Speaker 1: 0:10

Hey guys, welcome back to Preview Alliance podcast and I'm so excited you guys have been asking us about as we dive into mental health all the time. But a very important thing about pregnancy and postpartum that we have not touched on is nutrition, and it is fueling our bodies to actually help us mentally, physically, do motherhood, become moms and take care of little. So I am super excited to introduce my guest today who's going to help us do just that learn and become better moms. So, abby, welcome to the Preview Lions podcast.

Speaker 2: 0:45

Thank you so much, Sarah, for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Speaker 1: 0:49

We're pumped. So can you give our listeners a little background about you and what brought you to kind of specializing in this field and what you do now to help moms?

Speaker 2: 1:01

Absolutely yeah. So I'm actually a trained natural food chef. I've been cooking professionally over 14 years. I became a chef to solely help people use food as a healing tool, and so over the years, I've supported individuals and families through nutritious meals that are catered to their unique dietary needs and individual health goals as well. But then I reached a point it was like COVID time where I just, you know, I couldn't go into people's homes anymore and support them directly with their food, and so I kind of was searching for another modality that I can help people with, and that's when herbal medicine kind of came into my life, that I can help people with, and that's when herbal medicine kind of came into my life. I've been studying herbal medicine for the last five years and it's really opened up another way to support people.

Speaker 2: 1:55

And then, in 2022, I had a daughter and that rocked my world in a great way. But just going through pregnancy and the postpartum period, I really saw a need to support people specifically through that time and so I totally like shifted my business and kind of really really be that support person for people, offer them nutritious meals as well as just general support postpartum. So that's kind of like how I ended up in this beautiful world of pregnancy and postpartum healing.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Now I'm interested now in culinary school and learning your education. Did they ever was there special classes on this or did they kind of like always compare it to? You know a nursing school that I went through, or my husband did medical school? You know, when it comes to pregnancy and postpartum, unless you specialize in it, they kind of glossed over it. It's like, oh, maybe a section. So I'm wondering if it's kind of the same in the food world.

Speaker 2: 3:01

Yeah, it wasn't world, yeah, it wasn't. It's funny, thinking back, like I did go to a very health supportive school in New York City where the curriculum was very like diet focused, like helping people with specific dietary restrictions or allergies. But no, there was never a mention of pregnancy or postpartum. But it was funny because over time I started getting a lot of pregnant clients and just kind of the experience of working with them I kind of like geared my meals kind of more towards them and then especially postpartum, you know, just like upping their calories and making sure they had really nutrient dense foods to support them during that time too.

Speaker 1: 3:44

Yeah, I find it very. In a lot of, you know, resource areas it's not really focused on what pregnant moms and postpartum moms should be having. So we're so happy to have this conversation, so we're going to break this up into two episodes because there's so much to cover, but this episode we're going to start with trying to get pregnant, right? So I do think this generation of moms I like to call us the birth control generation A lot of times we didn't the food that we have ate, for a lot of times our environments we've been through COVID, we've been through a lot.

Speaker 1: 4:20

So we feel like the challenges of getting pregnant is harder these days and infertility is more common. So, just speaking to trying to the mom who's out there, she's trying to get pregnant again her first time and she's wondering what, Abby, can I do? You know and we're talking about easy, doable things that we would love to have you as our own personal chef in our life. But if we, you know, if that ever allowed, but what is some takeaways that we would love to have you as our own personal chef in our life, if that ever allowed? But what is some takeaways that you would tell her of, kind of where to turn and where to start.

Speaker 2: 4:52

Absolutely yeah. So let's look at food. I mean, food is the easiest kind of thing that we eat lots of food every day. So if we focus in on what we're eating, so if we're trying to get pregnant, one of the things we really want to think about is antioxidant rich foods. So we want to think about those dark berries, we want to think about broccoli, red cabbage, things with, like, rich pigments are really important. Beets are really nourishing. Sweet potatoes you want to think about like red bell peppers or orange peppers. All those foods that have those pigmentations are really rich in antioxidants that are really supportive to us, as well as nutrient-dense foods. So we want to think about dark leafy greens kale, collards, spinach, brussel sprouts and then, as well as if you're eating animal protein, we want to think about preferably grass-fed or pasture-raised. So we want not animals that are, you know, have a lot of antibiotics in them. We want to kind of eat the clean, pasture-raised animals. Wild fish is really important. Same kind of thing. Farm, farm raised fish can have a lot of antibiotic use as well.

