Pregnancy and Postpartum Nutrition with Dr. Jessica Knurick
Nov 20, 2023
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Dr. Jessica Knurick, specializing in pregnancy and postpartum nutrition, discusses important topics such as the nutrients needed during pregnancy, choosing good supplements, gestational diabetes testing, and postpartum weight loss. She emphasizes the importance of evidence-based guidelines and provides insights on nourishment, recovery, and mindfulness during the postpartum period.
Focus on nutrient-dense diets and consider supplements to meet nutrient needs during pregnancy and postpartum.
Reduce modifiable risk factors such as maintaining a healthy body composition and adopting a nutrient-rich diet to prevent gestational diabetes.
Deep dives
Nutrition during pregnancy
During this episode, Dr. Jessica Nurek discusses the importance of nutrition during pregnancy and postpartum. She emphasizes that prenatal and postnatal nutrition guidelines are often confusing or outdated. Dr. Nurek encourages women to focus on nutrient-dense diets and assures that most nutrient needs can be met through food, with some exceptions. She recommends considering supplements, such as prenatal vitamins, to fill in gaps in nutrient needs. She also highlights the importance of certain nutrients during pregnancy, such as folate, choline, iodine, iron, and calcium. However, she advises against getting overwhelmed by individual nutrient requirements, as a comprehensive nutrient-dense diet can generally cover these needs.
Understanding gestational diabetes
Dr. Jessica Nurek provides insights into gestational diabetes, its risk factors, and prevention strategies. She explains that while some risk factors, such as advanced maternal age and family history of type 2 diabetes, may not be modifiable, others, like pre-pregnancy overweight or obesity, can be reduced by focusing on lifestyle factors before conception. She highlights that maintaining a healthy body composition and adopting a nutrient-rich diet can help prevent gestational diabetes. Additionally, she discusses the importance of being physically active, avoiding cigarette smoking, and following a healthy dietary intake profile. Dr. Nurek emphasizes that while gestational diabetes may not always be preventable, reducing modifiable risk factors can decrease the likelihood of developing the condition.
Postpartum weight loss and recovery
Dr. Jessica Nurek offers guidance on postpartum weight loss and emphasizes the importance of prioritizing recovery and nourishment in the first few months after giving birth. She advises new mothers to focus on nourishing their bodies and not to worry about weight loss during the initial three months known as the fourth trimester. Dr. Nurek explains that weight loss may naturally occur during this time, but suggests waiting until the fourth trimester is over before actively pursuing weight loss efforts. She recommends aiming for a calorie deficit of no more than one pound per week to protect milk supply and prevent any negative impact on postpartum healing and recovery. Dr. Nurek also highlights the importance of being gentle with oneself and focusing on overall well-being and nurturing the body during this transformative period.
Welcome back to another episode of The Nutrition Science Podcast. I have an amazing episode for you today, I am chatting with my good friend Dr. Jessica Knurick. Jessica and I did our PhDs together and she now specializes in prengnacy and post-partum nutrition after having two little ones of her own.
She has built a large following on Tik Tok and on Instagram now as well education women about this topic and I am looking excited to have her on today to share her knowledge with you all as well.
We cover a lot in this episode, here are some of the topics that we touch on:
What nutrients are specifically important during pregnancy?
How should women change their nutrition habits during pregnancy to meet these nutrient needs?
What supplements are important and how does someone choose a good supplement?
What foods should pregnant women limit/avoid/be careful with?
What is gestational diabetes and why is it important to test for it?
Postpartum weight loss: What is realistic, how to approach it, and what to be careful of.
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