Nearly all women who are pregnant follow certain dietary and lifestyle recommendations to help their developing child. However, our environment now has many toxins that surround us at home, work, and play. Thus, the efforts to improve our health for pregnancy should begin before conception. You should consider a detox strategy as part of your plan to conceive.
Detox before pregnancy
You can take several easy steps that are beneficial for all women, such as taking a prenatal vitamin, adding appropriate supplements, eating organic when possible, and detoxing your personal care routine. By switching to organic foods, many herbicides and pesticides will be eliminated from your body within just a few days.
It makes a difference. Babies today have many toxins already in their system at birth. One study by the Environmental Working Group found 232 toxic chemicals in the umbilical blood. Another study by the same group found 287 various industrial chemicals and pollutants in the umbilical blood. 180 of these chemicals are known carcinogens, and 217 are known to be toxic to the brain and the nervous system.
The importance of detoxing prior to conception
In years past, eating a healthy diet and taking a methyl folate supplement was enough. However, the last 10 years have seen an increase in health issues that affect children, including autoimmune diseases, asthma, eczema, and allergies. Autism diagnoses have grown exponentially. Many pediatricians are pointing to environmental toxin exposure as the culprit.
These exposures also impact genetics and fertility. We pass that impact down to our children at conception. Then the expectant mother faces more exposure to toxins during pregnancy. Several studies have shown that at the time of birth, babies already have nearly 300 different environmental chemicals detectable in their blood.
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