Pregnant women are frequently informed of the importance of avoiding specific foods like excessive amounts of caffeine, unwashed produce, or heavily process lunch meat. Yet, the value of staying away from commercial grains is rarely discussed by mainstream care providers. Yet eating improperly prepared nut, seed, and grain products from the commercial food industry can cause multiple problems. These grains, sometimes disguised as healthy, may be of more danger to pregnant women than the lunch meat and coffee that they so vehemently fear.

Commercial grain products and improperly prepared nut and seed products produce several different problems in the body. For one thing, if they are made with whole grains, which are generally considered to be cheaper, these products contain phytic acid. This naturally-occurring toxin binds with calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc in the intestinal tract, which means that these vital nutrients don’t get absorbed into the bloodstream. Clearly this goes fundamentally against the tenants of a healthy pregnancy.

Besides this dangerous problem, commercial grain products are created using high heating methods, which destroy many of the inherent nutritional value of the grains, nuts, and seeds. Even breakfast cereals and granola labeled organic are processed by these means and have little to no nutritional value. In fact, many grain products sold commercially have negative health effects, for both pregnant women and those who are not, because they’re full of sugar, which causes imbalances in blood sugar and a host of other problems.

How to Eat Healthier Grains

There is no doubt that a healthy pregnancy diet includes grain products, as well as nuts and seeds. However, these things need to be prepared properly in order for them to be processed in your body most efficiently. For some grains, soaking and sprouting are sufficient, and others need to be fermented in order to be processed properly. The best way to get these healthy grain, nut, and seed products into your pregnancy diet is to learn to prepare them at home. Making your own homemade breads, granola, and nut butters allows you to control the ingredients that go into your food and also saves you a lot of cash. Furthermore, creating one’s own food is a rewarding experience.

Of course, your healthy pregnancy diet can’t be based solely on grain and nut products! It is important to consume plenty of green leafy vegetables, drink copious amounts of water, and maintain a generally healthful lifestyle in order to bring a healthy baby into the world. To find out more about what you need during pregnancy, check out Healing Our Children, for more information on the foods that make up the healthiest pregnancy diet.