Eating well to maximize fertility is not much
different from eating well to maximize good health in general. But what may
come as a surprise to you is that some specific foods and types of foods, as
well as some ways of eating, can have specific fertility effects.
Diet can help
correct hormone imbalances that may be at the root of fertility problems, and
certain foods and drinks are known to decrease fertility. 
The
most potentially powerful fertility effect your diet may have is that it can
make you healthy. As my (Jill’s) Chinese medicine teachers taught me, a healthy
body gets pregnant. It’s something we’ve both seen play out in our own patients
time and time again, and it is our simplest recommendation to you: Get healthy
to get pregnant; get pregnant by getting healthy.
The
Chinese have a saying: “Eighty percent is perfection.” In that spirit, we urge
you to aim to follow the Making Babies rules about 80 percent of the time. It
just takes too much effort to follow them 100 percent of the time, 24-7, and if
that is your goal, you’ll be unlikely to stick with the program over the long
haul. We hope you’ll consider our recommendations for a healthier pattern of
eating as guidelines, not strict orders. That’s right, we’re giving you
permission to cheat. In fact, we want you to, at least once a week.
If
following these guidelines is a drastic change for you, you should ease into
them, building up to the full program gradually. This will help you stick with
the program and avoid unnecessary stress on your body. As always, you should
discuss changes like these with your doctor.
For
those who want to “eat to conceive,” we recommend fresh, seasonal, organic food
in its natural state; whole grains; colorful fruits and vegetables; healthy
fats; sufficient protein; alkaline foods; and plenty of water. Steer clear of
trans fats, highly refined grains, processed foods, refined sugar, heavy
metals, aspartame, and MSG. Finally, always keep a positive attitude toward
food and eating.
FRESH, SEASONAL, ORGANIC FOOD
IN ITS NATURAL STATE
Eating
good-quality food is one of the most important things you can do for your
over-all health. If you stick to this one rule, you will accomplish much of
what follows by default. After all, there’s no such thing as an organic
Twinkie. “Fresh, seasonal, organic food in its natural state” by definition
eliminates trans fats and simple carbs, and right away you’re in compliance
with two more of the most important recommendations of this program.
Eating
organic allows you to avoid the pesticides, chemicals, synthetic additives, and
other agents contaminating so much of our food supply and wreaking havoc on our
health. These pose a long list of health risks. In terms of fertility, many
agricultural chemicals, as well as the hormones given to animals raised for
their meat, milk, or eggs, affect hormonal balance.
Furthermore,
organically farmed crops are more nutritious, providing more of what a healthy
body needs to thrive and be fertile. The soil they are grown in is
nutrient-rich, and the crops are raised in such a way as to absorb those
nutrients as nature intended. Research shows that the overall nutrition level
of all our common foods has decreased over recent decades due to industrialized
farming methods, which deplete the soil. Organic foods are actually able to
nourish you better, and so you will be able to nourish new life.
Some
studies even show that organic foods boost fertility. For example, the Lancet published a Danish study of
organic farmers who lived mainly on the fruits of their labors (and so ate a
diet free of pesticides). This study unexpectedly revealed that the men had
sperm counts more than twice as high as those of the group of blue-collar workers
to which they were compared.
Finally,
in the traditional Chinese medical view, foods as well as people contain qi
(energy). This qi is depleted as food is refined and processed. As I (Jill)
explain to my patients, an ear of corn absorbs nutrients from the soil and
energy from the sun as it grows. Cooked in its natural state, it passes on
those nutrients and that energy to you. Once it has been processed into
breakfast cereal, it has lost some of its nutrients and most of the energy it
absorbed when it was a living thing. Breakfast cereal companies and other food
manufacturers make up for this by adding nutrients back in, but just as that
can’t recreate the complex interplay of nutrients and micronutrients in fresh
foods, it can’t replace the energetic value either. Choosing whole, unprocessed
foods ensures that you will get all the benefits of the foods’ life force.
