Sorry Doctor Oz,
but I disagree with you.
A reader sent me a note a couple weeks ago about Dr. Oz’s new book “You, Having a Baby” and mentioned that there was a lot of unfortunate nutritional advice that she knew I’d be totally against. But before I just ran with it, I figured I needed to go check out the book for myself.
So yesterday I headed to the bookstore to see if I could find it. And well…..there is some good information in there along with some not so great advice, and even some advice that contradicts itself. I took 20 minutes or so and skimmed through the book and I’ll outline some of what stuck out to me.
Page 83
+ mentions kefir!
- also mentions eating edamame (soy beans)
- and says to eat low fat cheese
Page 84
+ advises to stay away from artificial sweeteners (quote “Aspertame hangs out in your body for 36 hours. Bleech”)
- But then they advise to use agave syrup instead.
Page 85
+ advises to use more organic produce and even lists the 12 most and least contaminated.
Page 152
+ mentions doulas, what they are and how to find one!
Then on page 286 they break down what foods are “Good Fuels” and “Bad Fuels” And while they do have some very good points on both lists, I’ll list just the ones I have an issue with.
Good Fuels I have issue with:
- lean meat; less than 4 grams saturated fat per serving (where oh where will the baby’s get the fat they need for good brain development)
- low fat yogurt (again – baby’s need fat!)
- soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh)
- organic skim milk (seriously why would we put babies on low fat diets?! Plus organic milk is normally ultra pasteurized – ick)
The it goes on to totally contradict the advice to eat soy by saying, quote ” You may choose to limit soy milk to 1 – 2 glasses daily because of phytoestrogens; there’s concern that they cause feminization of the brain and other organs, including sex organs.”
The one “Bad Fuel” I have issue with:
- saturated fats; from 4 legged animals and palm and coconut oils (We all need fat! Especially growing babies!)
+ The rest included HFCS, soda, simple sugars, bleached flours, and other items that I do agree with.
They also included a section on infertility and while I know this is a “pregnancy” book, this section was seriously lacking.
Page 382
-List the causes of infertility: Stress, PCOS, and Tubal factors (uh – last I checked there were more than 3 causes!!)
Page 383
- The fixes for PCOS were listed : Metformin and Clomid. Nothing else.
Page 388
- Discusses male infertility and suggests that men eat soy (Umm…..did they not JUST say that soy may cause the feminization of males!!!)
Now, I knew with it being written by conventional doctors, that there would be quite a bit of nutritional information in there I didn’t care for. I’ve read it many times over in the books I bought prior to my first pregnancy. It just saddens me that we’ve come so far away from real, God given foods that we are no longer nourishing our little babies. New studies of low cholesterol diets, like those outlined in the book, have been shown to increase the rates of babies born with autism and behavioral difficulties. (mentioned at the Wise Traditions conference in the Low Cholesterol; A Major New Factor in Autism session.)
This is the most important time in a baby’s life when it comes to development, why would we want to limit nourishment?
** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.
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AND he says there’s no cure for cellulite! ;0
[Reply]
I refused to even open that book. I actually never bought a pregnancy book( partially because I was superstitious and partially because most of them are crap). Even my high risk doctor asked why I was not eating soy. Which makes me sad. I gave up soy a looooong time ago because I was afraid of screwing up my already screwy hormones. And I gave up agave because I read it can cause miscarriage. I do eat low fat cheese now, but I eat full fat yogurt and meat.
Babies need fat. Babies do not need artificial crap.
[Reply]
Yeah, that’s the unfortunate part about mainstream people.
It drives me nuts every time people talk about their “great” low-fat diets, especially during pregnancy or for little kids! Ugh! I mentioned briefly in a post last night that formula doesn’t contain cholesterol, which developing brains need, and got a formula-feeding mom yelling at me for saying she’s “bad” for feeding formula only 20 minutes later! Nope, that one’s on the formula companies! Why don’t these people realize that BRAINS NEED CHOLESTEROL AND FAT?! Sorry. Pet peeve.
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Question: What is wrong with Agave Nectar during pregnancy?
My husband and I use agave occasionally as a substitute for sugar. I had no idea there was any concern in using it while pregnant (I’m not pregnant, but we plan on trying after April). I’ve read Nina Planck’s book: Real Food for Mother and Baby and I don’t recall her mentioning anything about Agave. Please, educate me!!
[Reply]
donielle Reply:
February 9th, 2010 at 8:32 pm
@Anna, Anna,
Agave nectar is actually a very highly processed food and contains a large concentration of fructose. Actually more fructose than high fructose corn syrup.
Here’s a great post that has all you need to know and more about agave:
http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
[Reply]
I guess that should be common sense, but there’s so much hype about it, I just never thought about that. Thank you so much for that information.
So what is the best alternative as a sweetner. And please don’t say Stevia. My husband and I have tried that and it’s just awful!
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