Organic Diet During Pregnancy - How Important is It?

by Patty Evans

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is always important, but following an organic diet during pregnancy is essential. Many pregnant women are not sure which foods they should be eating to ensure their baby is getting the proper nutrition and doctors don't always provide enough nutritional guidance.

When you are pregnant, you need to eat a variety of foods from all food groups in order to get the required nutrients and vitamins to your baby. Avoid eating all fast food and processed foods. This also means avoiding the foods which contain pesticides, preservatives, additives, hormones and other toxins - in other words, you should eat an organic diet during pregnancy.

Organic fruits and vegetables are grown without pesticides or fertilizers, and the crops are minimally processed with no artificial ingredients, preservatives or irradiation. Most people think of organic foods as being fruits and vegetables, but you should also be eating organic meats. Organic meats and dairy products come from animals that are only fed organic grains and they are not given antibiotics, hormones or any other medications. During pregnancy, it is vital that you eat an organic diet of both meats and fruits and vegetables.

It has been found that people who eat non-organic fruits and vegetables consume over a gallon of toxins from pesticides each year. In a study in which samples from the FDA's records were analyzed, there were major discrepancies in their contamination figures. It showed that nearly half of the contaminates were illegal pesticides which had been outlawed because of their toxic properties. So our foods contain not only legal toxins, but also many illegal, banned toxins as well.

Following an organic foods diet during pregnancy is critical, but because of the higher cost and limited availability of organic foods, some non-organic foods can be eaten if necessary. Below is a list of the fruits and vegetables which are lower in pesticide levels and can be purchased non organic if necessary:

Avocado, Bananas, Blueberries, Grapefruit, Kiwi Fruit, Mangoes, Papaya, Pineapples, Plantains, Plums and Watermelon.

Asparagus, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Okra, Onions and Radishes.

Although eating an organic diet is preferable during pregnancy, these non organic foods are okay to eat without too many added toxins. On the other hand, some organic foods contain more toxins than others. The below list contains the fruits and vegetable that have been shown to have the highest levels of pesticide residue, so they should always be purchased organic. When you are eating an organic diet during pregnancy, it is important to never consume these if they are not organic.

Apples, Cherries, Imported Grapes, Nectarines, Peaches, Pears, Red Raspberries and Strawberries.

Bell Peppers, Celery, Hot Peppers, Potatoes and Spinach.

You should purchase meats, poultry, and dairy that don't have antibiotics and growth hormones added. When you consume meats and dairy products that have these added, it is just like taking the hormones and antibiotics themselves and is very dangerous to your baby.

Following an organic food diet during pregnancy is better for you and better for your baby. It should be incorporated into your healthy lifestyle forever.

I highly recommend an organic cookbook which is way more than a cookbook - it contains everything you need to maintain a healthy lifestyle, learn which cookware is safe, improve your immune system, and is filled with delicious organic recipes.

If you want to get healthier and look younger, then you should take a look at this book at NutritionHealthyEating.com.

For additional information visit Organic Pregnancy Diet

I hope this information on an organic pregnancy diet has been helpful to you.
Author - Patty Evans

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