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In a nutshell? Perinatal nutrition focuses on empowering pregnant moms to make the best food choices for their health and their developing baby and newborn's health. Its main purpose is to ensure a healthy pregnancy, support fetal development, reduce risks during childbirth, and improve the health of both mother and child during the critical early stages of life. Perinatal nutrition recognizes nutrition's strong impact on the health and well-being of both Mom and baby. Many things...

22 September, 2023

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) writes, "There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy or while trying to get pregnant. There is also no safe time for alcohol use during pregnancy. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all wines and beer." As healthcare professionals and prenatal dietitians, we recommend you do not drink alcohol while pregnant. What are the risks if I drink alcohol while I am pregnant? Impact on Fetal...

21 September, 2023

Oh, what we would do for that morning cup! Pregnancy brings a lot of changes to our bodies and diets, and a common question women have is, "Can I drink coffee while pregnant?" Absolutely. With moderation. The Coffee-Caffeine Connection: Key Considerations Understanding Caffeine: Coffee contains caffeine, a natural stimulant known to cross the placenta, potentially affecting both you and your developing baby. Caffeine is a diuretic (causing you to urinate more, and putting you more at risk for dehydration),...

20 September, 2023

What's for breakfast?   Sometimes it's hard to get inspired, and for some reason, healthy has become synonymous with flavorless. This is far from the truth! While pregnant, starting the day off with a healthy breakfast is incredibly important for a number of reasons. A healthy breakfast:   Provides essential nutrients: Breakfast is an opportunity to fuel your body with essential nutrients that are important for fetal development, such as protein, calcium, iron, and folic acid. Helps maintain a healthy...

02 August, 2023

Is it safe to follow a vegetarian or vegan diet while pregnant? Plant-forward diets (including vegetarian and vegan diets) have become more common over the years for a number of reasons. Sometimes women who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet are concerned about how safe it may be for them and their developing babies. The key to getting the nutrients you need while pregnant and nursing as a vegetarian or vegan is planning your diet. This can...

12 July, 2023

Prenatals, or prenatal vitamins, are vitamins that doctors and pregnancy dietitian nutritionists recommend women who are trying to conceive, or women who are pregnant, take. During pregnancy, a woman’s body has unique needs that a balanced diet might not meet. Likewise, before pregnancy, while trying to conceive, these vitamins can ensure a woman and her developing baby are getting all they need. Prenatal vitamins are available in tablets capsules, gummies, powders, and softgels. The best form...

05 July, 2023

Gestational Diabetes is incredibly common, in fact, an estimated up to 10% of pregnancies are affected by it. You’re expecting. You’re learning to manage blood glucose levels with diet, checking levels on your glucometer. It’s summertime and you really, really want a sweet. We get it. Those cravings! And in a sugar-coated world, one in which our tastebuds have become accustomed to sugar in everything, it can be challenging to satisfy your sweet tooth . It's...

21 June, 2023

Gestational diabetes affects up to 10% of women. During pregnancy, all women experience insulin resistance to a point, as their bodies go through hormone and weight changes. Between weeks 24 - 28, your ObGyn will check for gestational diabetes. And though some women are more at-risk for developing it (pregnant women older than 25, women who are overweight, or women who experienced gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy), many women who are diagnosed are the...

16 June, 2023

Hummus has made its way to the blacklist when it comes to foods not to eat while pregnant, and while there is so much research to sift through, and so many opposing points of view, as prenatal dietitians, we want to make sure our patients, and readers, get the best information available to them on which foods are safest for them while pregnant. So, here’s the good, the bad, and the questionable, when it comes to...

24 May, 2023

According to the Mayo Clinic, between 10 and 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. Miscarriage is technically the loss of a pregnancy before reaching the 20th week (with most miscarriages happening before the 12th week). When the body miscarries, it’s likely the fetus was not developing as expected. The majority are due to genetic instability (too many embryonic chromosomes in dividing cells). This doesn’t make having a miscarriage easy, and it can be heartbreaking...

