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Eating Right for Moms

Without a doubt, the single most effective way to replenish your body is through good nutrition. Unfortunately, most of us currently have a diet that is vastly different from the one that we are adapted to through millions of years of evolution, which was mostly meats, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Humans started eating dairy products and whole grains just ten thousand years ago - a blip on the evolutionary time scale. And its only the last fifty years that have seen the widespread use of refined grains, sugars, and oils, as well as packaged foods, pesticides, and artificial ingredients.

It helps to look back in time just a few decades to appreciate how rapidly our dietary intake has changed. Prior to World War II, there were virtually no processed foods, with meals prepared mostly by stay-at-home mothers whose role identity was focused on the care and feeding of the family. Meals were made up of basic fresh ingredients, home-canned items, and breads baked locally.

But with the need for women in the workforce during the war, for the first time women came out of their homes in large numbers to work in industry and service jobs. This generated a demand for convenience foods and gave birth to a new industry of food processing to help busy, dual-role housewives. Canned foods were widely marketed, since women no longer had the time to can their own. "Balloon breads," packaged baked goods, snack crackers, and chips made their way onto grocery store shelves for the first time.

Soon thereafter, with advances in refrigeration at home and on the trucking routes, frozen foods became increasingly a part of the average American household. By the 1960s, packaged and highly processed foods were commonplace in most American homes. With the rise of television advertising, sugar-coated cereals were being marketed directly to children. Quick, easy, and without a morning fight, they flooded our markets and kitchen cupboards. The percentage of total daily calories from refined sugar looks like the rise of the Dow Jones average over the years: up, up, and up! Meanwhile, fast-food restaurants have spread widely, emphasizing the same sorts of foods: quick, processed, and super-sized with fat, sugar, and man-made chemicals.

Although in the short run some people seem able to get away with this diet without too many bad consequences, the statistics on the explosion of cancer, heart disease, Type II diabetes, and obesity in children in the last century are cautionary for anyone. But in particular, your own needs now are special and specific: bearing, breast-feeding, and rearing a child are physiologically demanding activities like no others, and pulling them off while staying truly healthy requires that you honor the fundamental biology of your body and nourish it in ways that may have been less crucial before you had children. Which means eating a lot more like your great-great-Paleolithic-grandmother than having a bagel and coffee for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch, and something microwaved for dinner. It is not always easy, but mothers who have started eating better tell us that they soon experience more energy, a lift in mood, improvement in health conditions like dry skin or PMS, and an overall sense of greater health. It's fundamentally simple: you improve your body's balance sheet by eating more healthy foods and fewer worthless or toxic ones. At every meal, trillions of molecules at a time, you'll be literally rebuilding the tissues of your body.

For a snapshot of your current diet, please complete this self-assessment (PDF). If you're already scoring high, great. But if not, in the next few pages you'll find our daily Mother Nurture recipe, designed specifically with a mom's nutritional needs in mind. It's comprised of only seven ingredients - though you need each one, just like the flour, salt, and baking powder in a recipe for biscuits. In sum, every day you should try to eat:

1. Eight to twelve ounces of protein
2. Five to seven servings of fresh vegetables, and one to two fruits
3. Unrefined oils and essential fatty acids instead of refined or hydrogenated oils, or trans-fatty acids
4. Two to five servings of unrefined, varied whole grains
5. Organic foods whenever possible
6. High potency nutritional supplements
7. Zero or very little refined sugar

There are basically two ways to shift your diet in a healthier direction: (1) make sweeping changes all at once, or (2) work your way into it. Whichever path you take, we urge you to stay on it until you end up with truly mother-nurturing nutrition. If you slip now and then, as almost everyone does, just get back on the path at your next meal. Optimizing nutrition often takes several tries, but each time something improves. Even small changes in the right direction add up as the years go by.

Since healthy nutrition usually involves trying new things and giving up some goodies (glazed donuts, etc.), a person needs to understand the reasons she's doing it, which is why we explain the health benefits of each ingredient in our recipe. You could also stay motivated by paying special attention to the ways eating wholesome foods helps you take good care of yourself, or even makes you feel part of a circle, offering the sustenance of maternal care and taking in the sustenance of the earth's great bounty. Eating in a healthy way provides a good model for children, too, and it helps their mother stay good-humored and patient with them, even when the oatmeal starts flying.