Speaker 2: 6:10

As you know, the berries are those berries are coming back into the picture Whole grains, brown rice, farro, quinoa, whole wheat. Eggs are a powerhouse. We want to be eating lots of eggs, good quality eggs. Beans are super accessible and super rich in protein, minerals, fiber that's an important one Nuts and seeds, and then seaweeds also, are a super rich, good source of iodine, so like nori or dulse, and you can just sprinkle these on top of a grain or it's an easy way to kind of incorporate into your diet. And then also probiotic support.

Speaker 2: 6:58

So we want to think about some fermented foods, such as like yogurt, cultured cottage cheese, sauerkraut, miso, as well as those lacto-fermented vegetables. So those are going to be found in, like the refrigerated section and you can also make them at home. They're really easy to make too. So if we're thinking like pickles, we want them to be refrigerated pickles, because those are going to have all the live active cultures in them, which is really good for your gut.

Speaker 2: 7:30

We want to think about folic acid. So if you're trying to get pregnant, a lot of times you would be taking like a folic acid supplement in your prenatal, but you can also get that in your food. Sunflower seeds have folic acid, dark leafy greens, eggs, avocado, beets, brussels sprouts, chickpeas, kidney beans, peanuts. So those are some food sources that, like you would want to turn to for like enriching preconception, as well as essential fatty acids. So omega-3 rich foods, which would be your salmon, your sardines, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts those are some really good sources of omega-3s to add to your diet really good sources of omega-3s to add to your diet.

Speaker 1: 8:23

So if a mom's saying, okay, I live in a food desert or I have to drive X amount to get this, some easy kind of hack she would tell her is focus on. If she could focus on three or four things, what would be your top like cessable? She could go to any, probably grocery store, not break the bank probably grocery store, not break the bank.

Speaker 2: 8:42

Yeah, I would say nuts seeds are powerhouses of nutrients as well, as if you can get some dark leafy greens, I think that would be really, really great to add into your diet. So you really just want to focus on, like fiber rich foods. So whole grains, rice, brown rice those are, you know, really easy staples. Beans you can buy dried beans, you can get canned beans. They, you know, there's endless kind of possibilities with them. You can make soups, you can just boil up a pot and like have them on hand for like an easy lunch to throw on top of like a salad or something like a grain bowl or something like that. So I think those would be my go-to.

Speaker 1: 9:23

Perfect Now. So say you know she's pregnant and we can kind of go through this in trimesters and that first trimester we if you've been there, it is. It can be for the majority of people, you know, not everybody. There are some people that feel great, have no food aversions, so maybe our first trimester listeners now are going oh, abby, no, no, no, no, no, when you're hearing all these kind of foods. So what do you tell your first trimester moms who are like Abby, I'm good if I can get a bite of bread.

Speaker 2: 9:54

Yeah, I would say, eat what you can. I mean it's just important to get calories in some way. Yeah, I've been there. Lettuce and greens were the least appealing to me in my first trimester, so I totally, totally get it. Just eat what sounds and looks and tastes good to you. I think that's the most important thing is just to get calories and in some sort of way.

Speaker 1: 10:25

Yeah, now let's say she's like, okay, I can do some foods. What would you, especially in that first trimester, which we do feel a lot of pressure I think in that first trimester is you know of all the development that the baby's happening in that short amount of time and then sometimes you may not find out you're pregnant till it's a little past in the first trimester or you know. Again, you have technology that we can find out way before you know. It's like you are barely four weeks pregnant, right? So then she's got this longer period of time that she's more cognizant of. Ooh, what am I putting in my body? And what would you kind of say to focus in there versus is there anything to help with nausea? Is there anything to help her with that energy that is just non-existent there?

Speaker 2: 11:08

Absolutely. Yeah, I mean I always would tell my client or whomever I'm working with to kind of trust themselves and whatever they're kind of looking like, what sounds appealing to them. Food wise, like trust that. Like if you're craving eggs, eat all the eggs you know. Like, if you're craving carbohydrates, have the carbohydrates, because obviously your body is kind of looking for calories in some way it's looking for protein. So like like just trust yourself and what your cravings really are. As far as like nausea that can come up with pregnancy, some people find relief with ginger, either as like a tea or those like ginger chews. But for some people, like that ginger is like doesn't help at all. Lemon water can be like a really easy kind of thing that kind of helps with nausea. For some people it's kind of like a you have to see what works. Peppermint can be supportive for some people, but for others chamomile might be supportive. Perhaps it really depends on the individual. So you know, there's not like a one size fits all.