17 May, 2023

The American Academy of Pediatrics and CDC recommend breastfeeding exclusively for six months, then a diet of breastfeeding and complementary foods for up to two years; however, less than 25% of women in the United States feed exclusively for those first six months. Let us be the first to say it: breastfeeding is not easy. It takes time and planning, and in a world where we've been used to go-go-go, new moms feel like they...

12 May, 2023

Morning sickness is a bit of a cheat because it doesn't only happen in the morning, and, unfortunately, it can last an entire pregnancy. Most women who experience it do so during the first trimester and feel much better after they reach that magic 12 to 13-week mark. That said, some, feel nauseous their entire pregnancy. If you're experiencing extreme bouts of nausea and vomiting, you need to see a doctor immediately because you...

05 May, 2023

Many women, when diagnosed with gestational diabetes, feel overwhelmed, even guilty. It’s important to understand that during pregnancy, women’s bodies go through many changes, including hormonal changes and weight gain. These changes cause a woman’s body to use insulin less efficiently. All women experience some insulin resistance during late pregnancy.  Gestational diabetes usually develops around week 24 of pregnancy, and all women should be tested for it. For women who do test positive for gestational diabetes,...

26 April, 2023

Breastfeeding can be intimidating and breastfeeding nutrition even moreso. Most women are so tired during those first few weeks, eating a balanced diet seems as realistic as aliens invading. They can’t imagine being able to maintain a healthy diet while breastfeeding. Others have concerns about how their own nutritional needs may impact the quality and quantity of their breast milk. Some women may worry that certain foods or beverages they consume could cause their baby...

19 April, 2023

With the refrigerator shelves packed with different kinds of yogurt, it’s hard to know which is the best to buy. For pregnant women, most commercial yogurts are safe and, in fact pasteurized yogurt is a great snack choice throughout your pregnancy. Your developing baby needs calcium, proteins, and vitamin B12. Yogurt (PASTEURIZED) promotes healthy digestion, strengthens the immune system, and supports fetal development. What’s not to love? Why would somebody say not to eat yogurt? Some...

12 April, 2023

You might have heard about the dangers of papaya, pineapple, and grapes. Really, it seems like everything comes with a warning label these days. Rumors abound about the fruits that can cause harm to you and your developing baby. We’re here to tell you that you can breathe easy. That fruit salad you had at breakfast was most likely a healthy choice! With so much information out there, it’s hard to know what to believe. As...

05 April, 2023

Is it safe to lose weight while pregnant? Should women try to lose weight while pregnant? Now is not the time to diet. Now is the time to nourish yourself and your developing baby with good nutrition and exercise. By establishing healthy eating patterns and exercise habits, before and while pregnant, you can sustain them throughout your lifetime. As pregnancy dietitian nutritionists, we want to stress how important it is to see your ObGyn and not begin...

28 March, 2023

Here are some sobering statistics about birth defects from the CDC. Every 4 ½ minutes, a child is born with a birth defect. Every 1 in 33 babies is born with a birth defect in the United States Approximately 120,000 babies are born with birth defects each year. Some birth defects are easy to identify (cleft lip). Others, like hearing loss, heart problems, and even some kinds of spina bifida are not easy to identify and can take years...

21 March, 2023

There’s the saying you’re eating for two, but really the recommendations for a healthy diet plan during pregnancy don’t vary significantly from everyday life. But good nutrition is more important now than ever, as it is critical for both your and your developing baby’s health. We always recommend a nutrient-dense diet, keeping highly processed foods and fast food to a minimum. But what about the when? How many times a day should a pregnant woman eat? A...

14 March, 2023

You’re pregnant, or maybe thinking of getting pregnant, and as soon as the cat’s out of the bag, you’re a walking target for opinions, advice, and everything in between.  You might have heard any number of these phrases about prenatal nutrition – Don’t eat cheese. – No more coffee. – No more seafood. Prenatal nutrition is key to reducing risks during pregnancy and birth. Before making radical changes in your diet, please consult with your ObGyn. Moreover,...

06 March, 2023

While pregnant, nutrition is key to a baby’s healthy development and a mother’s safety. In the blur of planning for your baby's arrival, we recommend you plan to make good nutrition a priority. Your and your baby's lives count on it. Poor nutrition during pregnancy can have negative consequences for both the developing baby and the mother, putting both baby and mom at risk for complications during pregnancy, during childbirth, and even resulting in significant long-term...

