Low birth weight

Introduction

There are many conditions in Western industrialised societies today that were unheard of, or at least very rare, just a century ago. The same conditions are still unheard of in primitive peoples who do not have the 'benefits' of our knowledge. There is a very good reason for this: They eat what Nature intended; we don't. The diseases caused by our incorrect and unnatural diets are those featured on these pages.

Dietary causes:

Low birth weight

Low birth weight has become much more common over the last quarter century (since 'healthy eating' was introduced in 1984). Low birth weight is almost always caused by malnutrition — insufficient intake of essential nutrients — by the mother while she is pregnant. Specific nutrient deficiencies shown to result in low birth weights and premature babies are zinc and iron.[i] Yet both of these are abundant in meat, and particularly in organ meats such as liver and kidney.

Not surprisingly, therefore, women eating nutrient-poor vegetarian and particularly vegan diets are much more likely to have low birth weight babies.

Diet for pregnancy

To avoid having a low birth weight baby, it is essential that a pregnant mother's diet is nutrient rich, and without an excess of fattening foods — starches and sugars. It is also wise to plan and prepare ahead of pregnancy, to ensure a healthy baby from the start. See Diet for Children for more details.

Reference

[i]. Meadows N, et al. Zinc and small babies. Lancet 1981; ii: 1135.