Ingredient #1: Eight to Twelve Ounces of Protein a Day; Protein with Every Meal, Especially Breakfast
Why:
Because you lose protein during pregnancy and nursing, and your body uses more protein when it is chronically stressed, you need lots of protein, about 50 to 65 grams a day. Protein also helps stabilize your blood sugar and prevent insulin insensitivity and Type II diabetes.

How:

• Eat 3-4 ounces of protein (about the size of a deck of cards) at every meal.
• In particular, eat protein at breakfast. Rather than kicking off the day with wild swings in your blood sugar, try a breakfast with a serving of protein (e.g., two eggs, a piece of lean chicken, or a large handful of almonds). If you make morning protein the foundation of your day's nutrition, you'll have less of an energy and mood crash in the afternoon.
• When you want something sweet, have some protein instead, like a hard-boiled egg, hummus on crackers, or a piece of turkey jerky. That will satisfy your hunger and keep your blood sugar on an even keel.
• You can get protein conveniently from these foods:

  Eggs. These contain very balanced proteins. You may have avoided them because of concerns about cholesterol, but recent studies have found that eggs do not increase the risk of heart disease, and in fact they may raise the level of good, HDL cholesterol (but if your cholesterol is very high, check with your doctor about eating eggs). Try to get them from free-range hens on a healthy diet. If you're in a hurry, you can hard-boil eggs in advance and eat one or two at breakfast.

  Fish. Salmon is an excellent choice because it contains high levels of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) every mother needs. Besides eating it fresh, you can find salmon jerky in many health food stores. Try to minimize fish at the top of the ocean food chain - like tuna, shark, or swordfish - because mercury and other toxins increase as you move up the chain.

  Lean meat. Many mothers - especially when nursing or pregnant - seem to need animal-based protein (though some do fine with a vegetarian diet). Select lean cuts of meat (poultry without the skin, round steak, etc.) to decrease saturated fats and the toxins that concentrate in fat. For convenience, many health food stores sell different kinds of tasty "jerkies" made from beef or turkey, but without any nitrites or other preservatives.

  Dairy products. Although milk, cheese, and yogurt are considered good sources of protein, they are best used in moderation because many people have an allergy to milk or cannot digest the lactose in it, and keeping the digestive tract in good shape is a top priority for a mother. If you have excessive mucus, sinus infections, gastrointestinal disturbance, or dark circles under your eyes, try experimenting with eating no dairy products for a couple of weeks, and see how you feel. If you have trouble with dairy, small amounts of goat milk products may be tolerable. If you're wondering about calcium, you can get a fair amount of it in cauliflower, broccoli, peas, and beans, but unless you're eating many cups of these vegetables every day (or several servings of sardines or canned salmon, which also contain lots of calcium), you'll want to make sure to take a calcium supplement if you don't eat dairy foods.

  Nuts. Easy to take with you. Get a good trail mix or make your own (almonds are particularly high in protein); kids often like to help: just combine your favorite nuts with some nonsulfered dried fruit. Nut butters are also delicious; try almond or sesame butter instead of peanut butter if you are allergic or sensitive to peanuts. Almond butter on a rice cake topped with apple slices is a delicious and healthy breakfast.

  Soy. Soybeans contain a high proportion of protein, and they may also help prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer. You can add soybeans to stews or soups, or toss tofu chunks into your stirfry or casseroles. In your baking, you could experiment with replacing half or more of the wheat flour with soy flour. Soymilk comes in many flavors, and you may be surprised to find that your children really like it. (But don't overdo the soy, since it's a common allergen, plus excessive amounts can suppress the functioning of the thyroid gland.)

  Hummus. This Middle Eastern food is made from garbanzo beans and sesame seeds. You can buy it in most supermarkets or make your own, lower-fat version.

  Protein shakes. Just put some protein powder into a blender with diluted juice, milk, or soymilk, and perhaps some fresh fruit, and voila! - you've got an instant high-protein meal. If you are going to use these regularly, alternate types of protein powder (such as whey-, soy-, or egg-based) to get a variety.