02 March, 2023

We don’t like to generalize about expecting moms' universal needs because every woman’s pregnancy experience is unique. Likewise, every woman’s dietary needs during pregnancy and after birth are unique. Nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting the healthy development of the baby, supporting moms-to-be, helping Mom's body prepare for breastfeeding, and helping accelerate healing after birth. That said, nutrition plans that support those developmental stages are critical to reduce risks to both your child and...

02 March, 2023

If you are experiencing fertility problems, you are not alone. According to the CDC, approximately 6.1 million women in the United States (or 9.4% of women aged 15-44) have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant. And the prevalence of infertility increases with age, as women from 35 - 44 years old are at the highest risk. About one-third of infertility cases are due to male factors, one-third are due to female factors, and the remaining...

02 March, 2023

During pregnancy, our bodies take on a life of their own. Some women feel surges of energy, while others simply feel rotten. Seeing a nutritionist during pregnancy can be an incredibly beneficial step for both you and your developing baby. Proper nutrition during pregnancy is essential to reduce risks of complications during pregnancy and birth, as well as for the growth and development of your baby. Here are some risks associated with poor nutrition during pregnancy: Low...

01 March, 2023

Pregnancy is strange. Certainly it’s miraculous. But ask any woman, and she’ll probably tell you it’s uncomfortable, exciting, daunting, terrifying, painful, overwhelming, nauseating, exhilarating. And, most definitely,  it’s … strange. First a woman grows an organ – the placenta. Then she grows another human being.  It’s the ultimate in awesome biology and chemistry and whoa! And, for some reason, everyone becomes a pregnancy expert as soon as they see a woman with a baby belly. These experts...

11 April, 2022

All this preparation and now your baby is here. And it's hard. New parents, especially moms, can feel everything from love and joy to being completely overwhelmed and terrified. (Greeting card companies usually skip over the latter feelings!) In 2011, August was declared National Breastfeeding Month (NBM) to support breastfeeding as a “public health imperative.” The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life (Mayoclinic.org). There are many health...

09 March, 2022

For many years, eggs were put on the blacklist because of concerns over high cholesterol and heart problems. However, we now know that this is not entirely accurate, and eggs are actually incredibly nutritious. This week, as millions of people celebrate Seder and Easter, eggs play a central role in both spring traditions. In fact, a medium-sized chicken egg contains around 75 calories, 5.1 grams of fat, and 7.5 grams of protein, making it a nutritional...

28 January, 2022

Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect (an estimated 1 in 33). When preparing for conception and pregnancy, there are ways to prevent birth defects. As a pregnancy nutrition group and registered dietitian nutritionists, we specialize in how to help a woman prepare for pregnancy and best nourish herself during pregnancy. Here are 8 easy steps to reduce the chance of birth defects in your child and make a PACT for...

11 November, 2021

“All aerobic exercise is out.” “Stretching is dangerous.” “If you don’t usually exercise, don’t start while you’re pregnant.” “The only real reason to exercise while pregnant is to help lose baby weight.” Basically, for the next 40 weeks, you’re a petri dish and should eat a lot, take vitamins, and stay still … very very still. If it were up to those meddling grandmas (sounding very Scooby Doo here), most women during pregnancy would be bubble wrapped. We can’t...

05 October, 2021

National Nutrition Month is a great time to focus on making smart food and exercise decisions for better health. With so much information out there, it can be hard to sort through trends and get to solid, reliable advice. Here are 8 tips that can help you make better health choices to improve your chances of healthy fertility, prenatal nutrition, and a healthy postnatal experience. Know thyself: There isn't a one-size-fits-all nutrition plan, as nutrition...

28 May, 2021

“What a cruel scheme to keep a woman from knowing her power. To put the focus on what pregnancy did to her body rather than focus on what her perfect body just did. Here we sit, creating and nourishing the future, and we are diminished to “baby weight.” I will not succumb to your demeaning ideals.” – Amethyst Joy This quote so resonated with us when we read it the other day. A close friend is...

20 May, 2021