WHOLE GRAINS
Most
of the grains Americans eat have been refined. They cook faster and spoil more
slowly that way. They are also digested faster, much faster, so they bombard
the body with simple carbohydrates—the same way sugar does, metabolically
speaking—making us feel lousy. We constantly cycle from brief “sugar highs” to
long, low “sugar crashes”—the sharp peaks and valleys of energy with which most
of us are all too familiar. Blood sugar and insulin levels go through the roof
as the body tries to handle the rapidly digested carbs, ultimately creating
insulin resistance and increasing our risk of type 2 diabetes and a host of
general health issues. This cycle also increases the risks of hormonal and
ovulatory problems that impair fertility.
In
addition, refining robs grains of most of their natural nutrition. The whole
point of refining is to remove the germ (the part of the grain that, if
fertilized, will reproduce) and the protective layer of nutrient-rich bran. As
the outer shell of the grain is stripped away, so too are the fiber, protein,
antioxidants, B vitamins, and phytonutrients that make whole grains so
nutritious. Many of these same lost nutrients play key roles in fertility.
Refined
and processed grains are also acidic in the body, which can wreak havoc with
fertility, among other things.
With
the popularity of high-protein diets, we’ve seen more and more patients who
simply don’t eat enough carbohydrates. You need some carbohydrates every day to
maintain balanced hormone levels. (Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, or
PCOS, may need to cut back on carbs, Just choose your
carbs wisely, focusing on complex carbs such as vegetables (even starchy ones
such as sweet potatoes) and whole grains.
Explore
a wide range of whole grains; there’s a universe of them out there. Discover
high-protein quinoa. Enjoy magnesium-rich millet. Try spelt. Switch to brown
rice. Experiment with bulgur. Just remember that all grains should be cooked
thoroughly to ensure easy digestion.
IT DON’T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN’T GOT THAT JING Jing
translates as “reproductive essence.” It describes our genetic inheritance and
how it affects our longevity and ability to conceive. Healthy people have
healthy jing and a healthy reproductive capacity—which they inherit from their
parents and pass on to their children. Our jing helps us produce eggs or sperm.
This isn’t just a human thing. All living things have jing, including plants
that become our foods. Jing is mostly associated with foods designed to nourish
new generations, including eggs, seeds, nuts, and sprouts. Grains are full of
jing. Grains are seeds, and like all seeds (and nuts), grains contain the
fertilized germ cells and the nutrition to sustain a new plant: jing! You need
whole grains to get the jing, because it is destroyed by refining. Seaweed and
algae are also considered to be full of jing, because they are so rich in trace
elements. Male or female, our jing is best supported by foods naturally full of
jing.
COLORFUL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
Fruits
and vegetables, including beans, are the other major sources of healthy,
slow-digesting carbohydrates. Beyond that, they are packed with fiber,
vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. We all know that getting
our fruits and veggies is good for our health. But we’re here to tell you that
they’re also crucial for fertility. We recommend eating a broad range of
colorful fruits and vegetables every day.
What
does color have to do with it? A plant’s color signals its phytonutrient
content, and the more intense the color, the more phytonutrients. The
antioxidant beta-carotene is probably the most famous phytonutrient, and also the
most important for fertility. It works to maintain hormone balance and prevent
early miscarriage. The corpus luteum, which helps produce the progesterone
necessary to sustain a pregnancy, has very high levels of beta-carotene.
Research shows that cows deprived of beta-carotene develop ovarian cysts and
are slow to ovulate, and their fellow mammals—humans—work much the same way.
You get beta-carotene in your diet from yellow and orange foods (including
carrots, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes), as well as from broccoli and leafy
greens such as spinach.
Lycopene
is also important. It’s been shown not only to prevent cervical and prostate
cancers but also to increase sperm count. It’s found in red fruits and
vegetables, such as tomatoes, red peppers, and watermelon.
