The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

Pregnancy Diet Expert: The Pregnancy Diet That Rewrites DNA! Why Pregnant Moms Are Being Lied To!

February 26, 2026

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  • Maternal diet during pregnancy programs the baby's DNA via epigenetics, influencing future disease risk like diabetes, obesity, and psychiatric disorders. 
  • Choline, essential for fetal brain development, is deficient in 90% of pregnant mothers' diets, with four eggs daily being a simple source. 
  • Glucose spikes in the mother lead to inflammation in the womb, potentially causing microglia to prune healthy neurons and increasing the baby's risk for psychiatric disorders. 
  • Pregnant mothers need approximately 70 grams of extra glucose per day in the third trimester, best sourced from starches like bread or rice, but they need zero fructose from sugary desserts. 
  • Omega-3s, particularly DHA, are crucial for infant brain development, and supplementing or consuming fatty fish three times a week is recommended, alongside adequate choline intake. 
  • Maternal glucose spikes during pregnancy program the baby's future risk for conditions like diabetes, as the baby's body learns to efficiently store fat in response to high sugar exposure in utero. 

Segments

Glucose Spikes and Compulsive Behavior
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(00:05:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Glucose crashes trigger biological mechanisms that override willpower, leading to increased likelihood of seeking sugar and engaging in compulsive behaviors like doom scrolling.
  • Summary: Unsteady glucose levels impact the neurotransmitter tyrosine, leading to mood instability and increased annoyance. A glucose crash signals an energy crisis in the prefrontal cortex, diminishing willpower and making resistance to dopamine hits (like social media) nearly impossible. This biological craving mechanism makes simply choosing to eat less sugar an ineffective strategy without addressing the underlying spike.
Fruit Modification and Sugar Content
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(00:06:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Modern fruit varieties are human-engineered to be sweeter and less fibrous than their ancestral counterparts, and fruit juice removes protective fiber.
  • Summary: Ancestral bananas were small, fibrous, and not very sweet, contrasting sharply with modern, sugar-dense versions. Whole fruit is somewhat acceptable because fiber and water slow sugar absorption, but denaturing fruit into juice removes this protection. A glass of orange juice contains the same amount of sugar as Coca-Cola (about 25 grams), often exceeding the WHO’s recommended daily limit.
Fertility and Pre-Conception Diet
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(00:14:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Both male and female nutrition significantly impacts fertility quality, requiring pre-conception dietary optimization.
  • Summary: Male sperm quality is influenced by diet, alcohol intake, and exercise, with a three-month turnover period allowing for improvement. Female egg quality and nutrient reserves impact the first trimester, emphasizing the need for good nutrition before conception. The mother’s body acts as the ‘soil’ for the developing baby, co-creating its health plan.
Pregnancy Diet and Epigenetic Programming
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(00:15:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Pregnancy is a period of co-creation where maternal diet actively programs the baby’s DNA via epigenetic switches, contrary to the ‘bun in the oven’ passive analogy.
  • Summary: Epigenetics involves dimmer switches on DNA that activate or silence genes based on nutrient availability during gestation. High maternal glucose levels program the baby’s DNA toward a higher vulnerability for developing diabetes later in life. This highlights the mother’s agency in shaping her child’s long-term health outcomes through diet.
Choline for Fetal Brain Development
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(00:22:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Choline, found abundantly in egg yolks, is crucial for forming the baby’s brain neurons related to memory and attention, and 90% of mothers are deficient.
  • Summary: Failure to provide adequate choline during pregnancy can result in lifelong brain deficits, according to the American Association of Pediatrics. Four eggs daily provide the recommended 450mg of choline, offering an inexpensive way to support brain formation. Studies show babies born to mothers with double the minimum choline intake had 10% faster reaction times in early cognitive tests.
Breastfeeding and Satiety Gene
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(00:27:04)
  • Key Takeaway: Breast milk provides living information that continues DNA programming, and less breastfeeding is associated with the epigenetic silencing of the leptin satiety gene.
  • Summary: Breast milk is ‘alive with information,’ unlike inert formula, continuing the programming process initiated in the womb. A Dutch study linked less breastfeeding to the deactivation of the leptin gene, which signals fullness. Formula should be checked for added choline and omega-3s if used.
Sugar Intake and Long-Term Disease Risk
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(00:28:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Maternal sugar intake during pregnancy subtly programs the baby’s epigenetics, increasing vulnerability to type 2 diabetes and psychiatric disorders.
  • Summary: A UK study showed babies whose mothers experienced sugar rationing had a 15% lower likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. High maternal glucose levels activate diabetes-related genes in the fetus, potentially explaining the link between gestational diabetes and higher risks of schizophrenia, ADHD, and autism. The WHO recommends less than 25 grams of sugar daily, but many pregnant women consume 80 grams.
