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Organic Options
The Pros and Cons of an Organic Pregnancy
By Crystal Patriarche
Pregnancy checklist: increase folic acid intake, avoid fish that contains mercury, get enough calcium, take prenatal vitamins. As if pregnant women do not have enough do's and don'ts in their diets, now add eat organic to the list.
It seems like organic food is popping up everywhere – markets, grocery store chains and even restaurants. However, if you are like many people, the organic food section is an exotic, expensive part of a health food store or supermarket that only vegetarian or the overly health-conscious journey to.
But increasingly, more people are becoming aware of the benefits of an organic diet (which, by the way, is not a vegetarian diet) and it's becoming less complicated to get organic foods. And who better to reap the benefits of an organic diet than someone who is eating for two?
"I'm a big fan of organic foods for mothers who are carrying a child and even after if she is nursing," says Dr. Philip Landrigan, a professor of pediatrics and director for the Center for Children's Health and the Environment at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. "Organic foods are lower in pesticides and hormones. Eliminating these harmful elements are two very great benefits to the baby."
Dr. Landrigan says that pregnant women, in general, should eat a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables, organic if possible, take multivitamins and, most especially, take folic acid to reduce the risks of some birth defects.
Organic food is not limited to fruits and vegetables, like many people think. Organic foods can be found in every section of the supermarket – from produce to dairy to the frozen food section.
Organic refers to the way the food is grown and processed, and basically means there are no harmful chemicals like pesticides or hormones involved. Instead of using the same soil every year for a particular crop, organic farmers use a method called crop rotation, which allows them to have fresher soil that is not contaminated year after year with pesticides or herbicides.
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