelves of every health food store on the planet at this time of year, involves a ton of diuretic and “cleansing” supplements or herbal remedies. What I call detox is simply removing harmful or nutritionally poor foods and substances from your pregnancy nutrition.

This includes all processed foods, additives, artificial chemicals, preservatives etc, as well as foods that have been denatured by processing and manufacturing methods.

The idea is that you want to “clean up” your diet so that you are only eating from nutrient dense foods that are going to have a positive impact on your baby’s development. Now surely removing all harmful and nutritionally poor foods from your pregnancy diet can’t be a bad thing right?

There is also another side to what I call detox and that is clearing your pregnant body of potentially harmful stressors to your pregnancy health, such as stress hormones, postural dysfunctions and mental blocks to optimal pregnancy health and this requires a bit more thought and planning than your traditional detox which generally only deals with what you put in your mouth.

The other key areas you need to think about to really boost your pregnancy energy, give you back your vitality and your pregnancy glow are these:

Sleep - are you getting enough of it and the right quality?

It matters what time you get to bed and how well you sleep at night. Late bedtimes and disturbed erractic sleep patterns will seriously affect your circadian rythym and that in turn will sned your pregnancy hormones crazy!

It is vital that your hormones are at optimal balance during pregnancy for your baby’s development and your own pregnancy health, so if you are suffering from pregnancy pain or pregnancy side effects check your sleep before you do anything else.

You need to be in bed in the pitch black by 1030pm at the latest on 6 nights of the week as a minimum to regulate your pregnancy sleep patterns

Pregnancy Posture - are you exercising to support your pregnancy properly?

Pregnancy wreaks havoc on the physical body. Everything from our biochemistry to our posture is thrown out of place and if you are not working with your body to strengthen and support your pregnancy and your baby you will suffer from a myriad of nasty pregnancy side effects.

In particular pregnancy puts tremendous strain on your back, hips and joints. The pregnancy hormones, relaxin and progesterone relax the support system in your body and without targeted pregnancy resistance workouts your body will become extremely unstable and prone to serious and long-term injury.

Relaxation - are you suffering adrenal fatigue?

It might sound like a condition you are bound to notice but it doesn’t take a lot to overstress your adrenals and wear them down.

When you wake up do you still feel tired - like you haven’t rally slept properly?

Is your diet high in sugar or do you crave sugar and carbs?

Do you feel like you need at least one cup of coffee or tea to get you through the day?

Are you moody or irritable alot of the time?

All of these things (and more) are signs that your adrenals are overworked and if you are suffering with any of these symptoms you need to do something about it TODAY!

Start by planning in some daily relaxation time - either for meditation or doing something that will help you destress like creative activity (painting, music, pottery, dancing), or reading, watching a film or getting out for a walk.

Hydration - one of the most important aspects of pregnancy health but often the most

This entry was posted on 14/01/2010 at 11:53 pm and is filed under Pregnancy Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.