Super Foods for a Super Baby, Made Simple

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There was a time, not too long ago, when women consistently and easily bore children vital and free from disease. Dr. Westin Price was a dentist who traveled the world looking for healthy populations with healthy children. He did this at a very unique point in history, right as “foods of modern commerce,” as he called them, were seeping into the last remaining isolated cultures. What he documented was nothing short of astounding.

Dr. Price documented 14 cultures that were near perfect health, free of the afflictions so common in today’s infants and children. He noted superb facial and skeletal construction, open nasal passages, well-formed chins, and a robustness and vitality that were simply not found in children born to parents who ate modern foods. He documented countless examples of children with perfect teeth and jaw alignment, at least until mother’s began eating modern foods.

Dr. Price found healthy pregnant women who easily birthed healthy children. In these areas, he spoke with other doctors who all told him that they never needed to tend to births or treat diseases in these cultures until “the first generation after the adoption of the modernized diet.”

He compared mentally healthy adolescents to their mentally unstable neighbors effected by modern food products. Dr. Price documented the clear nutritional wisdom of these people, in awe that they knew so many things that are essential for life—“things that our modern civilizations apparently do not know.” What he found was so powerful that he removed much of his consideration of heredity or genetic blame and replaced that blame onto the food choices of the parents.

Although each culture’s pregnant women had access to different foods, they all had a few habits in common. The primary component that brought all 14 cultures together was simply the consumption of whole, unprocessed foods. Dr. Price also documented the importance placed on gathering specific foods for pregnancy, though much of this ancient wisdom has been lost today. He noted that every healthy population he studied ate animal products and used saturated fat liberally, and that every meal included fermented, soaked, or sprouted foods. He documented the importance placed on organ meats for healthy reproduction.

In one culture, the people traveled huge distances to obtain special seafood for the pregnant mother, while in another, several people of the village were appointed to take shifts securing certain foods for the pregnant women. The highest priority in these cultures was placed on creating a healthy child. As such, it seems a modern woman who wants to ensure having a very healthy baby would be wise to incorporate as many of these traditional foods as possible.

The diet that Dr. Price suggested based on his studies can be found at westonaprice.org This diet is based on whole foods and the guidelines are great for simplifying the many nutritional decisions a pregnant mother is required to make when considering the nutritional health of her baby and herself.

James and Kim are certified nutrition and lifestyle coaches who assist pregnant moms and new parents. They can be contacted at FitForBirth@gmail.com or through their Web sites GetFitForBirth.com and SecretsofPainlessChildbirth.com