Episode #194

Lily Nichols

Supporting Healthy Pregnancies with Ancestral Knowledge & Evidence-Based Prenatal Nutrition

Lily Nichols

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author. She explains how to combine ancestral knowledge and evidence-based prenatal nutrition to support healthy pregnancies. 

2015 marked the first time a study directly measured protein requirements for pregnant women. It showed we’ve been underestimating protein recs by 40–73%. Click To Tweet

Lily’s first bestselling book, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, dives into why a nutrient-dense, lower-carb approach works for women worried about or managing gestational diabetes.

Upping vitamin D levels in pregnant women correlated with a 60% reduction in preterm birth and a 78% reduction for women of color. That’s huge for something so easy and free to do. Click To Tweet

Her second book, Real Food for Pregnancy, is the most comprehensive text on prenatal nutrition to date — with nearly 1,000 citations that challenge conventional prenatal nutrition guidelines and confirm what our ancestors have known for generations.

Tune into the episode to discover:

  • What inspired Lily to take this path (in a roundabout way)
  • What’s wrong with the current prenatal/postnatal nutrition guidelines
  • Which foods women should be adding/avoiding during pregnancy
  • How hormone changes may influence pregnancy cravings (and aversions)
  • What impacts the “interpregnancy interval” and how long to wait between kids
  • The best prenatal supplements to help cover nutrient gaps
  • Lily’s thoughts on raw eggs, seafood, saunas, cold plunges, and more! 

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