  Combining vegetarian foods. If you're a vegetarian, as each of us has been at different times, you probably know about using food combinations (like rice and beans) for maximum protein. (Diet for a Small Planet or Laurel's Kitchen offer good introductions to this subject; please see the list below for other books on healthy nutrition.) Since meat is the only significant source of iron and vitamin B₁₂ in the diet, a vegetarian should usually take these as part of a daily supplement.

Good Books for Good Nutrition
Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas
Nutrition Made Simple by Robert Crayhon
Smart Fats by Michael Schmidt
Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett
Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé
The New Laurel's Kitchen by Laurel Robertson, Brian Ruppenthal, and Carol L. Flinders
Diet for a New America by John Robbins

Ingredient #2; Five to Seven Servings of Fresh Vegetables, and One to Two Fruits
Why:
Vegetables are about the only thing that all nutritionists agree on, and they all agree that you should eat a lot. They're rich in vitamins and minerals, and they contain phytonutrients such as carotenes and bioflavonoids, as well as phytoestrogens, hormone-like substances that seem to help balance estrogen. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends that everyone has three to five servings a day (a serving is half a cup for most vegetables, and one cup for leafy greens). But since you have special needs as a mother, we recommend two additional servings, for a total of five to seven per day. So when you tell your kids to eat their veggies, that means you, too! We recommend fresh vegetables because they have many more nutrients than ones that are canned, dried, or frozen; if you can't get them fresh, frozen is your next best option - and freeze-dried vegetables make great snacks. Fresh fruits are also nourishing, filled with vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber. But most are also very sweet, so they are best eaten in moderation.

How:

• Eat a variety of high-quality vegetables, especially roots (carrots, beets), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower), dark greens (kale, collard, spinach), and sea veggies (kelp, kombu, nori).
• Eat raw vegetables when you can. Washed well, a couple of carrots, broccoli florets, or cauliflower nuggets are delicious and surprisingly sweet.
• Make several days' worth of vegetable snacks at a time, stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator. If you combine them with some whole grain rolls or pretzels, almonds, chunks of cheese, or jerkies, you can avoid pre-packaged snack packs. (This is one way that Ricki survived her residency and long days at the hospital delivering babies.)
• With a sturdy juicer, you can have a vitalizing elixir in just a few minutes. If it's strong enough to make your hair stand on end and your toes curl - as some veggie tonics can - then you know it's good for you! And you can dilute it if you like.
• Enrich salads by adding grated carrots, beets, or dark leafy greens. It's also easy to make a little extra salad for dinner, refrigerate it in a plastic bag without dressing, and have it with lunch the next day.
• Try a "green drink" from your health food store for a serious blast of nutrients. (Pregnant or nursing moms should check with a health practitioner if the drink contains herbs, or find one without herbs; either way, start with a small amount of the drink and see how your body likes it.)
• Cooking can make vegetables easier to digest, but that takes some time, so we like to keep it simple. Try steaming four cups of veggies in the morning, and eat them throughout the day. A baked sweet potato with some protein (see the suggestions above) makes an excellent breakfast, Jan's morning fare for several years. If your oven has a delayed timer, you could pop it in the night before and wake up to a delicious smell. Substituting sweet potatoes or yams for regular potatoes provides variety, plus additional nutrients like tons of carotenoids.
• We like to make a big pot of hearty vegetable soup on the weekend that can last most of the week, perhaps adding some dark, leafy greens that may taste too strong for you when they're raw, but are milder in soup. If you toss some protein (meat, beans, tofu, peas, lentils, etc.) into your soup, you've got a wonderfully nutritious meal (several, in fact!) in a pot.
• The best way to eat fruit is when it is fresh and whole, rather than canned, frozen, or in juice. Cooked fruits - like baked apples with a little maple syrup on them, or berries with a cobbler topping - make a wholesome, delicious dessert.
• Fresh fruits and vegetables are foods that are still alive. Every time you eat them, you can take a moment to sense that the living energy within them is entering your body, giving you a feeling of peace and a serving of stress relief with every meal.

