Chris Kresser – The Healthy Baby Code

How 10 years and 1000’s of hours of research unlocked the door to the most essential and reliable solutions for natural fertility, pregnancy and lifelong health for you and your baby.

I’m Chris Kresser, a practitioner of integrative medicine and the creator of ChrisKresser.com. A couple of years ago my wife Elanne and I decided we were ready to have our first child. Only – as many of you have also experienced – it turned out not to be as easy as we had hoped. Months passed and we still had not conceived.

We knew it might be more difficult for us than most, as Elanne had recently been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition and was 38 years old by the time we started trying. Many doctors would have advised us not even to try in these circumstances, or at the very least to skip right to IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies.

But as a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist and a researcher and writer in the field of nutrition and health, I had a bias toward finding a natural solution, and Elanne also wanted to get pregnant without drugs or IVF if possible. So I dove into the scientific literature with a passion and fervor I’m sure other hopeful parents can understand.

I read countless studies in peer-reviewed journals. I poured over 4-inch thick textbooks on all aspects of reproductive health. I consulted with experts in the field. And of course I relied on my own experience of more than 10 years of deep investigation into nutrition and health.

Then in October of 2010, the magic happened: Elanne and I conceived! We were elated to say the least. And of course all of the research I had done leading up to that point gave us the confidence and knowledge we needed throughout Elanne’s pregnancy.

On July 23rd of 2011 Elanne gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl – Sylvie Riel Hummingbird Kresser – weighing 8 lbs., 3 ounces. (That’s Sylvie in the picture at right.) Our midwife told us she was one of the most engaged, alert and vibrant newborns she had ever helped deliver in 35 years of practice. Elanne’s diet before and during pregnancy (which is the approach I teach in the Healthy Baby Code) was directly responsible for that.

Combine traditional wisdom and modern science to cut through confusion and hype

In my integrative medicine practice, I often see women trying to conceive or who are already pregnant or breastfeeding following diets that are completely inappropriate – and even unsafe – for their own health and the health of their baby. With so much conflicting information out there, it’s no wonder women are confused.

Some say a low-fat vegetarian or vegan diet is best. Others say a low-carb diet is best. Still others insist that specialty approaches like the Blood Type or Brewer’s diet are the way to go. It’s enough to make anyone’s head spin.

So how can you know which approach to nutrition you can trust? How can you sift through the vast amounts of conflicting information and find an approach that will supercharge your fertility, promote a healthy pregnancy and a safe and natural birth, and set the stage for a long and healthy life for your children?

Fortunately, there is a way to answer this question objectively – without relying the latest fad diet, health trend or opinion. The recommendations made in The Healthy Baby Code are drawn from thousands of generations of evolutionary wisdom as well hundreds of the latest peer-reviewed studies published in major medical journals.

First, we can study what traditional cultures ate during conception and pregnancy. These cultures had high rates of fertility, easy (almost to the point of seeming effortless) births, and a complete absence of the modern diseases like obesity, diabetes and heart disease that are killing us today.

Second, we can look at what specific nutrients modern science tells us are essential for conception and pregnancy. We have tools today that our traditional ancestors lacked, and we can use these tools to fill in the gaps of their knowledge.

Then we can combine the time-tested strategies of traditional cultures, honed and improved over 77,000 generations, with the latest advances in scientific research, to develop the ultimate nutritional approach for fertility, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Bridging traditional wisdom and cutting-edge modern science ensures that The Healthy Baby Code approach is not only extremely effective, but also safe for both the mother and baby.