Green Lemonade

If you know a darling who is looking to prepare her body for pregnancy, consider sharing these tips. These thoughts were put together by Juicy Naam Founder Giuliana Torre and Jacqueline Graham of Pure Food Bar in conjunction with detox guru Dr. Gabriel Cousens. As someone who recently welcomed a baby boy into my life this winter, I found eating a diet rich in fresh foods helped me to feel buoyant and happy during the months leading into my pregnancy and then throughout my 9 month term. This is the first part of a multi-part series.

How early should you begin a pre-pregnancy cleanse?

Detox gurus suggest that a woman begin to prepare her body for conception ideally three months to one year ahead of when she would like to become pregnant. Both daddy and mommy should work together on this journey. Daddy, after all, has equal responsibility to strengthen the health of the sperm he is contributing.

Pre-pregnancy cleansing diet: Embrace fresh, veggie-centric foods

Ideally, detox gurus believe that you should embrace these dietary and lifestyle adjustments which focus on an abundant, veggie-centric diet rich in fresh foods (organic when possible) paired with some lightly cooked foods.

Make the investment in organic foods

By eating organic foods you eliminate the source of many pesticides and toxins you are exposed to on a daily basis. Then, instead of sifting through this daily intake of pesticide crud, your body’s energy can be spent elsewhere (like preparing for precious baby!). Detox gurus believe that eating chlorophyll rich foods like leafy greens, also act as an internal buffer against the build up of body crud from things like city pollution. From a taste perspective, some beauties also believe organic foods taste better than conventially grown foods. Don’t know where to get started with organic foods? Learn more here.

Cut back on sugar

“One serving of sugar will make you crave sugar for two weeks…it turns on the epigenetic code for craving sugar. If you are pregnant, it turns on the code in the fetus; if the fetus is a female, the eggs of the fetus are coded as well.” Gabriel Cousens MD

Detox gurus believe giving up sugar helps to reduce internal inflammation in your body, and is helpful in preventing the risk of gestational diabetes. Both of these risks can be triggered by overeating sugars. As you look to reduce sugars in your diet detox guru Gabriel Cousens recommends embracing a vegetarian diet rich in raw foods paired with some lightly cooked foods. He suggests embracing meals centered around

- leafy green salads,
- low-sugar fruits (including raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, grapefruit),
- better for you grains (including quinoa) and
- vegetables (including carrots, beets and squash).

If you start to dabble with eating more of these naturally cleansing and restorative foods, and you are feeling great, you might dive a little deeper. At this point, consider embracing Phase 1.5 or Phase 2 of Dr. Cousens’ Green Cuisine Lifestyle Diet. In Phase 1.5 – Phase 2 of this diet, you are ramping up your intake of fresh, “live” foods towards ~80% and also dabbling with sprouting foods. If you need help creating a meal plan, and would prefer someone else to make the meals for you, consider reaching out to Giuliana at The Juicy Naam or Jacqueline at Pure Food Bar .

Ramp up your vitamin C intake

When it comes to preparing your body for pregnancy, these health beauties also suggest you get adequate vitamin C to support your immune system. Chopped raw red and yellow peppers, sliced strawberries and sliced kiwis are great sources of Vitamin C. Health divas also love to embrace Vitamin C sources like Camu Camu Berries, cherries and Goji Berries over synthetic formulas. Learn more about vitamin C here.