Ingredient #3: Unrefined Oils and Essential Fatty Acids instead of Refined or Hydropenated Oils, or Trans-fatty Acids
Why:
The process of refining oils uses toxic chemicals to strip away good nutrients while often leaving behind potentially harmful, altered oils. When oils are hydrogenated - as they are to make margarine - or kept at high temperatures for long periods of time (as in deep fat frying), trans-fatty acids are formed, and these "bad fats" have been implicated in cardiovascular disease and other health conditions.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are "good fats" needed for the membranes of your cells and a healthy heart, and they comprise sixty percent of your brain. These oils are called essential because they cannot be synthesized by the body and must be consumed through foods or supplements. Unfortunately, they are often deficient in mothers since they are drawn on heavily to grow a baby during pregnancy and breast milk is loaded with them, and most women don't have anywhere near enough to start with. Increasing your intake of one type of EFAs - omega-3 oils found in fish and flax - can help prevent cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, diabetes, and depression. It can also make your hair and skin more moist; dryness, including dandruff, is a potential sign of omega-3 deficiency. In general, Jan has found that a typical mom is likely to have a stronger response to supplementing omega-3 oils than to any other nutrient, probably because they are both so important and so commonly deficient in mothers.

How:

• Make virgin olive oil your everyday oil.
• Avoid trans-fatty acids. These are found in deep-fried foods, as in the hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats used in margarine, and in most baked or packaged foods. At home, use judicious amounts of butter or olive oil instead of margarine. At the store, check the labels and try not to get products with these oils.
• Balance the two main types of essential fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6 oils. Most people are deficient in omega-3 oils yet have an oversupply of omega-6s. To put this point in perspective, throughout most of human history, people ate these oils in a ratio of approximately 1:1. But today, the average is about 20:1 omega-6s to omega-3s! That's completely out of balance with the way our bodies are built, and one of the results is a greater tendency toward inflammation - to which mothers are already vulnerable.

  The simple solution is to decrease the omega-6 oils in your diet and increase the omega-3s. The easiest way to eat less omega-6s is to stop using the oils that contain them: safflower, sunflower, soybean, and sesame oils. Extra virgin olive oil is a tasty and versatile alternative. You can get more omega-3 oils by:

  • Eating omega-3 rich fish (salmon, mackerel, trout, or sardines); do not overcook, or the oils will be compromised.
  • Using flax oil in salad dressings and other nonfrying oil uses (essential fatty acids are degraded or destroyed at the temperatures oils reach during frying). You might like to mix it with olive oil for flavor. You can meet your daily needs with about 1 tablespoon of flax oil, which you can add to blended or juiced drinks, or simply take in a quick gulp; flax oil is also available in capsules at health food stores.
  • Grinding whole flax seeds in a coffee grinder and sprinkling them on cereals and vegetables, or adding to pancakes and baked goods. Make sure to drink one to two cups of water when you eat flax seeds since they are a major source of fiber. (It would take about five tablespoons of flax seeds to meet your daily needs for omega-3 oils, which is out of the question for most people, so you'll probably need other sources, too.)
  • Taking about 1000 milligrams of a fish oil supplement* that has been checked for purity, since fish (especially those at the top of the food chain) may have contaminants; usually, there will be someone at the health food store who knows about the purity of their supplements. For most mothers, this is the simplest way to consume adequate omega-3s. (Some people prefer flax oil to fish oil due to being a vegetarian. Unfortunately, a depleted person often lacks some of the enzymes or co-factors needed to convert flax oil into the long-chain fatty acids your body needs, which already exist in fish oil. If you do choose to use flax oil, make sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement as well, for the co-factors it contains.)
  • Using a gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) supplement if you have symptoms that suggest a deficiency, such as premenstrual tension, eczema, or arthritis. Even though GLA is an omega-6 oil, it's an exception to the general rule of minimizing omega-6 oils. The reason is that a person -especially if she's at all depleted - may lack the enzymes or nutrients needed to build GLA within her body. You can find GLA in supplements of primrose, borage, or black currant oil. Daily suggested doses are given on the labels.
• Do not use refined oils. Unless an oil specifically says "unrefined" (with the exception of virgin olive oil), it has been refined.

