7 Nasty Ingredients I Avoided During My First Pregnancy

Hello, there! I am Rebecca. While I type, my 8.5 month pregnant belly rolls as our little one stretches inside.

A year ago, I cared about living a healthy lifestyle but wasn’t passionate enough to research it. But now, as we await holding our new daughter, I have a new urgency to make important choices as I read ingredients and begin to understand their effects.

Ladies, everything that your body takes in goes straight to the baby. Robert Bradley, MD writes in Husband Coached Childbirth, “For years we assumed that the placenta acted as a barrier between baby’s and mother’s circulation, protecting the baby from toxic ingredients and drugs ingested by or injected into the mother.”

But that is not reality!

The placenta is a sieve that shares everything that enters your body with the baby. 

If I told you that during my pregnancy, I’ve been very careful to avoid certain things, you may immediately think of:

• alcohol
• deli meat (listeria, nitrates)
• kitty litter
• smoke
• sushi 

The following also contain ingredients harmful to my baby: 

1. Fluoridated city water, Toothpaste, Mouthwash (Fluoride)

Did you know that fluoride can damage fertility, destroy bones, causes hyperactivity and lower IQ in children? And Dr. Paul Thomas seconds that in his book The Vaccine Friendly Plan. 

• Instead of drinking city water, drink filtered water
• Carry your own water in glass instead of plastic or metal
• Get your toothpaste and mouthwashes fluoride-free

2. Chewing Gum and Diet Drinks (Aspartame)

This artificial sweetener is found in diet drinks, almost ALL chewing gum, and a great number of everyday grocery items. While aspartame is not good for anyone, it is especially not good in pregnancy. Once ingested, methanol quickly converts to formaldehyde. Yes, that’s the embalming fluid used in preserving bodies. Formaldehyde causes gradual and eventually severe damage to the neurological system, immune system, and causes permanent genetic damage at extremely low doses. In his book, Dr. Paul Thomas details a correlation between aspartame and autism.

I would much rather you drink your sodas with sugar than with aspartame. I enjoy chewing gum occasionally and had a pack of sugar-free gum in my purse. When I realized that I was consuming aspartame, breaking down into formaldehyde, I immediately threw it out and bought gum with Xylitol in it found at TJMaxx or on Amazon. 

3. Tylenol (Acetaminophen)

We’ve all heard the advice given to pregnant women, “Don’t take ibuprofen. Take your Tylenol instead.” What they don’t tell you is that the pain reliever in Tylenol is Acetaminophen.

We now know that Tylenol depletes glutathione (which helps us detox)!

Dr. Paul Thomas lays out research showing the correlation between Acetaminophen and Reye’s syndrome, autism, and ADHD. Ominously, a study in JAMA Pediatrics is titled, Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy, Behavioral Problems, and Hyperkinetic Disorders.

Dr. Thomas recommends instead of taking pain relievers:

• massages
• chiropractic care
• more sleep
• more water
• stress management techniques
• essential oils
• supplements such as magnesium and turmeric

4. Plastics, Fragrances, Landscaping Chemicals (Endocrine disruptors)

Ingredients in plastics (especially when heated), weed killers, glyphosate in/on our food, and synthetic fragrances all contain endocrine disruptors. These can mimic hormones, and in doing so wrongly turn on or off important bodily processes, causing neurological, behavioral, and growth issues in children.

So, here’s a few steps you can take to reduce endocrine disruptors in your home:

• Eliminate as much plastic in your kitchen as possible.
• Use stainless steel and wooden or bamboo utensils. Store food in glass. 
• Don’t heat food in plastic. 
• Wash all brand new clothing (esp. kid’s sleepwear) to rid it of flame retardants, chemicals, etc.
• Find alternatives to weed killer and pesticides in your landscaping. 
• Strive to eat organic produce as much as possible. If you’re on a budget, the dirty dozen is a great way to find out which foods are the most imperative. 
• Burn unscented beeswax candles. Toss out your scented paraffin wax ones which have a petroleum base and can be a carcinogen. Candles that put out a delicious scent may emit toxic benzene and toluene.  Instead diffuse essential oils for fragrance.

5. Flu shots, allergy shots and other vaccines (Aluminum)

I declined the aluminum-containing Tdap, considering the risk to my baby.

Aluminum is added to many vaccines to stimulate an immune response. When pregnant mothers are injected with vaccines or the flu shot, developmental delays, neurotoxicity, reduced renal function, and inability to process future intake of aluminum can occur. Aluminum interferes with cellular metabolism, DNA transfer of information, and especially brain development. Sadly, the vaccine advisory boards are now recommending that every pregnant woman in America get the Tdap, which contains high amounts of aluminum during this time of immense growth and vulnerability in the baby’s brain. 

6. White Flour, Noodles, Some Multivitamins and Prenatals (Synthetic Folic Acid)

Check your multivitamin and/or prenatal vitamin to see if folic acid is among the ingredients. Also, be aware that many flours, breads, and noodles contain folic acid in their ingredients list as well.

“Just about every pregnant woman is told to supplement with synthetic folic acid rather than the natural folate form. This is impacting the health of the generation of children being born right now,” writes Sarah Pope.

Its presence in the modern diet is likely contributing to many of our modern diseases. During pregnancy, unusable folic acid hog the receptor sites where real folate is needed. A folate deficiency occurs and the results can be the following:

• neural tube defects
• repeated miscarriages
• tongue tie and other midline defects
• growth problems
• thyroid problems
• nervousness and anxiety (when folate is started, these often go away),
• alarming associations between supplemental folic acid during pregnancy and asthma [2] 
• respiratory tract infections in children [3] 

7. More on Vaccines, the Flu Shot, Canned Tuna and Dental Fillings (Mercury)

Please watch this 1:50 minute video. It could save your family untold sorrow!

Dr. Paul Thomas’ book The Vaccine Friendly Plan is a Life-saver – literally!

Back in the 1950s, children would play with the balls of mercury from their oral thermometer, but now we all know that mercury is a poison, and we would never let our children touch it.

Canned tuna fish also contains a very high mercury content.

Get white fillings if needed, and if you have mercury fillings in your mouth, consider getting them removed by a biological dentist (who will make sure you are protected during the procedure), but please don’t do it while you are pregnant!

Detox Out the Harmful Toxins!

TRS can remove these toxins, metals, fluoride, plastics residues, mycotoxins (molds and yeast) pesticides, radioactive metals and more. Ask me about it in the comments. Here is my back office.

If you’re like me, this list seems overwhelming. I had to start slowly. Even if you just eliminate one or two of these toxic ingredients in your life, you will be greatly benefiting your family. I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed the process of developing a healthier, happier lifestyle. It can be fun!

If you are reading this as a pregnant mom, soon you will be holding your little baby in your arms, and it will all be worth it.

Please comment below to let others know what you’re doing to create a healthier lifestyle for you and your loved ones.