Speaker 1: 12:23

Yeah, now, when she's passed and now we're in second trimester she can eat what she wants and we are really in this building stage second and third trimester, more to the say, the first part of third trimester and really wanting to now. We need to consider, you know, things such as gestational diabetes maybe popping up into the picture, or she may be having blood pressure issues, or she simply her active lifestyles for whatever reason is not the same. So we're really trying to focus in on nourishment of her and now this little baby she's growing.

Speaker 2: 12:53

Absolutely. So yeah, some common things that can come up in the second trimester. You can find out you have gestational diabetes. I went through that my first pregnancy and it was kind of like a huge curveball because I didn't see it coming. But what it did was really made me focus on balancing blood sugar throughout the day and making sure that I had three meals and snacks in between those meals just to keep everything really stable.

Speaker 2: 13:20

Eating a lot of protein really helped regulate the gestational diabetes and it's different for a lot of people, like it could be, you know, just a mild case of it or it can kind of run a little more like insulin sensitivity and you might need insulin. But your diet and your lifestyle is so important to kind of control during that time. So as long as you're like getting adequate protein that is like a really big piece of that puzzle Everything else kind of can fall into place. Taking walks after a meal really can help lower blood sugar, so it can kind of become like a ritual that you do with your partner After you have dinner. You can go for a nice evening walk if perhaps you don't have any other children to bring with you.

Speaker 2: 14:09

But yeah, and then also another thing that can come up in the second or third trimester is like low blood iron, so anemia. So there's blood building foods that you know you can eat If you eat meat red meat is obviously a good source of iron. There's beets, dark leafy greens. Molasses is actually really rich in iron. I make this delicious dandelion root and yellow dock root syrup using molasses. That's like a herbal medicine, kind of iron tonic syrup that you can make. I'm sure it could be Googled and given in it.

Speaker 2: 14:49

There's also you know you want to think about iron rich foods, so like watercress, chicory, spinach, cabbage, cherries, dried apricots, raisins, blackberries, sunflower seeds. Lentils are a great source if you're not eating meat. Eggs have some iron in them. Whole wheat bread and whole grains are really supportive too. So yeah, there's like a lot of different ways. Oh, one really helpful tip if you have cast iron pans, cooking in cast iron is a great way to increase iron absorption because it will leach into your food. So especially if you're cooking something acidic so say you're making tomato sauce or something with vinegar, like collard greens, and you put a splash of vinegar in you will actually absorb some of the iron from the pan. It's kind of interesting.

Speaker 1: 15:46

I guess our grandmas had had, they you know, cooking with that for many, many years. I guess they were on to something that they knew. I guess it is that the interesting point. Is there any kind of we've been talking a lot of dues? Is there talk about like don't as much as we can, of like you know the pans we cook on, or is there any kind of things that you're kind of like these are some red flags, you know, if time allows, if money allows, choose these choices from cooking to our, how we're cooking to you know, consuming.

Speaker 2: 16:16

Yeah, no, absolutely. I would say avoid nonstick pans if you can. There's been like studies that the chemicals can leach into your food and it's pretty toxic. So especially too if you're trying to conceive, I would say kind of get rid of those nonstick pans. Cook with stainless steel, cast iron. Those would be really good alternatives. Also, like if you're reheating and or storing food, choose glass if you can, or stainless steel. Reheating in plastic is kind of a big no-no. If you're doing doing in the microwave like, you're definitely going to be leaching out some of those toxic chemicals. So I would say try to avoid that too. Yeah, those are the first big ones that pop in your head.

Speaker 1: 17:00

yeah, interesting. So the trained chef, naturalist, herbalist gets dropped with gestational diabetes? Yeah, it always seems to go that way, right? Did that have some kind of impact on you mentally, even when they're like you have this Abby?

Speaker 2: 17:20

Absolutely yeah. So I had to go to an endocrinologist it was my first time going to see one and I was like I understand what I'm supposed to eat and how I'm supposed to eat. So I'm floored about this and it was funny because it really it was interesting. It was almost like I was like doing a science experiment on myself, because I would eat certain meals and then I would have to test my blood sugar an hour after and I would see, like what would happen. So certain times, if, say, I had a burrito one night, I remember vividly and my blood sugar just shot through the roof and I tested my husband. So I was like, wait, let's see if yours is too. No, his was like totally normal. And I was like, oh my gosh, we went for like a walk. It was like 10 o'clock at night because I just couldn't sleep. And I was like, oh my gosh, we went for like a walk. It was like 10 o'clock at night because I just couldn't sleep and I was stressed out. But yeah, it was just.