*The blood-thinning effect of fish oils is usually good for the cardiovascular system, much like an aspirin a day. But if you are on a blood-thinning medication, or have a bleeding disorder, please consult with your doctor before supplementing fish oils. Ingredient #4: Two to Five Servings of Unrefined, Varied Whole Grains
Why:
Refining grains takes away the fiber and nutrients (B vitamins, etc.) present in the outer hull, but you need these to keep your GI tract running smoothly and meet the increased stresses and energy demands that come with children. Refined grains (e.g., white flour, pasta, white rice) also convert quickly to sugars in the body, further straining an insulin system that is already challenged by stress.

Grains definitely have a place in well-balanced nutrition. But we don't think they should make up as large a portion of a mother's diet as they do in the standard Food Pyramid, where they crowd out other kinds of carbohydrates and nutrients (plus, certain chemicals within grains called phytates can interfere with the absorption of minerals). It's also important to eat a variety of grains besides wheat, because different grains or sources of flour - such as rice, barley, millet, quinoa, corn, or soy - provide other nutrients, as well as complementary amino acids for maximum protein. Varying your grains also lowers the chance of digestive problems or inflammation, since wheat is one of the two foods that people are most often allergic or sensitive to.

How:

• Increase your carbohydrate intake from other sources, such as nuts, bananas, yams, other vegetables, etc.
• Try to get the majority of your grains intact, not ground up in flours. These could be fresh oatmeal for breakfast, a side dish of millet or quinoa at lunch, or a casserole with brown rice at dinner.
• If you have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat, try rice, millet, quinoa, soy, or corn flour products.
• Replace white flour with good-tasting whole wheat pastry, rice, or soy flours.
• Most of us do all right with having the occasional treat made from white flour, but try not to bring home white flour products in bulk (e.g., packaged noodle foods, pasta, white bread, frozen pizza, cake).
• Try pasta made from brown rice. It's delicious and can leave you feeling lighter than if you'd eaten wheat.

Ingredient #5: Organic Foods Whenever Possible
Why:
Organic foods have fewer toxic molecules because they contain no pesticides or artificial fertilizers. The "safety" of these chemicals has usually been established through short-term studies using single substances, often on laboratory animals. But the experiment that counts is the one that is being carried our on human beings who consume many chemicals in combination for a lifetime - and the real-world findings over the past hundred years include a dramatic increase in cancer and autoimmune conditions. Anyone who is developing rapidly or is vulnerable - such as a child, or a pregnant, stressed, or depleted mother - is particularly likely to be affected by the mounting accumulation of potentially toxic molecules.

Organic foods also tend to have more nutritious molecules - especially minerals - because they come from richer soils. And besides being a two-part prescription for a mother's health - fewer bad molecules and more good ones - organic foods usually taste better: just compare an organic tomato with one that has been grown conventionally.

How:

• Avoid foods with artificial ingredients such as preservatives, colors, or flavor enhancers. (This will have the additional benefit of steering you away from packaged foods).
• These days, you can get almost any food product you want from organic sources, including meats, pasta, soup, macaroni and cheese, milk, catsup, or even wine (wines, especially red ones, have particularly high concentrations of pesticides if they weren't grown organically). Besides finding them in health food stores, they are increasingly available in regular supermarkets. Farmers markets are another source, plus they can be an easier place to shop with young children. Food co-ops may have organic foods, and they're a good way to meet other parents. Organic foods sometimes cost a little more, but for a few pennies extra per meal, you'll be making a smart, long-term investment in your body.
• Nobody should drive herself crazy to eat strictly organic foods, since a single episode - whether it's lunch at McDonald's or a salad of organic greens - doesn't make a big difference either way. It's the accumulation over time that counts.

There's no way around it: preparing wholesome meals from fresh, mainly organic ingredients takes longer than popping a TV dinner into the oven or opening a can of stew. If you're reluctant to spend more time in the kitchen, the reasons may be nothing more than feeling too busy, or cooking bores you. But sometimes a woman has mixed feelings about walking too closely in the footsteps of her own mother, or taking on some of the trappings of a traditional housewife.

