by Ray Darken

Researchers have shown that pregnant women can dramatically impact upon the health of their unborn children by determining what sorts of foods they eat while expecting. Expectant mothers who eat a diet rich in high quality and traditional Mediterranean diet were shown to provide their unborn children with a natural remedy for asthma and allergies.

The Mediterranean Diet study was conducted on pregnant women who lived in Menorca, a Spanish island. Researchers from the University of Crete monitored what sort of Mediterranean foods the women ate, and scored them correspondingly.

The pregnant women in the study, who all hailed from Menorca, an island off Spain, were monitored by the quality of the Mediterranean foods that they ate. Mothers’ diets were designated as high quality, low quality, and Western diet. The study started in 1997 and followed 507 pregnant women. Their offspring were monitored until they turned 6.5 years. Although 507 mums were in the study only 468 children were eventually documented. (Some apparently were eliminated for a variety of reasons.)

Secondly, what did these women eat? The pregnant women whose children benefited the most from the reduced risks of childhood asthma and allergies were those who ate quality Mediterranean cuisine, along with 3 serves of fish weekly, 1 serve of legumes, and 8 serves of vegetables each week.

What is the Mediterranean Diet? This diet is so called as it is based on a pattern of eating followed by various regional folk who live around the Mediterranean. Typically, Mediterranean cuisine comprises of plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, red wine, and olive oil. Fish is eaten moderately, and red meat is rarely eaten. Dairy products such as eggs, milk, cheeses, yogurts, and poultry are eaten in lesser amounts.

Researchers surmised that the protective health benefits of Mediterranean Diet for the unborn children came from 2 sources, antioxidants and omegas. Both these 2 ingredients are found in high amounts in Mediterranean cuisine. Antioxidants are beneficial in providing tissue health and omegas provide anti-inflammatory properties, especially in the airways (important in asthma).

Please note that drinking alcohol while pregnant is not recommended by medical authorities. No mention was made in the study of alcoholic intake for the pregnant women. A responsible conclusion would be that they were not consuming alcohol.

Conclusion – Following a quality Mediterranean Diet in pregnancy has been shown to significantly reduce the incidences of both allergies and asthma in the children of these mothers. Maximum protectives benefits were found in the expectant women who close followed a traditional Mediterranean diet and ate at least 3 serves of fish weekly, 8 serves of vegetables weekly, and at least 1 serve of legumes.

About the Author:
Publisher and author Ray Darken who often writes on diet, nutrition and weight loss has provided more information here on childhood asthma. You can also download his guide here on traditional mediterranean foods