Abstract
Maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in influencing fertility, fetal development, birth outcomes, and breast milk composition. During the critical window of time from conception through the initiation of complementary feeding, the nutrition of the mother is the nutrition of the offspring—and a mother’s dietary choices can affect both the early health status and lifelong disease risk of the offspring. Most health expert recommendations and government-sponsored dietary guidelines agree that a healthy diet for children and adults (including those who are pregnant and/or lactating) should include an abundance of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. These foods should contain a variety of essential nutrients as well as other compounds that are associated with lower disease risk such as fiber and bioactives. However, the number and amounts of nutrients varies considerably among fruits and vegetables, and not all fruit and vegetable options are considered “nutrient-rich”. Avocados are unique among fruits and vegetables in that, by weight, they contain much higher amounts of the key nutrients folate and potassium, which are normally under-consumed in maternal diets. Avocados also contain higher amounts of several non-essential compounds, such as fiber, monounsaturated fats, and lipid-soluble antioxidants, which have all been linked to improvements in maternal health, birth outcomes and/or breast milk quality. The objective of this report is to review the evidence that avocados may be a unique nutrition source for pregnant and lactating women and, thus, should be considered for inclusion in future dietary recommendations for expecting and new mothers.
Highlights
The federal dietary recommendations in the U.S only apply to Americans over the age of two years [1], yet one of the most critical times for proper nutrition is in the first two years of life when growth and development rates are at their peak
The most heavily researched nutrients for fetal health can be narrowed down to a few different groups: (1) micronutrients that regulate DNA synthesis, cell division, and growth; (2) nutrients that assist with brain development; and (3) antioxidant nutrients which protect against free radical damage and DNA mutation
While avocados are not part of the “traditional” Mediterranean-style diet, according to the Mediterranean diet pyramid created by Oldways, along with the Harvard School of Public Health and the WHO, avocados are Mediterranean-style foods because they are classified as an antioxidant- and fiber-rich fruit and have a fatty acid profile that is naturally rich in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) [40]
Summary
The federal dietary recommendations in the U.S only apply to Americans over the age of two years [1], yet one of the most critical times for proper nutrition is in the first two years of life when growth and development rates are at their peak. Dietary Quality and Food Habits—are to investigate factors influencing maternal nutrient needs and infant nutrition extending from pregnancy until the first foods are introduced While these sub-groups have each been tasked with answering dozens of questions on their respective topics, this report focuses on the following questions that are most closely related to food (especially fruits and vegetables) and nutrient intake, and their effects on birth outcomes and health outcomes:. The federal dietary advice in the U.S for pregnant mothers is largely based on what not to eat, such as recommendations to avoid alcohol and empty calories from added sugars and saturated fats [28] This is valuable advice, but could be improved upon if it gave real-world examples on how to exchange a nutrient-poor food for a nutrient-rich one without losing flavor or textural properties. Another example would be to use an avocado- and yogurt-based dressing in place of many nutrient-poor commercial options in order to avoid added sugars and saturated fats while adding protein, fiber, and fat-soluble vitamins
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