Ingredient #6: High-potency Nutritional Supplements
Why: Certainly, the best sources of nutrients are usually fresh, whole, organic foods. But in real life, not some textbook, most mothers rely on quick snacks, meals on the run, and processed foods that lack even the Daily Values (DVs) of all the nutrients they need. Almost all women have some catching up to do since they already have significant nutritional deficits when they start their first pregnancy. It takes many months, and often years, of taking supplements to restore healthy levels of nutrients (especially minerals) to a run-down body.

Plus, we think you need more than the DVs, anyway! Growing and nursing a baby, as well as the hard work and stresses of raising a family, use up large quantities of nutrients. Building up reserves in your body is also a wise stockpile for future times of high stress or poor nutrition. And by their nature, micronutrients assist bodily processes in going well. These molecular helping hands may thus help protect a vulnerable mother from the widespread artificial chemicals that tend to make things go badly.

Further, the DVs are the minimum necessary to prevent diseases of nutritional deficiency, not necessarily what promotes long-term health and well-being. For example, the amount of vitamin C that prevents scurvy is less than that which brings the greatest cardiovascular health across a lifetime. A growing body of research has substantiated the benefits of above-DV levels of various nutrients for gastrointestinal dysfunction, depression, hormonal disturbances, and autoimmune diseases - for which women have an increased risk after children. (Of course, supplements are no substitute for a balanced diet or medical care.)

Finally, the risks of supplements are very low. If you stay within the range of the MSDVs presented in appendix D, about the worst thing that can happen is that your body will excrete any unused nutrients; those particular molecules will have been unnecessary, but since it is difficult to know exactly which nutrients will be fully absorbed and which won't, the money spent on supplements is a kind of insurance policy to give yourself the best odds, year after year, of filling the larder of your body with all the vitamins and minerals it needs.

How:

• Unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise due to a medical problem, take multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplements. (Do not take more than 5000 IU of vitamin A if you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant in the next couple of months, or capable of conception (i.e., having sex without contraception.)
• Your prenatal vitamin/mineral supplements may be all you need, but check the labels; many have levels of important nutrients that are too low. Health food stores usually carry several brands of high-quality "multis" that meet most or all of our MSDVs. Whether you're taking an everyday multi or a more exotic nutrient, always be sure to get supplements with guaranteed purity and potency from reputable companies.
• Use a supplement whose minerals are chelated, which aids absorption. This is indicated when the name of the mineral is followed by a word ending in -ate, such as citrate, aspenate, malate, gluconate, or picolate. (Chelated minerals are also usually a sign of a quality product; magnesium oxide, for instance, is cheap to manufacture, but it's not absorbed as well.) For iron, look for ferrous - not ferric - sulfate, fumorare, or gluconate.
• You will probably need to add calcium and magnesium to even the best multi in order to get the amounts of these minerals that you need.
• You may also want to take an additional B complex supplement. All the B vitamins help people deal with stress. For example, B₅ enables the body to make adrenal hormones. Vitamin B₆ helps balance the endocrine system; this vitamin often helps with PMS, morning sickness, and depression.
• If you are breast-feeding or have weaned your child in the past year, we suggest taking 500 mg of the amino acid taurine with your breakfast. (This is the exception to our general recommendation that you take no amino acid supplements if you are breastfeeding or pregnant, unless you've been otherwise instructed by a licensed health professional.) An infant is not yet able to make taurine, so it is drained from a mother's body if she is not getting enough in her diet. Taurine helps maintain proper mineral levels within your body's cells - particularly of magnesium, which is necessary for sleep, relaxation, and vitality.
• Expect to take a handful of pills each day, since there is no way that all the micronutrients you need can fit into a single supplement smaller than a hefty marble. It takes less time than brushing your teeth, and it's arguably more important for your overall health in the long run.

Ingredient #7: Zero or Very Little Refined Sugar
Why:
Probably the most important ingredient in a mother's recipe for long-term health has been saved for last. Sure, when we're blue or want some comfort, most of us like to have something sweet to eat. Or just to jump-start the day or allow us to finish the laundry after getting the baby to sleep. Initially, refined sugar does bring a blast of energy. But the spike in blood sugar triggers a big surge of insulin in the body's effort to get all that sugar into your cells. The wave of insulin does its job so well that your blood sugar levels quickly plummet. Suddenly you feel hungry, spacey, fatigued, jittery, shaky, short-tempered, or even panicky.