Green
is good, too, especially cruciferous vegetables and leafy greens, including
kale, chard, collard greens, dandelion leaves, cabbage, broccoli, arugula,
spinach, bok choy, and seaweed. Not only are these foods rich in folic acid, but they also contain beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin E,
iron, zinc, magnesium, and selenium. In addition, they are full of fiber and
important phytonutrients. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, mustard
greens, kale, and the like contain a phytonutrient called di-indolylmethane
(DIM), which helps both men and women metabolize estrogen better. For women,
that means cruciferous veggies help combat the estrogen dominance that can lead
to fibroids and endometriosis. In men, they improve the balance of testosterone
with estrogen and allow more testosterone to circulate freely in the body. DIM
helps eliminate active estrogen, breaking it up into particles, a process that
can release testosterone bound to certain proteins. One daily serving of these vegetables
is all you need to get the job done.
Round
out your food color spectrum with blues and purples, including blueberries,
blackberries, eggplant, plums, red cabbage, grapes, and red onions. They are
rich in phytonutrients, particularly anthocyanins, which are anti-inflammatory
as well as powerful antioxidants, both of which are benefits to fertility.
Vegetables
with more neutral tones bring a lot to the table as well. The allium family,
including garlic, onions, shallots, and chives, have antibacterial and
antifungal properties that boost your immune system. Undetected infections are
a major cause of unexplained infertility, so eat your alliums to help protect
against infections.
Cook
vegetables lightly to maintain the maximum amount of vitamins and enzymes, both
of which can be destroyed by heat. Cooking makes veggies more easily
digestible, so that your body can extract the nutrients it needs. Raw veggies
are fine, too—where would we be without salads?—but you wouldn’t want to go
exclusively raw.
HEALTHY FATS
First
of all, you need to eat some fat. If you’ve been strict about keeping fat from
crossing your lips, adding healthy fats back into your diet will be important
for your fertility as well as your overall health. Your body needs dietary fat
to make hormones, fight inflammation, and facilitate ovulation, among other
things.
You
do need to make smart choices about which fats you eat. And, of course, you
need to eat them in sensible quantities. Eating too much fat or the wrong fats
interferes with ovulation, spurs insulin resistance, increases the risk of
endometriosis, and disrupts hormone production and balance, not to mention all
the other ways it messes with your health. Healthy fats are good for everyone,
and in particular for people who tend to be very thin, women in phase 4 of
their cycle, and men with low semen volume.
Saturated
fats from animal products harm your heart and contribute to insulin resistance,
endometriosis, and PCOS. They are also where the dioxinshang
out, so limiting them will protect you from dioxins as well. You do need some
cholesterol in your diet to support fertility, and cholesterol is found where
you find most saturated fats—in animal products. The body uses cholesterol in
making hormones, including progesterone and testosterone, and if you don’t have
enough cholesterol, you won’t have the right building blocks to make hormones.
Eliminate
trans fats altogether, because, among other things, they can cause or
exacerbate insulin resistance and ovulatory dysfunction and interfere with
hormone production and balance. There is no safe level of trans fats in your
diet. Eliminating trans fats is crucial for women with PCOS.
In a
large, long-term study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and
Harvard Medical School found a link between increasing amounts of trans fats in
women’s diets and increasing instances of infertility. Women who ingested trans
fats were 70 percent less likely to get pregnant than women who did not. Even
as little as 4 grams a day of trans fats was enough to cause problems.
If
you are eating only fresh, whole, natural foods, you don’t have to give trans
fats a second thought: they exist only in commercial, industrially prepared,
and factory-manipulated foods. Watch out for commercial baked goods, crackers,
cakes, and so on, as well as frozen meals and, the biggest transgressor of all,
stick margarine. Trans fats now must be listed on food labels, so read them.
Avoid anything with “partially hydrogenated vegetable oil,” which is the source
of trans fats. Many manufacturers are reformulating their products to eliminate
trans fats, but it’s worth noting that revamped products often rely on
saturated fats. Be sure to check the labels carefully so that you know what you
are eating.
Pruning
these bad guys from your daily diet will leave room for healthy, beneficial
fats. Unsaturated fats are the way to go: olive oil, nuts and seeds (and their
oils), and avocados are the most nutritious sources. These are important for
everyone, especially for women with PCOS.