Speaker 2: 18:13

It was like too many refined carbohydrates just sent my blood sugar through the roof and also too like I am pretty much a plant-based, so I was eating my protein was just like beans and it wasn't quite enough. So I think that it just like I needed to really up my protein and so I was eating a lot more nuts and just trying to get to get that protein up. I was eating walnuts, which actually like saved me. I feel like I would eat them as a midnight snack. Yeah, that really helped balance things out. But, yeah, getting that diagnosis really shook my world but it actually informed so much more. Like I love helping people through that time now because you know I've been there and it's shocking, no matter what, for anyone to have that diagnosis. So if I can be a support person for those individuals, like I'm all about it, so if I can, be a support person for those individuals like I'm all about it.

Speaker 1: 19:11

It's fit yeah, I mean a lot of times, right, we have to go through something ourselves to use. That, on the other end, is like our testimony and like our work, and I've talked to so many people. It's like why do you do what you do now? It's because I experienced it and I didn't know what to do, or I thought I knew what to do. So quick grab grabbing goes for protein, because I think, no matter what stage we are, protein women in general don't eat enough protein, Right? So if you have a busy mom, she's like OK, abby, I have two kids, I got one on the way. How am I get my protein? And what would you tell her? Some like day to day quick grabs, things she can do.

Speaker 2: 19:45

Absolutely yeah. So my go to is I mean, I eat a lot of eggs and I feel like eggs are pretty accessible for most people. Hard-boiled eggs are great. You can cook off a bunch at the beginning of the week. You can have them in the refrigerator, you can grab, if you're like didn't have breakfast, that's an easy. Eat two of those for breakfast. Hopefully you can have something else with it. But you know worst case scenario. Two hard boiled eggs will at least give you that boost that you need. I really like cheese sticks Like I do have a toddler. We eat a lot of cheese in our house. Cheese sticks are really easy to like. Grab and go Nuts and seeds. I always have in my car with me If I know I'm going to be out during the day. I make a little like trail mix, throw in some dried fruit, but that's like a really easy source of protein to kind of have with you. That's shelf stable, you don't have to worry about it going bad. I would say those are my top three, yeah.

Speaker 1: 20:42

I really dove into my protein actually this past year and it's surprisingly difficult to get the what you need. You have to really make this effort. But I love that. That's a good connection of a protein and gestational diabetes as actual things that a woman can do, because it is scary when you have this diagnosis and if you have to give yourself insulin. You've never done that before and you're trying to manage life and you're worried about outcomes for you and baby with it because it does put you at risk. Now, what about high blood pressure? Anything with your clients that they're like? You know I am on the road to preeclampsia or I'm having this high blood pressure issue here. Abby, you know, is there anything there why I'm already feeling like my stress levels are through the roof? That I can be doing nutrition wise? That will help.

Speaker 2: 21:31

Right, yeah, so high blood pressure is interesting because it could either be like they tell you like don't eat sodium, right, but actually sodium can be helpful. So it's like a tricky situation stress in some way to like find an activity and or just carve out some time for yourself in the day to do just like a walk, if that feels nurturing, or maybe it's just like a really really gentle yoga, where maybe you're just lying on the floor for a little bit and just doing deep breathing and I would say the lifestyle piece kind of comes more into play there than food specifically. But finding some quiet time for yourself, I think that would be Now okay.

Speaker 1: 22:27

So now we're getting into third trimester and we are preparing for labor. So if you are working with a client who's like, okay, Abby, I want to have the best labor experience we can control, right, there's a lot of uncontrollable how to prepare our body. What do we need to be eating, Even to the point of what should I be preparing for postpartum which I know we're going to do a whole episode on that but what is the things you tell that third trimester mom?

Speaker 2: 22:52

Yeah, hydration, hydration, you know, make sure you are staying hydrated, make sure, if you have an electrolyte mix that you really like to use during labor, that would be really supportive. Coconut water, you know, is rich in electrolytes too. That's a really nice thing you can use. You can make your own electrolyte mix just using lemon salt and some. I think it's like a little bit of baking soda and you add it to water. You can add a little splash of maple syrup if you want, if you want to be sweet or honey, but it's a like nature. What do they call it? Like nature aid or something like that you can make your own.

Speaker 2: 23:32

But yeah, and then as far as like eating during labor, you kind of have to go with what you feel like you would want. I don't really have a one size fits all kind of answer to that.

Speaker 1: 23:44

What do they say? I had C-section so I never try to remember. Is this a fifth fruit I think I've heard of to ripen the cervix, or oh yeah?

