Environmental and lifestyle factors are known to cause oxidative stress and lower glutathione levels - resulting in birth defects, abortion and miscarriages in pregnancy.

Some of known teratogens (causing birth defects) in pregnancy include:

o Radiation o Pesticides and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) o Air pollution o Heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, arsenic) o Vinyl chloride o Acryonitrile o Excess Oxygen (hyperoxia) o Anti-psychotic and anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) o Thalidomide o Cigarette smoke o Alcohol (ethanol) consumption

Maternal health factors that increase free radicals and cause birth defects include:

o Diabetes o Pre-eclampsia o Infection and Inflammation

Glutathione and other antioxidants attenuate oxidative stress in pregnant women with inflammation or maternal conditions like diabetes and pre-eclampsia, and in fetuses at risk for developing cystic fibrosis.

Supplementation with glutathione precursors and antioxidants can decrease incidence of birth defects and protect both mothers and fetus from damaging and possibly fatal consequences of pregnancy complications.

Glutathione (GSH ) also prevents or minimizes oxidative stress that occurs during labor and birth process.

Perinatal or birth asphyxia/hypoxia (deprivation of oxygen supply to brain) in preterm deliveries and labor can lead to cerebral palsy, respiratory distress syndrome, irreversible brain injury, and permanent neurological and intellectual handicaps.

Administration of glutathione precursor, N-Acetyl-Cysteine (NAC), to pregnant mother partially prevents oxidative stress during birth process in premature infants.

Currently, American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology advises all pregnant women to take a prenatal vitamin containing antioxidants.

In addition, they advise eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, best sources of antioxidant protection.

For a detailed report with references on role of glutathione in pregnancy, visit: http://www.1whey2health.com/glutathione_pregnancy.htm

Low-fat cottage cheese/low sugar yogurt: Small containers of these on hand will provide nutritional meal options.

Ricecakes: A bag of low-sodium ricecakes tucked away can satisfy a need to eat something crunchy. Just stay away from ones loaded with flavored sugar coating.

Toothbrush/Mouthwash: I learned this trick from a friend who was a competitive bodybuilder. During pre-contest dieting, he would attempt to deflect temptation to eat blacklisted foods within his reach by brushing his teeth. He said last thing he wanted to do after brushing with minty toothpaste was chew a gooey piece of fudge or candy. Not bad for keeping your breath fresh, either.

Utensils: Make sure you have a serving or two of utensils at your desk, along with something to cut your food if needed.

Thermal-Lunchbags: Perfect for storing food when a refrigerator is not available. Available in many sizes.

The first step to staying on track with your eating, particularly at work, is planning. You don’t have power to control what your co-workers bring into office, but you can help ward off temptation by stocking up on a few items of your own. Remember, point is to not make your own desk resemble a supermarket aisle, but to have enough options on hand in order to substitute for really bad stuff should need arise.