Summary: Dr. James Carlson is my featured guest for today’s “Carbohydrates Can Kill” podcast, part of a special series on gestational nutrition. As a retired anesthesiologist who attended deliveries, I recognize the importance of the health of both the newborn and the new mother. Needless to say, their health is a result of gestational care, especially gestational nutrition. As I presented to you in this podcast on March 16, 2011, childbearing women must be mindful of their nutrition, which closely affects the outcomes of their pregnancies. Dr. James Carlson is a unique physician who earned various degrees including B.S., D.O., M.B.A., and J.D., before starting medical practice. With his personal experience and review in biochemistry, he wrote a book, Genocide!, illustrating how we have been following poor dietary advice that has led us to the path of malnutrition and premature death. I greatly appreciate Dr. Carlson’s extensive knowledge in nutritional medicine. Don’t wait! Join me in listening to this interesting episode now. www.drjamescarlson.com Genocide! by Dr. James Carlson (Amazon.com) Episode 42 Transcribed by Yael S. Balazs, Ph.D. http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/1788/gestational-nutrition-james-carlson-do-ep-42 Gestational Nutrition with James E. Carlson, D.O. Dr. Robert K. Su: I have repeatedly stressed the importance of a healthy pregnancy, because whatever happens to the expecting mother will affect both the physical and mental health of the newborn, not only in his childhood, but also in his adulthood. Developing gestational nutrition is one of the key factors of a healthy pregnancy. . . Dr. Su: Since we are talking about low-carbohydrate diets, so, is eating low-carbs during pregnancy dangerous? Dr. Carlson: You know it’s a common question I get asked from my expecting moms, or even moms who are already pregnant, because most of my patients, of course, know that I focus on low-carbs. The answer is no. Eating low-carbs during pregnancy is NOT dangerous. And, if we have time later, I will talk about special cases where you have to be a little more cautious, generally with your type 1 diabetic moms who become pregnant. But, for a patient who is not a type 1 diabetic, eating low-carbs during pregnancy is not dangerous. And, it’s actually preferred. There are a lot of web sites for the moms. And the pregnant moms tend to want to be as knowledgeable as possible, to provide what they can to encourage the growth and development of a healthy baby. Unfortunately a lot of the web sites they come across, and there’s even a magazine that I get delivered to my office called “Fit Pregnancy” and some of the listeners may be familiar with that, certainly physicians are familiar with that, but unfortunately, a lot of the information, even in “Fit Pregnancy,” is incorrect when it comes to nutritional guidance. I have to say that not only is eating low-carbs during pregnancy not dangerous, eating carbs during pregnancy, or the amount of carbohydrates suggested by these magazines is actually dangerous. So, the converse is true. Eating low-carbs is not dangerous, but eating carbs, in the amounts suggested, is definitely dangerous. And if you look at what we’re made of as human beings, our composition, it’s basically, depending on the literature you read, anywhere from 70-75% water. All right, that’s your main ingredient. Then the next ingredients are fat and cholesterol, which is found in the cells – the cell membrane. And in fact, cholesterol is an important constituent of cell membranes – allows the membranes to function properly. Of course, protein is second to water, and then the fats and cholesterol. But, when you’re eating carbohydrates when you’re pregnant, and when you have a baby that’s developing, you’re not – you’re not, providing what the baby needs to develop normally. You know, basically we need fat, we need the cholesterol, we need the protein and, of course, the water. So, once again, I ha[...]
