You’re expecting a baby. Congratulations! Over the next nine months, you can help ensure your baby is born healthy…and maybe even smarter. Read how the moms of these future celebrities helped their babies enter the world as healthy as can be by eating these 10 things. (These are fictional accounts to prove prenatal nutrition points.) 1. Calcium: Shaquille O’Neil Life’d: We caught up with Shaquille O’Neil, 14-time NBA All-Star… Shaq: 15 Times. Life’d: Oh. Sorry. Shaq, to what do you attribute your dominating prowess on the court? Shaq: I thank my mom for eating lots of Greek yogurt and drinking milk when she was pregnant with me. The calcium helped me grow before I was even born. Plus the dairy foods had high amounts of phosphorus, B-vitamins, magnesium and zinc. They built me too. Now you see the results on the court. Life’d: There you have it. Shaquille O’Neil’s greatness due to his mother’s prenatal dairy consumption. 2. Probiotics: Justin Bieber Life’d: Hi Justin. One reason you’re so loved is that you are just a normal person who made it big. Justin: I like to think I’m normal. I was born normal, after all. What I mean is my mom didn’t have any complications on my birthday, probably because she took probiotics while she was carrying me. Probiotics reduce the risk of preeclampsia, GBS, and more. The complications started after I became famous. 3. Folate: Barack Obama Life’d: Mr. Obama, at 6 feet and an inch, you were one of the taller presidents to grace the Oval Office. Obama: I was not born small. No. I was born a very healthy 8 lbs 3 oz and a good length. My mom did a good job of eating chickpeas and black beans during her first trimester. It was the folate. Most pregnant moms don’t get enough, and this can lead to small babies. It can also result in infections later on. Let’s be clear. My mom ate her folate. You can check my birth certificate about the weight. 4. Vitamin A: Marilyn Monroe Life’d: Ms. Monroe, what is your secret to looking so healthy? M.M.: I like to think I was born healthy. People did not know as much about diet and prenatal nutrition in 1926, the year I was born. But my mother ate lots of sweet potatoes. Life’d: Those taters have 300% the daily recommended intake of vitamin A which is good for fetal development. M.M.: Uh-huh. It’s a super food, and it may have been super for my career. 5. Omega-3s: Albert Einstein Life’d: Mr. Einstein, E=MC2 is yours. So is the Theory of Relativity. You even won the Nobel Prize in Physics for shedding light on, well, light. Does nutrition play a role in your intelligence? Albert: Ehh. I don’t worry about what I eat now because my mom ate seafood when I was in the fetal position. Life’d: Seafood? Albert: Yes. Wild salmon or farmed organic salmon, specifically. Twice a week. Those Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the gray matter. Life’d: So if I eat salmon twice a week I could be as smart as you? Albert: If you were pregnant, Sir, salmon might make your baby smarter than you. 6. Choline: Bill Gates Life’d: Mr. Gates, we spoke with Albert Einstein, and he attributed his intelligence to his mom eating salmon while she was pregnant with him. You’re pretty smart yourself, inventing the platform that made it possible for people to have computers at home. Did your mom eat salmon? Bill: She ate salmon and omeletes. Life’d: Omeletes? Bill: Eggs have choline, a nutrient that helps the brain’s development and memory in babies. I think all the eggs my mother ate went to my head. 7. Dark Green, Leafy Veggies: Mihaly Meszaros Life’d: Mihaly, do you enjoy working in the circus? Mihaly: It’s got its ups and clowns. Life’d: How long have you been “The World’s Smallest Man?” Mihaly: Ever since I was born. Do you know how healthy and important it is for pregnant mothers-to-be to eat dark green, leafy vegetables? They’re packed with the nutrition a growing baby needs. Life’d: Like kale and spinach? Mihaly: And even broccoli. When I found out how nutritious dark green leafies were, I started eating them with my cornflakes. Can you picture it: A two-year-old the size of a slice of bread, eating cereal and salad? I hoped it would help me sprout, but it was too late. I was destined to be tiny. At least I make a living. And I don’t need to each too much. 8. Fish Oil: Napoleon Bonaparte Life’d: Mr. Bonaparte, thanks for taking time to speak with us. Napoleon: Merci. Call me Napoleon, s’il vous plait. Life’d: You are known as one of the greatest military leaders of all time, outsmarting enemy after enemy. Did luck ever play a part in your victories? Napoleon: Luck? Ha! Maman used to drink a tablespoon of cod liver oil with her cafe au lait. Do you know how I know? Every day she reminds me: “It tasted disgusting, but now look how smart my little Poli is.” 9. Potassium: Arnold Schwarzenegger Life’d: Mr. Schwarzenegger, is it true your mother loaded up on avocados when she was carrying you? Arnold: At least one at every breakfast. She knew they had more potassium than bananas. Life’d: Plus avocados deliver healthy fats. Could your mother’s breakfast avocados have set the stage for your amazing career in bodybuilding? Arnold: The potassium probably did prepare my muscles for the workout I would later put them through in the gym. And they helped my brain with the smarts to navigate show business. Life’d: What about being governor? Arnold: That was nothing compared to the politics in Hollywood. 10. Whole Grains: Usian Bolt Life’d: You’ve been clocked running an astounding 28 mph. Bolt: You should have seen how fast I ran when my mom was after me! Life’d: The fastest man in the world was the fastest kid in the world…running from mom. Bolt: And I owe it all to her. Not for chasing me, but for eating right. Pregnant mothers need extra energy, and my mom got hers from a terrific and a healthy source: whole grains. Life’d: That’s great news for popcorn lovers. Bolt: Besides iron, B Vitamins, fiber, and protein, grains give energy. My mom stayed active all nine months. In fact, I think she even raced to the hospital. Life’d: So you even came out running. [Featured Image Credit: www.organicfacts.net]
