Benefits of an Organic Diet During Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, eating the healthiest diet possible will ensure your unborn baby gets the nutrients he needs to thrive. This means staying away from harmful toxins that are commonly found in commercial foods. Opting for an organic diet during pregnancy is the perfect way to accomplish this. Here are some of the benefits of eating organic while pregnant.

No Synthetic Pesticides or Other Toxins in Your Baby's Body

Commercially grown fruits and vegetables are full of pesticides, herbicides, sewer sludge and other contaminants that can cross the placenta and potentially harm your unborn baby. Farmers use these synthetic chemicals because they are the cheapest way to fight off pests and disease on their crops.

Pesticides should never be part of your diet during pregnancy because these chemicals have been linked to birth defects, neurological problems, and developmental issues in kids. Washing and peeling fruits and veggies can get rid of some of the pesticide residue, but not all of it.

Washing and removing the peels from produce does not eliminate the pesticides that are absorbed through the skin. Here is a list compiled by the Environmental Working Group of 12 fruits and veggies that have the highest concentration of pesticide residue.

1. celery
2. peaches
3. potatoes
4. strawberries
5. pears
6. imported grapes
7. apples
8. nectarines
9. spinach
10. cherries
11. bell peppers
12. lettuce

Replacing commercially grown fruits and vegetables with organic produce can reduce the risk of toxins entering your baby's fragile body and causing him health and developmental issues down the line.

No Hormones or Antibiotics in Your Baby's body

Farmers commonly use growth hormones and growth enhancing feed in their livestock to make the animals grow bigger, faster. These same animals are also filled with antibiotics to help manage diseases and infections. Hormones and antibiotics get into the meat, milk and eggs you eat everyday.

When you eat these chemical-laden foods while you are pregnant, the toxins can enter your baby's body and possibly cause problems. Consuming meat, poultry, eggs and milk that contain antibiotics can encourage antibiotic-resistance bacteria strains in humans. And the growth hormones can cause children to mature at an accelerated pace.

Think about how much meat, poultry, milk and eggs you are likely to eat during your nine months of pregnancy. That's a lot of growth hormones and antibiotics being pumped into your baby's immature body.

The regulations for organic livestock are more stringent than those of commercially raised cattle, pigs and chicken. Organic livestock are raised without the use of hormones, and the use of antibiotics is only allowed if illness is present.

When you consume organic meat, poultry and eggs, you don't have to worry about harmful toxins crossing the placenta and affecting your fetus.

Reduced Risk of Eating Contaminated Meat While Pregnant

Hormones and antibiotics are not the only issues associated with commercially raised livestock. Mixing dead animal parts in feed is a common practice in the farming industry because it makes the feed stretch further. This unnatural act can contaminate meat and result in conditions like mad cow disease.

Mad cow disease can be transmitted to humans when they eat meat from contaminated cows. Unfortunately, this condition is always fatal. Since mixing animal feed with dead animal parts or other toxins is prohibited in organic farming, your risk of eating tainted meat is significantly reduced.

When you are pregnant, you should not have to worry about every morsel you put into your mouth. Eating an organic diet during pregnancy can reduce the likelihood of harmful growth hormones, pesticides and contaminated meat from getting into your system, and potentially harming your baby.