Essential
fatty acids (EFAs) also are crucial. EFAs are, as stated right there in their
name, essential, and your body can’t make them. EFAs are a vital component of
every human cell, so they have many health benefits. For our purposes, we want
to call attention particularly to their vital role in balancing hormones and
supporting the opening of the follicle to release the egg. Once you are
pregnant, they are equally important for nourishing a developing embryo.
The
key EFAs for fertility are the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-9 fatty
acids are good for you, too, but not technically “essential,” because your body
will manufacture them if you have enough 3s and 6s. You also get 9s in olives,
avocados, and nuts.
Omega-3
fatty acids have a broad range of benefits, including increasing blood flow to
the uterus, thereby increasing the chances of implantation and pregnancy. They
also fight inflammation and so can soothe menstrual pain and help with other
problems that can interfere with conception. Increased blood flow also benefits
the placenta, supporting optimum growth of a fetus and ultimately reducing the
risks of premature birth and low birth weight.
The
standard American diet is jam-packed with omega-6s, largely because they are plentiful
in processed oils such as corn, sunflower, and soybean. We’re getting way too
much of a good thing. At the same time, most of us don’t get enough omega-3s.
Even more important than the absolute level of omega-3s in your diet is the
ratio between omega-3s and omega-6s. Getting even amounts of each is most
supportive of hormone balance. To achieve that, you’ll need to play up omega-3s
while de-emphasizing omega-6s.
Fish,
flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil are the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
Cold-water, fatty fish are your best bets, including cod, salmon, herring,
mackerel, anchovies, and sardines. Walnuts are another good choice, as are eggs
from chickens fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (check the labels).
Omega-6 fatty acids are found in flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, olives and olive
oil, some seeds and nuts, and chickens fed diets rich in EFAs.
FERTILITY SUPER-FOODSFlaxseeds. Along with a rich supply of omega-3 fatty acids, flaxseeds provide lots
of B vitamins, magnesium, and manganese. They also contain really gentle
phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) known as lignans, which block harmful
xenoestrogens (synthetic chemicals in the environment with estrogenic
properties) in the body. All in all, flaxseeds are powerful packages for
balancing hormones and boosting fertility. Aim to get about two tablespoons of
flaxseeds every day. Grind them up, since whole flaxseeds are hard to digest
and tend to pass through your digestive system whole, and you don’t get much
benefit from them that way. Try sprinkling them on hot or cold cereal or a
salad, or blending them into a smoothie. Or use flaxseed oil as a salad
dressing. (Don’t bother cooking with it, as heat destroys many of the
beneficial properties.)
Sprouts.
Chinese medicine particularly prizes sprouting grains, legumes, and seeds.
Sprouts are full of jing. The dynamic balance struck in the process of changing
from seed to sprout is thought to be particularly nourishing to couples trying
to develop their very own “sprouts. “ If you prefer a more grounded explanation
of the fertility benefits of sprouts, we’ve got you covered: eating sprouts
encourages an alkaline (rather than an acidic) environment in your body. Goji Berries (Wolfberries). Tiny, red
Goji berries, a traditional Chinese herb also sold whole and dried to eat as
you would raisins, are packed full of antioxidants. Look for them in your
health food store. Studies have shown that they can increase sperm count and
promote follicle growth in women who have trouble ovulating.
PROTEIN
Our
patients are split into two groups, each needing different advice when it comes
to protein. The first group needs to be told to eat more protein. The amino
acids that make up protein are vital for egg production and sperm maturation
and for making hormones such as LH and FSH.