Gestational Diabetes and First Trimester
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(00:36:29)
  • Key Takeaway: Gestational diabetes is not random but is predictable by first-trimester glucose levels, suggesting roots in pre-pregnancy metabolic health.
  • Summary: Continuous glucose monitoring in the first trimester can accurately predict later gestational diabetes because glucose spikes are similar to non-pregnant states before hormonal shifts occur. Gestational diabetes may simply be a symptom of previously undiagnosed high glucose levels before pregnancy. Muscle mass is protective, as women with higher muscle mass are less likely to develop gestational diabetes.
Exercise and Fetal Brain BDNF
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(00:46:26)
  • Key Takeaway: Maternal exercise during pregnancy significantly benefits fetal brain development by increasing BDNF levels in the womb.
  • Summary: Animal studies show that exercising mothers produce higher levels of BDNF, a molecule that aids neuronal connection and plasticity, which is also elevated in their offspring. Babies born to exercising rats solved mazes twice as fast and showed fewer anxiety symptoms. This suggests movement sets up a strong foundation for the baby’s brain architecture.
Post-Meal Movement Hacks
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(00:43:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Engaging large muscles, especially the soleus muscle via calf raises or squats, within 90 minutes of eating high-glucose foods significantly reduces the resulting blood sugar spike.
  • Summary: Muscles act as the best ally for reducing glucose spikes by drawing glucose directly from the bloodstream for energy. Performing squats or calf raises after a sweet meal utilizes this glucose before it causes a large spike and subsequent crash. Tidying or light activity within 90 minutes of eating is effective for managing post-meal glucose surges.
Coffee Intake and Gut Health
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(00:56:25)
  • Key Takeaway: Pregnant mothers should limit coffee intake to about one cup daily, and consuming fermented foods like kefir or sauerkraut may seed the baby’s gut microbiome.
  • Summary: Consuming more than 300 milligrams of coffee daily during pregnancy should be reduced, with one cup daily likely being safe. Early research suggests maternal consumption of fermented foods can seed the baby’s gut microbiome. Including kefir or sauerkraut during pregnancy is considered helpful for this seeding process.
Glucose Needs and Bread Consumption
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(00:56:49)
  • Key Takeaway: The baby requires about 70 grams of extra glucose per day in the third trimester, ideally sourced from starches, while fructose from sugars is unnecessary.
  • Summary: Bread is a carb containing glucose, and the baby needs about 70 grams of extra glucose daily by the end of pregnancy, equivalent to roughly three slices of bread. Starches like bread, rice, and potatoes provide necessary glucose, but the baby needs no fructose from desserts or sweets. Seeded bread is better for glucose levels, but the difference between sprouted grain and white bread is minor as both are primarily glucose.
Ketogenic Diet Risks in Pregnancy
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(00:58:44)
  • Key Takeaway: A strict ketogenic diet is considered dangerous for 99% of pregnancies, with low glycemic index diets recommended instead to manage glucose spikes.
  • Summary: There is insufficient evidence to confirm the safety of a ketogenic diet during pregnancy, and it is generally discouraged. Doctors recommend low glycemic index diets to minimize glucose spikes, which benefits those with gestational diabetes and all pregnant mothers. Slow, rolling hills of glucose are preferable to large spikes, as spikes can increase inflammation impacting brain development.
Essential Pregnancy Supplements
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(00:59:55)
  • Key Takeaway: Omega-3s (DHA) and choline are vital for fetal brain development, and iron supplementation is often necessary in the third trimester.
  • Summary: Omega-3s, specifically DHA, are essential for connecting a baby’s neurons; animal studies show restriction impacts brain efficiency. The easiest way to get DHA is fatty fish three times a week, supplemented by choline in a prenatal vitamin, preferably metallated folate over standard folic acid. The speaker supplemented with 2 grams of DHA daily in addition to fish intake.
Silent Miscarriage Experience
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(01:02:39)
  • Key Takeaway: Miscarriage affects one in five pregnancies, often silently in the first trimester, and sharing these experiences reduces feelings of isolation.
  • Summary: The speaker experienced a silent miscarriage where the embryo stopped developing without physical symptoms, leading to profound devastation, anger, and despair. Miscarriage is common, occurring in one in five pregnancies, usually in the first trimester, but it remains a taboo subject that isolates those who experience it. Sharing these stories helps normalize the event, showing it is often due to chromosomal abnormality and not the mother’s fault.
Impact of Motherhood and Efficiency
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(01:08:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Motherhood increased the speaker’s baseline happiness by filling a prior sense of melancholy and forced extreme efficiency in time management.
