MYF 65 | Questioning the Guidelines on Prenatal Nutrition with Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE
Welcome to Episode 65!
In episode 65, we welcome real food dietitian and author of Real Food for Pregnancy, Lily Nichols, back to the podcast. Lily helps us understand why there’s so much conflicting dietary advice out there, why nutrition science is so messy, and how we can change the way we think about research and government guidelines so we can find out what really nourishes each of us on a personal level. There is no single perfect diet that works for everyone and it’s important for us not to get so caught up in dietary dogma that we forget to be in touch with what supports our health individually and makes us feel our best. If you're ready to let go of strict food rules and obsessive macronutrient tracking, and instead focus on the nutrient-density and overall quality of the foods you’re eating, this episode is definitely for you!
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Links to Lily’s work
Website: lilynicholsrdn.com
Book: Real Food for Pregnancy
Blog: Paleo in Pregnancy
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Show Notes:
5:15 What’s new with Lily since the arrival of her second child in 2019 and what might be next in her work
10:45 Why nutrition is so hard for us to study and draw concrete conclusions from
15:50 Seventh Day Adventist studies used to justify certain dietary patterns and why they might be problematic
22:00 Why there truly IS NOT one single diet that works for all people
23:25 Most (but not all) studies/experts/diets agree that fruits and veggies are the cornerstone of nutrition
28:30 The influence of location, seasonality, and our modern food system on dietary patterns and beyond
37:40 Why what we’re being told in conventional prenatal nutrition guidelines isn’t evidence-based
43:20 Which conventional recommendations are REALLY steering couples in the wrong direction
49:30 Micronutrients are way more important than macronutrients - obsessive macro tracking isn’t a great plan
51:55 If macro tracking isn’t the answer, what’s a better approach to constructing a healthy diet?
54:30 Lily’s take on the results of the first ever study on a Paleo diet during pregnancy
59:10 Can you get enough iron during pregnancy without supplementing?
63:55 Digging into the current evidence-based recommendation of adopting a “Mediterranean” diet for fertility
71:40 A thoughtful discussion on the value of red meat in a healthy fertility diet
73:30 Underlining the importance of bioindividuality and personalization when making dietary changes