Animal
studies link inadequate protein intake with poor-quality eggs, and there’s no
reason to assume humans are any different. You need at least two and a half
ounces of protein every day. You can get it from meat, fish, eggs, and dairy
products, of course, but there are plenty of vegetarian sources of protein,
too, including beans, lentils, brown rice, quinoa and other whole grains, and
nuts and seeds (especially sunflower seeds). Soy foods are another good source
of protein, and soy protein powder can be the easiest way for vegetarians and
vegans to boost their protein intake. If you are relying on soy as a major
source of protein, you should be aware that the phytoestrogens in soy foods can
adversely affect sperm count. Some women don’t handle the phytoestrogens well
either. If you are a Stuck type, you should have no more than
two servings of soy per week to make sure you don’t run into any problems.
With
the rising popularity of high-protein diets, we find ourselves advising our
second group of patients to cut back on their protein—or to switch from animal
to plant sources of protein at least some of the time. Too much protein can be
as much of a problem as too little, depleting the body of calcium and creating
excessive levels of ammonia. High-quality protein should be the goal. Beans,
nuts, and seeds are nutritional powerhouses, packed full of not just protein
but also iron and fiber. One of the largest long-term studies of women’s health
ever undertaken demonstrated that women who got more of their protein from
plants and less from animal sources had fewer ovulatory fertility problems.
Whether you need to get more protein, more animal protein, or less animal
protein depends on your fertility type. See part V for more details.
Protein
is digested and released into the bloodstream slowly, thus allowing for maximum
absorption of amino acids. You can support that process by eating small amounts
of protein at a time, so you don’t overload your system.
ALKALINE FOODS
Cervical
mucus must be alkaline (as opposed to acidic) so that sperm can survive long
enough to journey to the egg. What you eat has a big impact on the pH of your
mucus. (High pH is alkaline; low is acidic.) In fact, if you eat well, you can keep
your whole body alkaline, which is beneficial for your health in general. To
keep your cervical mucus alkaline, focus on fruits, vegetables (especially
green vegetables), sprouts, and wheatgrass, and lean less on acidifying meat,
dairy, and grains. Alcohol and coffee acidify the body, which is part of the
reason you should cut back on these. Artificial sweeteners have the same
effect.
You
can find comprehensive lists of foods that are alkaline and acidic in many
books and on Web sites, and some of this information is contradictory. Try not
to get bogged down in the details here. Like so much else, it is all about
balance. If you’re good about getting whole grains and veggies, cutting down on
coffee and alcohol, and keeping your portions of meat sensible,
your system will generally be more alkaline than acidic.
WATER
Water
is one of the most important nutrients we consume. Seventy percent of the human
body is water. It is vital to the functioning of each and every system, and it
plays a key role in transporting hormones, developing follicles, and
maintaining optimum consistency and quantity in both semen and cervical mucus.
(Women, be especially sure you’re well hydrated during phases 2 and 3 of your
cycle so that you’ll produce fertile cervical mucus.) Water also helps us
absorb nutrients and eliminate toxins, both of which are important for
fertility and overall good health.
Women
with cervical mucus that is too thick to promote conception may simply be
dehydrated. The same goes for men with low semen volume. In these cases, simply
drinking more water can restore fertility.
Aim
for six 8-ounce glasses of water a day to maintain adequate hydration (eight
glasses for Dry types). Consider limiting yourself to filtered water, to
eliminate chlorine. Most tap water is chlorinated, and about half of bottled
water is nothing more than bottled tap water, so it’s chlorinated, too.
Chlorinated water contains chemical compounds called trihalomethanes (THMs),
which have been linked to increased risks of miscarriage and certain cancers.
You
can substitute juiced raw vegetables, fruits, or cereal grasses (such as
wheat-grass); herbal tea; or green tea for some of the water. Caffeinated or
alcoholic beverages are dehydrating, so if you partake, you can’t count them
toward your water quota. In fact, you should probably add a bit more water to
make up for the dehydrating effects.
If
you’ve been chronically dehydrated—as so many of us are—it will take some time
for your body to get used to all the liquid coming in. Build up to the
recommended amount gradually over a couple of weeks to ease the transition.
THAT MUST BE WHY THEY CALL ITFERTILI-TEA!In my (Jill’s) family, putting
on the kettle and brewing a cup of tea was the solution to just about anything.