  • Summary: Becoming a mother raised the speaker’s baseline happiness, eliminating a prior 10% melancholy or questioning of life’s direction. The experience made the speaker significantly more efficient, utilizing small pockets of time effectively, realizing how much time was previously wasted. The speaker felt completely wrong about their previous perception of being busy before having a child.
Reversing Parental Lifestyle Effects
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(01:09:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Adults retain agency to change their health trajectory regardless of parental lifestyle, as diet and lifestyle choices can alter disease vulnerability.
  • Summary: One’s current diet is a function of food marketing, and while pregnancy has an outsized effect on disease vulnerability, it is not everything. Applying glucose hacks allowed the speaker to avoid prediabetes, demonstrating that changing diet can change the course of life. Individuals always possess the power to take back control over their health, regardless of age or past influences.
Cravings and Glucose Control
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(01:11:19)
  • Key Takeaway: The voice demanding immediate sugar consumption stems from a biological glucose crash, which can be mitigated by balancing glucose levels upstream.
  • Summary: There are two craving voices: one of pleasure (wanting something tasty) and one of addiction (needing sugar due to a crash). To move from the addiction voice to the enjoyment voice, glucose levels must be balanced through savory breakfasts rich in protein and consuming a veggie starter before meals. Avoiding sugar on an empty stomach prevents the blood sugar roller coaster that fuels cravings.
Sleep Deprivation and Hunger Hormones
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(01:14:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Sleep deprivation significantly increases ghrelin (hunger hormone) by 15% and decreases leptin (satiety hormone) by 15%, leading to intense hunger signals.
  • Summary: Waking up early or being sleep-deprived directly alters hunger hormones, causing increased hunger and reduced feelings of fullness simultaneously. Ghrelin signals the brain to eat, and leptin signals fullness; sleep loss imbalances both, resulting in a loud ‘starving’ signal. Early life factors, like breastfeeding, may epigenetically set lifelong leptin levels, influencing hunger sensitivity.
Protein Requirements in Pregnancy
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(01:19:57)
  • Key Takeaway: Mothers require substantial protein—about 1.6g per kg of body weight in the third trimester—as low intake can epigenetically program babies to have smaller muscle mass.
  • Summary: Since a baby is about 50% protein (excluding water), maternal protein intake must increase significantly to support the baby’s immune system, organs, and tissues. Animal studies show that protein restriction during pregnancy sends an epigenetic signal to the baby to keep muscles small due to perceived scarcity. The speaker needed the equivalent of four chicken breasts daily, achieved through eggs, fish, meat, and protein powder.
GLP-1s and Pregnancy Danger
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(01:22:20)
  • Key Takeaway: GLP-1 drugs are likely dangerous during pregnancy because they suppress hunger hormones, preventing mothers from consuming the necessary increased quantity and quality of nutrients.
  • Summary: GLP-1 drugs prevent the feeling of hunger, which is dangerous when a pregnant mother needs to increase caloric intake and focus on specific nutrients like protein, choline, and omega-3s. Pregnancy requires learning to eat differently, not just less, making appetite suppression potentially harmful to fetal development.
Vinegar Hack Safety and Sugar Impact
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(01:23:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Vinegar can reduce glucose spikes before high-carb meals, but pregnant mothers must ensure any vinegar consumed is pasteurized to prevent food contamination.
  • Summary: If using vinegar to mitigate a glucose spike from a treat like a cookie, the mother must confirm the vinegar is pasteurized, as apple cider vinegar often is not. Ideally, pregnancy should involve minimal sugar intake due to its impact on baby development, making the use of hacks less necessary. High glucose levels during pregnancy epigenetically encourage fat storage in the baby, leading to higher birth fat mass and increased obesity risk later in life.
Reading Food Labels
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(01:28:08)
  • Key Takeaway: The ingredients list on food packaging is ordered by weight, making the first five ingredients the most important indicator of the food’s primary composition.
  • Summary: Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, meaning the first ingredient is what the food contains the most of. If sugar or sweeteners appear in the first five ingredients, the food should be mentally categorized as a dessert or enjoyment food, not a staple. Looking at carbs and sugars is smarter than looking only at calories, as foods with the same calories (like an avocado vs. a donut) have vastly different molecular impacts.
Future Work and Outlawing Marketing
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(01:32:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The speaker’s future focus includes developing mental health hacks based on science, and they would change legislation to outlaw misleading health claims on food packaging.
  • Summary: The speaker plans to research and compile mental health hacks, driven by their initial interest in glucose science. If given a magic wand, the speaker would outlaw food marketing, specifically banning health claims like ‘vegan’ or ’no added sugar’ on products. Outlawing sugary breakfast foods or fruit juice in schools would also be high-impact changes to improve public nutrition.