Have you ever wondered why some people gain weight the minute they look at a piece of
chocolate cake, whilst others seem to be able to eat anything they like and never gain an inch?
Or why some people can remember things that you told them a decade ago, whilst others
struggle to remember what they read yesterday?
Me included!
Well, I've discovered that one of the biggest influences on our lives is our genetic programming.
Our genetic programming is different to our genetics.
Our genetics is the code that we get from our parents.
Genetic programming is how that code is programmed.
Our nutrition during the first thousand days of life is one of the most important factors
for programming our baby's genes... and this starts with the genes in our eggs and sperm
before our baby is even conceived.
So, what is the first thousand days?
What nutrition is important?
And, what difference can it make?
Well, stay tuned and I'll explain!
Hi!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a fertility and prenatal dietitian.
I help couples boost their fertility and give their baby's the best start possible with
the power of good food.
If this is our first time connecting, make sure you subscribe and also follow me on my socials.
You'll find the links in the description below this video.
So, before we get into answering your question, I want to tell you that I'm particularly excited
about this video.
You see, the research I've read about the impact of nutrition in the first thousand
days is one of the key reasons that I decided to specialise in this area of dietetics.
One of my earlier jobs as a dietitian was working in a hospital clinic to assist people
with weight problems.
My average client in that clinic was 200 kilograms (or 440 pounds for my American viewers).
I was often baffled that clients could gain weight even though some would eat less calories
than I did.
As I delved into the research, I found that people with weight problems often had different
hormonal profiles than "skinny" people had.
The more I researched, the more passionate I became!
A landmark study conducted in 2008 on mice found that what the diet that pregnant mice
were given impacted the genetic programming of their pups to determine whether the pups
would struggle with obesity or not.
To think... that what we eat in the lead up to conception, during pregnancy and what we
feed our little ones in their first years can impact their genetic programming to determine
whether or not they will struggle with their weight is amazing!!
And, it's not just weight, more recent research shows that the nutrition that your baby receives
during their 'first thousand days' will influence your baby's brain development, their immune
system, their risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, their food preferences, their
risk of food allergies and much, much more.
So, what is the 'first thousand days'?
It's the time from pre-conception until your baby turns two when the majority of genetic
programming occurs.
Academics are still debating about when the first thousand days starts and whether it's
the day or conception or earlier, but personally I believe that it's about three months prior
to conception.
We need to remember that our eggs and sperm contain the genetic material for our future
baby, and we know that sperm and egg health can be significantly impacted in the three
months prior to conception so that's why I choose this date.
So, let me give you two quick examples of nutrition for the first thousand days and
the impact it can make:
Number 1: Food preferences - there's lots of studies which show that what mummas eat
during pregnancy and breastfeeding will impact the taste preferences of our baby.
But one of my favourite studies was an experiment undertaken in 2001.
The researchers asked some mummas to drink a glass of carrot juice at least four days
per week during pregnancy and breastfeeding and the other mummas they asked to drink a
glass of water.
When solids were introduced to their babies, they were offered carrot-flavoured porridge.
Essentially, the babies whose mummas had consumed the carrot juice during pregnancy and breastfeeding
liked the carrot-flavoured porridge, but those whose mothers drank the water didn't.
Our babies taste buds are developed at around 5 months gestation, so what you eat during
pregnancy and breastfeeding will influence the foods that your baby will like in the future.
Example number 2: Allergies - research tells us that if you or your partner has a food
allergy, your baby has around a 30% risk of having a food allergy, and if you
both have food allergies, the risk increases to around 60%... that's because
the risk of food allergies is genetic.
BUT, genetic programming also has a role... check out my video on allergy prevention during
pregnancy, but in brief, nutrition in the first thousand days has a significant impact
on genetic programming and can influence whether or not your baby will have a food allergy
or not.
So, what should you do to optimise your baby's nutrition for their first thousand days?
Well, start with these steps:
Number 1. Get a blood test to check your nutritional status before conceiving
Number 2. Get any existing health conditions, such as diabetes or Coeliac Disease under control
Number 3. Optimise your weight.
Number 4. Enhance your gut microbiota with prebiotic foods.
Number 5. Breastfeed as long as you're able to.
Number 6
And, most importantly, have a personally tailored consultation with a dietitian as soon as you
decide that you're going to start trying to conceive or as soon as you know that you're pregnant.
If it wasn't planned.
Nutrition for the first thousand days is so important!
It's a tough time to eat well... between managing your emotions when you're trying to conceive,
dealing with the pressure of friends and family, dealing with morning sickness, exhaustion
and reflux when you're pregnant, not to mention the sleepless nights when you have a newborn...
but get the help you need and do the best that you can.
As someone who has personally seen the differences that nutrition for the first thousand days
can make, I can assure you that the effort that you put in now will reap rewards for
you and your little one down the track.
One last thing before you go, I'd recommend downloading my free fertility meal plan to
help get your started.
Just go to www.melaniemcgrice.com/fertility.
Check out some of my other videos such as how to eat well when you have no time and
healthy breakfast ideas for pregnant women, and make sure you connect with me on my socials.
I look forward to seeing you in my next video!