So it’s no surprise to me that tea is good for fertility, too. If you don’t
want to take my word for it, ask the researchers at the Kaiser Permanente
Medical Care Program of Northern California in Oakland who studied 210 women as
they were trying to get pregnant. Women who drank tea every day—even just half
a cup—were twice as likely to conceive as women who never drank tea. Women who
were getting similar levels of caffeine from other sources (mainly soda or
coffee) did not experience a similar boost in fertility. Scientists suggest
that tea might promote fertility in two ways. First, the hypoxanthine in tea
might be necessary for the follicular fluid that helps eggs mature and get
ready for fertilization. Second, powerful antioxidant polyphenols in tea might
help prevent the chromosomal abnormalities that can cause an embryo to miscarry
or fail to implant. Like all antioxidants, polyphenols benefit the immune
system as well. The study at Kaiser Permanente did not get into what kind of
tea the women drank, but we recommend green tea to our patients. Green tea has
up to ten times more polyphenols than black tea and only about half the
caffeine. Three cups of green tea a day (or two of black tea) will keep you
within our caffeine guidelines (see page 74). You’ll also reap the same
benefits from two or three cups of decaf tea.
STEER CLEAR
Along
with all the good things you should include in your diet, there are a few
things you’ll do best to avoid when you are focusing on fertility. Trans fats,
as already discussed, are the biggest no-no, followed by highly refined grains
and processed foods. You also should take it easy with alcohol. Here are some
other foods you should watch out for.
Refined
sugar and sugary foods cause sharp peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels,
which in turn lead to hormone imbalance and, potentially, fertility problems.
It goes like this: You eat a candy bar, your body rapidly digests the sugar,
and you get a sugar rush. That part feels pretty good. But every time this
happens, your pancreas goes into overdrive, producing insulin like crazy to try
to get all the sugar out of the blood and into your cells, where it can be
converted into energy. Then your blood sugar plummets, and you feel drained and
exhausted. In an attempt to replenish your blood sugar, your adrenal glands
secrete extra cortisol. (And, to the same end, you probably crave even more
sweets.) Over time, excess cortisol weakens your adrenal glands to the point
where they produce lower levels of sex hormones. And the repeated high demand
for insulin leads to insulin resistance, which has been associated with
infertility.
Heavy
metals contaminating common foods create fertility problems, along with a host
of other serious health consequences. Mercury, all too often present in certain
kinds of fish (the biggest ones, at the top of the food chain), is a toxin that
was never meant to find its way into the human body. When it does, it
interferes with the action of zinc. That’s a big problem, because zinc is
crucial for the formation of healthy sperm and eggs. You should not eat
swordfish while trying to get pregnant (or while pregnant or nursing) and must
also avoid shark, tilefish, and king mackerel. You should limit your intake of
fresh or frozen tuna, red snapper, and orange roughy to no more than twelve
ounces a week. (Canned tuna is generally okay.) Cadmium gets into the body via
foods grown in polluted soil and through pesticide residue on produce. It, too,
interferes with zinc, and it’s been implicated in increased miscarriage rates as
well. Eating organic will help you avoid this problem.
The
artificial sweetener aspartame has been linked to infertility and birth
defects, as well as cancer. Everyone would benefit from avoiding it. While
you’re at it, skip all artificial sweeteners—they make the body too acidic.
Studies
in rats have linked monosodium glutamate (MSG) with decreased fertility in both
males and females, and from our point of view, that’s more than enough reason
to recommend avoiding it.
NOURISH YOURSELF
It is
well established that in times of famine (as in times of war), birthrates drop.
This is true of all kinds of animals, including humans. When resources are
scarce, the best strategy for group survival is not to have to share those
resources with a growing population. We don’t have to consciously decide this
for our bodies; it happens on a much deeper level, and it is largely beyond our
control.
Why
bring this up? Tough though times may be, American society is clearly not
experiencing famine; all our patients have access to all the food they’ll ever
need. But many people are so controlled about what they eat or on such strict
diet-and-exercise regimens that it amounts to the same thing. Bodies receiving
all the same signals they would if they were starving may well respond by not
working to bring new life into the world.
