Precautions to Take When Pregnant or Nursing
From Dr. Fuhrman's book Disease Proof Your Child:
The developing baby inside you is sensitive to the effects of toxins more so than at any other time in its life. It is never too early to start protecting yourself and your unborn child.
Clearly, there are a lot of dangerous habits to avoid before pregnancy, and there are also a lot of fears women have that are not found in science or logic.
The real concerns are not microwave ovens, cell phones, and hair dryers. The things we know to be really risky for you and your unborn children are:
- Caffeine
- Nicotine, including secondhand smoke
- Alcohol
- Medications, both over-the-counter and prescription drugs
- Herbs and high-dose supplements, vitamin A
- Fish, mollusks and shellfish, sushi (raw fish)
- Hot tubs and saunas
- Radiation
- Household clear, paint thinners
- Cat litter (because of an infectious disease called toxoplasmosis caused by a parasite found in cat feces)
- Raw milk and cheese
- Soft cheese and blue-veined cheeses such as feta, Roquefort, and Brie
- Artificial colors, nitrates, and MSG
- Deli meats, luncheon meats, hot dogs, and undercooked meats
When a pregnant women uses drugs, even aspirin, she and her unborn child can face serious health problems. Also, just because something is natural or purchased in a health food stores does not mean it is safe. Herbal remedies work because of their medicinal properties from naturally occurring toxins; they are not health food. I also advise against dying your hair during pregnancy.
Does this mean Dr Fuhrman recommends that pregnant and lactating women do not consume Vegi-Zest (since it contains autolyzed yeast extract, which contains MSG)?
Helena-
Dr. Fuhrman discussed this in the member center of DrFuhrman.com not very long ago. Here's what he said:
"The yeast used in VegiZest is not high in glutamic acid (which is not monosodium glutamate anyway). Some autolysed yeast are much higher in glutamic acid (a natural amino acid). There is no MSG in VegiZest at all, the only question would be with someone with a sensitivity to glutamic acid, but then they would be bothered by chicken liver, mushrooms and lots of other foods that naturally contain glutamic acid. In summary, we used a little bit of nutritional yeast that is partially autolysed for a little extra flavor; I don't consider that one ingredient a health food, but I see no need to restrict the use of VegiZest just because it has an insignificant amount of glutamic acid in it. It is super healthy. Maybe since some people have this concern I will just use the straight nutritional yeast in the next run, just to eliminate this question.
The level of free glutamic acid in Vegizest that is contributed by the yeast we used is 0.0044 grams per serving (or 4.4 mg per serving).
This is very low and of no consequence.
The level of free GA found in other foods is as follows:
Onion = 51mg GA/100 gm
Broccoli = 176 mg/100 gm
Tomato = 256 mg/100 gm
Corn = 130mg /100 gm
Peas = 200 mg / 100 gm
Banana = 60 mg/ 100 gm
Spinach = 48 mg /100 gm
Roquefort Cheese = 1280 mg/ 100 gm
Parmesan Cheese = 1200 mg /100 gm
Mushrooms = 180 mg/ 100 gm
I think this shows that the amount of GA contributed by VegiZest is insignificant."
Thanks Gerry, that's certainly reassuring. Do you know if the doctor explains the reasons why MSG has to be avoided in DPYC? I do not generally use it, but I am not sensitive to it, and I tend not to worry about an occasional restaurant meal (I do care about soups that I use on a daily basis, hence my question).