Organic Pregnancy Tips

To learn the best organic pregnancy tips for home and body care, food and more, I asked an expert with 20 years experience in the natural health field, Jodi Barnett. Jodi is a Natural Health Consultant and the owner of Harvested Health in Schererville, Indiana.

Over the past few years, Jodi has provided me and many others in our local community with wise and practical heath advice for ourselves and our children. I'm thrilled to bring her wisdom to a wider audience! Here is our interview:

Jodi, what does an “organic pregnancy” mean to you? Well, to me it means feeding both your body and baby's from the most natural state God provides. That includes lots of juicing of fresh fruits and produce, fresh nut milks, raw foods, whole grains and limited amounts of organic meats.

The advantages of avoiding harmful pesticides when pregnant are obvious. What are some other advantages of eating organic foods during pregnancy? Increased available nutrition for both you and baby, because organic foods have been shown to contain more vitamins and other nutrients.

If you had to pick one essential for optimal health in an organic pregnancy, what would it be? I would have to say juicing during pregnancy. It is liquid nutrition that is absorbed almost instantly for optimal cellular health and fetal growth.

What about skin care and household products? Well, first you need realize that what you put on your skin has a direct feed into the blood stream within 26 seconds, so YES it does matter. Put clean body care products on the body: those without parabens, sodium laureth sulfates, etc. You can actually take your current lotions, shampoos etc. and Google the list of ingredients and find out for yourself the effects of different ingredients.

Also, the type of air atmosphere that you obtain within your home depends on the type of household cleaners you choose to clean with. Keep it as chemically free as possible. Harsh cleaners are not necessary. Be aware of the type of laundry products you wash your clothing in because the chemical residue will adhere to the fibers of the fabrics. I recommend Charlie’s Soap as a better choice for both laundry and cleaning.

What should pregnant women look for and what should they avoid in choosing make-up and body care products? Again, the list of ingredients says it all. First off, most mommies-to-be have such a beautiful organic pregnancy glow that during pregnancy make-up isn’t necessary. But searching for better companies with better products is important. Just because the label says "Organic" doesn’t mean that everything in the product is safe or organic. Aubrey Organics' products are clean, as are Tropical Traditions' products.

Mineral makeup is now being questioned not because it’s not a chemically clean product, but because it’s a loose powder and when applying the dust is breathed into the lungs and certain concentrations of particular minerals can clog the delicate interior of the lungs and cause problems. I personally have not found a “clean” liquid makeup yet. If you’re going to use powder makeup make it pressed.

Hairsprays are particularly dangerous especially during pregnancy. Use a pump hairspray and avoid at all cost the aerosol sprays. Aubrey Organics' hair spray is a much better choice. Also, avoid coloring your hair during pregnancy due to the heavy metal content of ALL hair color. Henna’s are better choices, however, 9 months is not that long of a time to refrain from coloring one's hair.

It can seem overwhelming when you start learning about all the toxic stuff out there. What do you suggest for making the transition toward a more natural, organic pregnancy easier and less overwhelming? Do your own research: the internet is a wealth of information. In this case ignorance is not bliss, yet stressing yourself out to the point of obsession is not the answer either. When you run out of something, replace it with a better choice. The better items can be pricier, however, you end up using less of the actual product.

I’ve always said pregnancy is a great time to adopt natural health and lifestyle habits. What are the advantages to a woman, her baby and family? You are what you eat. Many if not all of today’s health issues/ailments and diseases are products of lifestyle and diet: high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, cholesterol, obesity, etc. The best gift we as parents can give our children (which starts in-vitro) is better health, getting back to basics in our lifestyle and our choices. Our fast lifestyles have allotted us less time for natural choices and we succumb to convenience, which is very rarely the healthier option. Our children will inherit our lifestyle. Based on what we model for them growing up, you get to choose whether that is going to be health or constant symptoms and disease.

How many of us as adults automatically assume that if our parents had high cholesterol or high blood pressure or diabetes that it’s inevitable that we too will have those health issues? They are not inherited, but rather products of lifestyle. However, we end up cooking the same meals we grew up on, eating the same way our parents did; we handle stress the same way it was modeled for us in adolescence, which inevitably ends up at the same place as our parents' health- unless we begin to recognize what we need to change.

Very well said, Jodi, and thank you so much for sharing your insights into an organic pregnancy!

**Jodi Barnett is available for natural health consultations and services. You can find her at:

Harvested Health
2157 US HWY 41
Schererville, IN 46375
(219) 227-8784
www.Harvestedhealth.com

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