French biochemist debunks 3 myths about pregnancy nutrition: ‘Impact on your baby’s DNA programming for life…’
Pregnancy nutrition is often simplified to the idea of “eating for two,” but its impact runs far deeper than extra calories or weight gain. What an expectant mother eats doesn’t just nourish her own body – it directly feeds the developing baby, shaping organ growth, brain development, and even how the child’s DNA is programmed for future health outcomes. From metabolism to disease risk later in life, everyday food choices during pregnancy can leave lasting biological imprints, making nutrition far more influential than many people realise.
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Jessie Inchauspé, a French biochemist, New York Times bestselling author, and health activist widely known as the Glucose Goddess on social media, is breaking down three common and often misunderstood myths about nutrition during pregnancy. In an Instagram video shared on January 14, she explains that what expectant mothers eat has a far greater impact on a baby’s long-term health than most people realise, influencing everything from brain development to future disease risk.
Myth 1: Mother’s diet does not influence the baby’s nutrition
Jessie points out that the idea that a baby will automatically get everything they need during pregnancy – without the mother paying attention to her own intake or eating fortified foods – is a common misconception. She explains that key micronutrients such as choline and DHA, which are critical for foetal brain development, must be consciously consumed in higher amounts during pregnancy; otherwise, the baby may not receive adequate levels for optimal growth.
The biochemist explains, “Myth number one, your baby will always get what he needs from you. You don’t have to worry about it. This is not true. There are many instances, for example, in the case of choline or DHA, where if you do not eat enough of it during pregnancy, your baby will not get enough of it. And today, about 90 percent of pregnant moms don’t eat enough choline, and about 70 percent of pregnant moms don’t eat enough DHA during pregnancy.”
Myth 2: The placenta filters out all the bad stuff
According to Jessie, another widespread misconception is that the placenta acts like a protective filter, allowing only “good” substances to reach the baby. In reality, she explains, whatever circulates in the mother’s bloodstream can pass to the baby, regardless of whether it is beneficial or potentially harmful – making maternal nutrition and exposure especially important during pregnancy.
She elaborates, “Myth number two, your placenta will filter things out and only give your baby the good stuff, keeping out all the bad stuff. This is also not true. The placenta is not like a great fortress. The placenta is more like a bouncer outside a bar who’s been told, ‘Hey, bouncer, as long as there are more people outside the bar than inside the bar, just keep letting people through.’ The placenta trusts that whatever is in your bloodstream should be mirrored in your baby’s bloodstream. So, everything that you eat, your baby also eats.”
Myth 3: Mothers can eat whatever you want
Jessie notes that this, too, is a misconception – the belief that because weight gain is inevitable during pregnancy, mothers can eat whatever they like. She stresses that this is far from the truth, as maternal nutrition plays a crucial role in shaping the baby’s DNA programming. What a mother eats can influence how a baby’s metabolism responds to different foods later in life and may even affect their long-term risk of certain diseases.
She explains, “Myth number three, since you’re going to gain weight anyway, you should just eat whatever you want. Again, this is a myth because what you eat during pregnancy has an impact on your baby’s DNA programming for life and sends him little postcards of what the world is going to be like. So his little body forming actually uses what you eat as information to find out how he should best form himself and this can lead to lifelong consequences. So if you have a healthy diet during pregnancy, this will help your baby have a healthy DNA programming. If your diet is really, really high in sugars for example, this can have an impact on DNA programming with detrimental programming like an increased risk for type two diabetes for example that can stay with your baby for life. So what you eat during pregnancy is very important.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
