Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Be aware of your food choices, especially when pregnant

Eric Marcotte, MD
Physician
January 31, 2012
Share
Tweet
Share

I come back into the exam room, keeping my best poker face, sit down and turn to face her.  She’s on the edge of her seat, nervous and barely able to contain herself, maybe not even sure which answer she wants.

“Congratulations,” I say. She lets out her breath and smiles, huge.

“Thanks!”

Once the adrenaline settles down and she can hear me again, we start talking through the changes she can expect and the ones she needs to make.  I give her a very short ‘safe’ list of over-the-counter medicine she can take if needed.  She gets a prescription for pre-natal vitamins.  I remind her to avoid all alcohol and really put the screws on for her to quit smoking.

“Yes.”  “Ok, doc.”  “Mmm-hmm.”

Then I hold my fingers up about half an inch apart.  “This is how big your baby is right now.  It’s brain, bones, muscles, everything have to grow and the only food your baby gets it what you eat. Do you want your baby to be made from McDonald’s and soda pop or from healthy food, organic vegetables and fruits?  Now is the time to decide.”

The light that goes on, the Aha! moment I get to see is pretty cool, let me tell you.  This is often one of the conversations that feels like I’ve made a difference in someone’s life.

What I’ve realized over the years is this is true for all of us, all the time.  Every part of our bodies and brains is being constantly re-made, day by day.  The trillions of cells that make me are not the same ones that made me even a few years ago.  Some of our cells are not the same ones they were even yesterday.

Our bodies are constantly repairing and replacing cells by the billions and the only raw materials we have to work with is what we eat.  So, you are what you eat.  I am what I eat.  Everybody is the peculiar mix of Big Macs, broccoli, Guinness, apples, Twix, Doritos, salmon, and whatever else they eat – and nothing else!

Just take that in for a moment.  Think back to what you ate today or yesterday.  Cocoa Puffs?  It’s in there.  Chardonnay?  It’s there too.  Fast food, snacks, sodas?  Yes, yes, and yes.

One of the best ways I know to change your life is simply to become aware.  Mindless eating, mindless couch-sitting, and mindless sleep-skipping are pretty popular ways to feel like absolute crap.  Just being attentive to what I eat, what I drink, how active I am, and whether I get to bed early enough can help me actively choose to feel better.  If I go around on auto-pilot, I’m likely to grab chips for a snack, conveniently forget to run, sit at the computer way too late and feel like I deserve.

Be aware of your choices – you are making the you of tomorrow.

Eric Marcotte is a family physician who blogs at doctorfoodtruth.

Submit a guest post and be heard on social media’s leading physician voice.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

How changing patient workflow can make using an EMR fun

January 30, 2012 Kevin 7
…
Next

Analyzing what the President said about health care

January 31, 2012 Kevin 3
…

Tagged as: OB/GYN, Obesity, Patients, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How changing patient workflow can make using an EMR fun
Next Post >
Analyzing what the President said about health care

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Eric Marcotte, MD

  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    How diet and exercise beat high blood pressure

    Eric Marcotte, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Our growing ability to prolong life and our shrinking ability to pay for it

    Eric Marcotte, MD
  • a desk with keyboard and ipad with the kevinmd logo

    Baby Boomers are driving the next wave of joint replacements in medicine

    Eric Marcotte, MD

More in Physician

  • The backbone of health care is breaking

    Grace Yu, MD
  • Why doctors must ask for help before burnout escalates

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • Why medicine is like a jazz solo

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • Why so many patients ask for drips—and what doctors wish they knew

    Dr. Akintola Aminat Olayinka
  • Reproductive care after Roe: Why silence is not an option

    Christine Petrin, MD, MPH and Susan Thompson Hingle, MD
  • When your identity is your job: Why it’s dangerous in medicine

    Brooke Buckley, MD, MBA
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Could antibiotics beat heart disease where statins failed?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why palliative care is more than just end-of-life support

      Dr. Vishal Parackal | Conditions
    • My improbable survival of stage 4 cancer

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Conditions
    • How Ukrainian doctors sustained diabetes care during the war [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How Ukrainian doctors sustained diabetes care during the war [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The backbone of health care is breaking

      Grace Yu, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must ask for help before burnout escalates

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Why medicine is like a jazz solo

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why so many patients ask for drips—and what doctors wish they knew

      Dr. Akintola Aminat Olayinka | Physician
    • Reproductive care after Roe: Why silence is not an option

      Christine Petrin, MD, MPH and Susan Thompson Hingle, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 2 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • Could antibiotics beat heart disease where statins failed?

      Larry Kaskel, MD | Conditions
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why palliative care is more than just end-of-life support

      Dr. Vishal Parackal | Conditions
    • My improbable survival of stage 4 cancer

      Kelly Curtin-Hallinan, DO | Conditions
    • How Ukrainian doctors sustained diabetes care during the war [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why transgender health care needs urgent reform and inclusive practices

      Angela Rodriguez, MD | Conditions
    • COVID-19 was real: a doctor’s frontline account

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Conditions
    • Why primary care doctors are drowning in debt despite saving lives

      John Wei, MD | Physician
    • New student loan caps could shut low-income students out of medicine

      Tom Phan, MD | Physician
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • mRNA post vaccination syndrome: Is it real?

      Harry Oken, MD | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • How Ukrainian doctors sustained diabetes care during the war [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The backbone of health care is breaking

      Grace Yu, MD | Physician
    • Why doctors must ask for help before burnout escalates

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Why medicine is like a jazz solo

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Physician
    • Why so many patients ask for drips—and what doctors wish they knew

      Dr. Akintola Aminat Olayinka | Physician
    • Reproductive care after Roe: Why silence is not an option

      Christine Petrin, MD, MPH and Susan Thompson Hingle, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Be aware of your food choices, especially when pregnant
2 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...