Speaker 2: 23:53

Like dates are really supportive. Yeah, absolutely, they can help ripen the cervix as well. As raspberry leaf tea, that's a uterine tonic that you can actually be drinking, that like 26 weeks and on, but I don't know. It doesn't so much like induce labor, but it just helps the uterus kind of prepare and tone it for contractions and they've done studies where it actually has shortened labor by five minutes. So why?

Speaker 1: 24:23

not which will take it. Five minutes is five minutes, you know.

Speaker 2: 24:27

Why not have some?

Speaker 1: 24:28

Why not? Okay, so if, what could she be preparing? Because everybody, you know, there's a big push of get your meals ready for the postpartum period, you know or her family or friends, like, hey, what do you need? You know, can I sign up for a meal training? And she's thinking, well, I don't even know what to tell you what kind of foods I would need or what. And then you look, it's interesting because other countries, right especially Asian countries, they have kind of like this resting period for the mom and some even have like these really posh facilities that she is with the baby and someone's like a doula is there, which I know you're a doula and they're taking care of her, but they're also bringing her like. I remember watching a video, it was like miso soup, it was like this nourishing, you know, and she was just laying there being with her baby, and we do not have that here in America.

Speaker 2: 25:14

Yeah, I know, but it sounds so lovely. But yeah. So foods for postpartum I would say you really want like right away postpartum. So like the super early days you're going to want soupy, stewy foods. I know we're kind of heading into the winter cold season so that's kind of easier, but I know in the summertime it could be not really what you would think that you would want. But the thing about soups and stews is that the ingredients are already broken down by the long cooking process and so when you're consuming it your body has less work to do.

Speaker 2: 25:48

Basically, and immediately postpartum I mean, your body has just gone through a big wonderful event, but you know. But to give your digestive tract kind of a break and to kind of have pre-broken down foods that are really easy to assimilate into your body, that will help enhance your circulation, it will help just keep things moving. I know postpartum the constipation kind of happens, can happen. So if you're eating like fiber rich foods that are already broken down, that can be really supportive. So really warming foods we want to think about. We don't want to be drinking like ice beverages right away, I mean at one or two weeks postpartum. Yes, like you can have a cold thing, but cold in Chinese medicine like to warm up. Cold, cold foods. Like your body has to do a lot, so we really want to start with warm foods so your body doesn't have to do a lot and it can take the time to heal other things that need to be healed at that time.

Speaker 1: 26:48

Really interesting. I don't think I've ever. I certainly didn't do that with my postpartum, so I didn't know. But that makes a lot of sense, right, the warm doesn't require any warm. You've just went through a marathon. However, postpartum is rough on the body, so that is something. If they're like, okay, so what is that? What could they make? Is that like bone broths or is that? You know, like what can I tell people to?

Speaker 2: 27:07

you know, bring soups, or yeah, I would say bone broth If you're consuming animal protein. Yes, bone broths are great. Slow cooked meats, a lot of vegetables, soups and stews like foods that are comforting to you. I know everyone laughs about casserole all the casseroles they get but that could be super supportive. Like some spinach and chicken enchiladas. Like why not, as long as there's like a good source of protein, there's some vegetables in there, there's a really good carbohydrate, like that's what you want. You want healthy fats. Postpartum. You need actually your calories increase from being pregnant, so like you need 500 additional calories postpartum, just to you know if you're going to choose to breastfeed, but also just for, like general recovery, like your body's been through a lot and so it's really important to nourish yourself during that time.

Speaker 1: 28:06

I love that and, abby, thank you for bringing us through that. And in our next we'll bring you back and we'll have a part two series and we'll hit on that past, postpartum and into motherhood, because I think it's a long game here, right Like this is. You know, this is a marathon, not a sprint. So we will make sure in the show notes to leak your website and so where they can find you, and we'll do our best of combining and getting some notes for them so they can. I know that they're probably like trying to carpool on or doing dishes, trying to quickly write down these food sources, but we'll give them some notes so that they can tap into that. So, abby, thank you so much and we will talk to you soon.

Speaker 2: 28:46

Thank you.

Speaker 3: 28:48

Maternal mental health is as important as physical health. The Preview Alliance podcast was created for and by moms dealing with postpartum depression and all its variables, like anxiety, anger and even apathy. Hosted by CEO founder Sarah Parkhurst and licensed clinical social worker Whitney Gay, each episode focuses on specific issues relevant to pregnancy and postpartum. Join us and hear how other moms have overcome mental health challenges, as well as access tips and suggestions on dealing with your own challenges as moms. You can also browse our podcast library and listen to previous episodes at any time. Please know you're not alone on this journey. We're here to help.