Clearly, these are not the desired effects of a sugar buzz! Even worse, our cells become less sensitive to insulin over time as a self-protective measure. That makes the pancreas pump out extra insulin, which makes our cells even less sensitive. It's a vicious cycle. If this process continues, at some point the pancreas just can't pump out enough insulin to get the cells to take notice, and now a person has Type II diabetes.

The average American today eats over 150 pounds per year of refined sugars - compared to zero pounds during most of human history. High consumption of sugar (and the elevated levels of insulin that come with it) is associated with Type II diabetes, weight gain, bloating, fatigue, arthritis, migraines, lowered immune function, gallstones, obesity, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease. And sugar is depleting - the last thing a mother needs - draining (or disrupting the absorption of) the B vitamins, chromium, calcium, magnesium, and copper that she needs to manage her increased stresses. Rounding out the bitter aftertastes to all that sweetness, sugar force-feeds microbes in the digestive tract, which is already vulnerable to infection due to maternal stress, leading to impaired nutrient absorption, diarrhea, gas, or fatigue.

How:

• Sugar has an addictive quality: when you have a little, you want more. So for some people, cutting out sugar altogether is the way to go. If that's too radical, we suggest you set a personal goal of eating less than twenty grams of refined sugar a day (about two tablespoons). That's about what the average American are a hundred years ago - and still more than the zero reined sugar our bodies are designed for. If you have any digestive problems, we think you should eat no more than ten grams a day. Food labels will tell you how many grams of refined sugar a serving contains, and it probably doesn't much matter if it's refined or "natural" (like fructose or honey).
• The easiest way of all to eat less sugar is to cut out soda and juice. Two soft drinks a day adds up to ninety grams of sugar: sixty-five pounds of sugar per year. Besides all that sugar, you'll be adding unwanted weight, since people who drink sugar-sweetened drinks tend to eat just as much as those who drink water. Instead, try carbonated water with a squeeze of lemon or lime, diluted juice, or delicious herbal iced teas. One way or another, you should drink at least eight cups of water or herbal tea a day.
• Check the labels on packaged foods like breakfast cereal, peanut butter, or spaghetti sauce, and try brands without any sugar.
• Think twice about extra sugar, like another packet in your coffee, tons of jam on toast, or a second helping of ice cream after dinner.
• By having fewer sweets around for your kids, it will be easier to avoid them yourself. Try not to let them get started on sugar in the first place, so they can still appreciate a juicy apple, bowl of strawberries, or handful of raisins.
• Avoid temptation by not having cookies, candy, ice cream, etc., at home. If you want something for your sweet tooth, purchase a single item. And if you do keep dessert around, try to have only one kind, since we eat more if there's a variety.
• Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has judged aspartame (NutraSweet) to be safe, many people have still reported negative reactions, including headaches and depression; a large fraction of the nondrug complaints to the FDA are for aspartame. (Using artificial sweeteners doesn't seem to help people lose weight, either.) We're naturally cautious about man-made molecules for mothers, and an alternative is an extract of the plant stevia rebaudiana, which tastes intensely sweet in very small amounts, but without any calories. It comes in liquid or powdered form and you can use it just like sugar, including in baking (an advantage over aspartame). Like aspartame, there's an aftertaste, but you'll soon grow accustomed to it.
• If you are, like Jan, a chocolate addict, try high-quality unsweetened chocolate. Once you get used to it, it tastes very satisfying. You can melt it, add a couple drops of stevia and a handful of nuts, and make your own candy bar.
• Try to understand the forces that keep you hooked on sugar. For instance, Jan worked with a single mom who ate a huge, double handful of chocolate chips each day. She knew it wasn't healthy, but she said: I know it's not good) but I work hard all day long, and this is about the only thing I do for me. By finding better ways to nurture herself, she was able to cut down on this daily blast of sugar.
• Sugar is the ultimate comfort food, so it's really important to be nice to yourself while you reduce it. And try to think about all the wonderful things you are doing for your body by nourishing it in healthier ways.