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Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

In my obstetrical practice, we have a large Hispanic population with a high incidence of gestational diabetes. Seems to me that the ADA diet these patients are given is higher in refined carbohydrates than what we learned about in the ADAPT program. Any thoughts on dietary recommendations to help avoid the diabetes clinic putting them on insulin? Also, do you have any thoughts on using Metabolic Synergy or GlucoSupreme herbal and pregnancy?

Chris Kresser: Great questions. Yeah, I think the ADA diet, which is basically a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet, is a nightmare...

Do you have any supplements you recommend for postpartum? Many doctors recommend continuing prenatal, but how long?

Laura Schoenfeld: So the postnatal period is interesting because obviously you don’t want to be giving somebody too much of...

Elevated fasting blood sugar and pregnancy often occurs fairly early on in gestational diabetes, likely related to human placental oxygen enhancing insulin resistance. We often have to resort to insulin at bedtime to control the morning insulin. Is there anything specific you believe would work in pregnancy to avoid the use of insulin when diet fails?

Chris Kresser: That’s a really good question. Nothing comes to mind right off the top of my head because a...

In regards to calcium in pregnancy, I know you recommend Nutrient 950, which has 300 mg. I have a patient who is on a Paleo template following closely your guidelines and Healthy Baby Code. Her doctor wants her on an additional thousand milligrams of calcium, Tums, of all things. I read some research showing a thousand milligrams of calcium supplementation assisting in healthy baby weight. She’s eating a nutrient-dense diet that brings her over a thousand milligrams of calcium including her prenatal.

Chris Kresser: I don’t think that’s necessary. You have to recall that doctors, even OB/GYNs, the kind of recommendations that...

I have a patient who has been taking HCl on her maintenance protocol. She just got pregnant and was wondering if she should still take it. It has helped her significantly with her digestive issues, and she hasn’t had any issues in the past three years. During pregnancy, in general, which supplementation are you cautious with? Have you ever seen any issues with overmethylation?

Dr. Amy Nett: You’re saying she’s been on HCl for three years? That seems like kind of a long time....