So
while you are busy planning how to eat to enhance your fertility, we want to
leave you with some final words of advice: make eating a positive experience, a
true nourishment of your body. At the most basic level, this means eating
enough and eating foods rich in nutrients to convincingly portray the world to
your body as a welcoming, sustaining place. You can maximize the effect by
supporting proper digestion, so that all the good nutrients in your food can be
put to use. Chew your food, don’t eat on the run, eat in an emotionally
positive environment, and don’t multitask while you are eating. Eat foods worth
eating, and treat each meal as a little oasis in your day. That’s nourishing
yourself.
Eating Through Your CyclePhase 1 (Menstruation)
• Eat foods rich in
iron—including meat, eggs, fish, kelp, spinach, broccoli, dried fruits, and
sunflower seeds—to help your body replenish the blood it is losing.
• Include
foods rich in vitamin C—including citrus, mangoes, cherries, potatoes,
tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, peas, and watercress—to help with iron
absorption. • Make sure you get plenty of protein from both animal and
vegetable sources.
Phase 2 (Pre-ovulation)
• Eat well so that you’ll be well nourished
and able to nourish a maturing follicle. Protein is especially important.
•
Choose foods rich in vitamin E, which is found in the fluid around the
developing egg and is important for its nourishment. Good sources include
cold-pressed oils, sweet potatoes, avocados, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and
whole grains.
• Avoid alcohol now most of all.
Phase 3 (Ovulation)
• Get
plenty of B vitamins, which are particularly important to the release of an egg
and implantation. Choose leafy greens, whole grains, eggs, and (if you eat it)
meat.
• Eat foods rich in zinc, which is needed for cell division and helps
with progesterone production. You can find it in meat, fish, poultry, wheat
germ, eggs, and whole grains.
• Be sure to get vitamin C, which is found in
high quantities in the corpus luteum and is thought to play a role in
progesterone production.
Phase 4 (Potential Implantation)
•
Now is the time to get your fill of pineapple. The bromelain it contains has
been shown to help implantation.• To support implantation, eat plenty of
warming foods and avoid cold, raw foods, or at least balance them out. For
instance, if you eat a salad, warm up your meal by adding soup, a baked potato,
or some steamed brown rice.
• If you have PMS, it is especially helpful to
limit processed foods, refined sugar, alcohol, and coffee and to increase your
fiber intake, all in the interest of helping your body eliminate estrogen more
efficiently and less uncomfortably.
Remember:
- ”Implement drastic changes gradually.Choose fresh, seasonal, organic food in its natural state. Choose whole grains and cook them thoroughly.
- Choose colorful—yellow, orange, red, green, blue, and purple—fruits and vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables (such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, mustard greens, and kale) and members of the allium family (garlic, onions, shallots, and chives).
- Cook vegetables lightly.
- Include some fat in your diet. Avoid all trans fats and limit saturated fats. Get some healthy fats every day (unsaturated fats and EFAs, such as omega-3 fatty acids from olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocados, fish, and flax).
- Get at least two and a half ounces of protein every day from meat, fish, eggs, dairy, soy, beans, whole grains, nuts, or seeds. It’s fine if you get more than that, as long as you don’t go overboard. Most people should aim for more plant and less animal protein. Eat protein in small servings.
- Lean more on alkaline foods (vegetables, fruits, sprouts, and wheatgrass) and less on acidifying foods (meat, dairy, grains, alcohol, and coffee).
- Aim for six 8-ounce glasses of water (or other healthy fluids) each day.
- If you like it, drink tea. Two cups of black tea or three of green tea will not put you overboard in terms of caffeine. Or drink decaf tea.
- Avoid highly refined grains and sugars and processed foods of any kind.
- Don’t use aspartame or any artificial sweeteners, and avoid MSG.
- Support good digestion.
- Don’t strictly limit what kinds of food or how much food you eat.
- Make eating a positive activity.
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