We know that n=1 should be considered an anecdote but it's still interesting to learn more about "the making of" a healthy baby with a happy ending:
I'm pregnant!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5IiLncJaS4
Vegan Pregnancy – 5 Foods I Eat Daily in My Second Trimester
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onVxHWmFvrw
Vegan Pregnancy – Supplements I'm Taking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPcElgi0flI
What I Eat in a Day | Vegan Pregnancy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uXE0nqmCXI
Baby is here!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtNde7Il3hs
Vegan Pregnancy | What I Did for Healthy Baby and Labor
Say No to Fish for Five Years Before Pregnancy
https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/say-no-to-fish-for-five-years-before-pregnancy/
Unlike the vast majority of omnivores, she didn't have to even think about the heavy metals / PCBs / dioxins etc. from seafood at all. In addition, thankfully her child wouldn't have to deal with any of this crap as well:
Nearly a third of baby foods sold in UK are ultra-processed, research finds
The report for First Steps Nutrition Trust found that ultra-processed products dominate the diets of British babies and preschool children.
Analysing previously unpublished UK data from a 2021 pan-European study of levels of processing in infant and toddler food, the report found that while overall 29% of food in the baby aisles of supermarkets is ultra-processed, the proportion rises to half for baby snacks and cereals and to three-quarters for baby biscuits and rusks.
These ultra-processed products are often marketed as healthy or natural options, despite having higher levels of salt, sugar, fat and additives that are associated with obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, the report found.
Chris Van Tulleken tells Chris Evans how ultra-processed food 'tells your body lies'
Doctor Chris explained: “We've been growing in one direction, but we're also stunted. So, the most important people in this discussion are young people. UK children are the heaviest in any equivalent country. We’re as heavy as US children. But they're also, at the age of five, that much shorter. So 10 centimetres, more than two inches, shorter than our equivalents in Scandinavia, places like Holland. In Bulgaria, children at the age of five are two inches taller. So if you put a class of British five year olds next to a class of European five year olds, you could spot the British ones just by looking at them.”
Bulgaria now Europe's 6th poorest country with GDP per capita at 12.77 euro
The sixth place is for Bulgaria. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe. 65 per cent of the population is currently unable or barely able to cover their living expenses. This is due to the high level of indebtedness of state-owned companies in the energy sector and hospitals, poor infrastructure and the threat of population decline. GDP per capita is 12.77 euros.
Dunno how they could manage to pull that stunt off but it's just pretty stunning if you ask me. LOL
OTOH, let's take a quick look at this picture linked below:
https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0143622823003156-gr1.jpg
Social and spatial inequalities of contemporary food deserts: A compound of store and online access to food in the United Kingdom
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0143622823003156
Simply put, it's such a pity that many people don't necessarily have a clue when it comes to the utmost importance of real food:
Chris van Tulleken Destruction of food culture
The primary cause of Britain’s childhood obesity emergency is clear: poverty
Nutrition is regularly front and centre in paediatrician’s minds. It is the foundation of good health in children and is something we regularly speak to parents about in clinic. Traditionally these conversations were quite straightforward. We would discuss the importance of balanced meals, nutrient-dense ingredients, and accessible healthy recipes.
Child type 2 diabetes referrals in England and Wales jump 50% amid obesity crisis
However, in the last few years, I have been forced to take a step back and look at the broader, economic picture. I regularly find myself having to deliberately roll back on some of the advice I would have given before, with the families I see often unable to afford green leafy vegetables or meat. At the end of the day, it is cheaper to put chicken nuggets and chips on a plate than it is to buy fruit and vegetables. Families on low incomes face impossible decisions when feeding their children.
Food insecurity is a regular occurrence for low-income households in the UK, with one in four households with children affected. Food banks are overwhelmed with the level of demand and teachers regularly tell us that they see children coming into school hungry. Government statistics show that 4.2 million children in the UK were living in poverty in 2021-22. These astronomical figures are only set to rise as a result of the current cost of living crisis. Paediatricians regularly tell us that children are coming into health settings in worse and worse condition. We’re seeing more overweight children and poor oral health. Today in the UK, one in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school and nearly a quarter of five-year-olds in England have had obvious tooth decay. These are tell-tale signs of poor nutrition and deprivation and, in a rich nation such as ours, should be unthinkable.
by starchmuncher