Nutrition
Nutrition for a Healthy, Fertile Body
General Guidelines
Nourishing the body for optimum fertility or nourishing the body for good, general health requires some basic knowledge and healthy habits. What better time to explore your body’s needs than while you are preparing for pregnancy? Balance and portion control of the basic nutrients are the same whether the goal is fertility or a healthy, balanced body. We all need protein, carbohydrates and fats. But one size does not fit all. We all have different body types, metabolism, chemistry, and possibly conditions that require special nutrition or limitations (diabetes, thyroid disease, irritable bowel syndrome, allergies). The following are general guidelines for a healthy, fertile body.
Start by keeping a food journal of everything you eat, including snacks. Make note of stomach distress, diarrhea or constipation, headaches or plummeting energy so that you can see what food precipitated the distress. Try this for two weeks. It gives you a starting point from which to make modifications to your nutritional intake.
Guiding principles:
- Minimize the amount of food and maximize the nutrient content
- Choose most of the foods you eat from plant sources: fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds
- Limit your intake of high-fat foods, particularly from animal sources
- Include the fats that are good for you, the essential fatty acids found in seafood, nuts, seeds, and oils of sesame, flaxseed and olive
- Avoid chemicals, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and hydrogenated foods
- Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages and sugar
- Eat seasonally: soups, stews and root vegetables in winter, fruits and salads in summer
- Be physically active, thirty minutes a day of walking or stretching at a minimum
Be mindful of portions. A portion is approximately the size of your palm. A balanced meal includes ¼ proteins, ¼ starch, and ½ vegetables.
Strategies for increasing dietary fruits, vegetables, and grains:
- Keep fruits and vegetables (primarily fresh or frozen) stocked and in sight
- Reach for unsweetened juice or water instead of coffee or soda
- Add chopped fruit or nuts to cereal, yogurt, salads
- Snack on fresh chopped carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers
- Add fresh greens, carrots, celery, parsley, tomatoes, and/or beans to your soups
- Keep dried fruit and nuts (apricots, dates, raisins, walnuts, almonds…) for a quick snack at home or work
Get as much nourishment as possible from whole foods. But if you know that you are not getting the nutrients you need, take supplements.
- B-Complex for digestion, heart, muscles, nerves, energy, red blood cells
- Flaxseed or primrose oil (essential fatty acids) for metabolism, cellular integrity, regulate body temperature and blood pressure
- C and E (antioxidants) for the immune system, tissue healing, protection from damage by pollutants
- Liquid minerals for nerve response, muscle contraction, fluid balance, hormones and electrolyte balance
Healthy nutrition can be quite an adventure. Make a date to cook with your spouse or partner. Experiment with spices. Try new recipes. Order a monthly publication to keep abreast of research and/or healthy recipes. Nourish your spirit while you feed the body!
Fertility is a lifelong relationship with oneself – not a medical condition.
Joan Borysenko, Ph. D.
Eat organic when possible. Go to Environmental Working Group: www.ewg.org, for fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide contamination and the least contaminated.
The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has identified 66 carcinogenic pesticides that have been measured in the average person’s diet.
Fruits and vegetables (non-organic) can be washed with warm water and vinegar (1/4 cup vinegar to 1 gal water)
Complex Carbohydrates (40 – 65%)
(45-50% from vegetables, 20-25 from fruit, 15% whole grains, 15% legumes)
Contain vitamins and fiber
Provide the body with energy, required for digestion and assimilation of food
Whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits
Protein (15 – 30%)
Essential for growth and repair of tissue
Provides the body with energy and heat, needed for manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes. Maintains acid/alkali balance.
Fish, meat, poultry, nuts, legumes, milk, eggs, cheese
Fats (20 – 30%)
Help manage cholesterol, regulate body temperature, control blood pressure, cellular integrity, protect vital organs, regulate body temperature, transport other nutrients. Commonly: Nuts, seeds, soybeans, olives, avocado, meat, dairy
Fatty Acids (20 – 30%)
Help manage cholesterol, regulate body temperature, control blood pressure
Essential for metabolism. Healthy skin, hair, nails
Best sources: Cold-expeller-pressed Olive, Flaxseed. Next best: Canola, safflower, sunflower, pumpkin, walnuts
Greens
Generally, darker green means more nutrition. Especially high in nutrients: kale, arugula, watercress, dandelion greens, collards, beet greens, swiss chard
Cabbage family: red and green cabbage, savoy cabbage, bok choy, broccoli, radishes, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts.
Preparation: Steam, simmer, blanche, braise, quick sauté, bake, broil
In olive oil and garlic
AVOID
- hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated foods
- refined sugar
WATER
Six to Eight 8-ounce glasses of CLEAN water daily.
Dehydration exacerbates many conditions: headache, stomach ache, back ache
Bottled water label should show:
- original source of the water (spring, well, public water supply)
- type of treatment (filtration, distillation, deionization, ultraviolet-light treatment, ozonation)
- elements present (hydrogen, oxygen, minerals)
Deer Park – 10 step filtration process www.deerparkwater.com
- carbon
- microfiltration
- ultra-violet
- ozonation
No chlorine. Only naturally occurring fluoride (max: .17ppm, FDA max: 2.0)
Sugar
Sugar increases the excretion of valuable minerals including calcium, magnesium, chromium, copper, zinc and sodium. The reduction in the amount of calcium in the blood in turn prompts the secretion of parathyroid hormone, which causes the release of calcium from the bones, accelerating bone loss. Sugar also causes blood-sugar levels to soar sometimes causing jitteriness, agitation, and an inability to concentrate, followed by tiredness and irritability. Pancreas becomes overworked. Sugar impairs immune function by competing with vitamin C for transport into white blood cells. This reduces the ability of the white blood cells to destroy aggressive bacteria, making the body more prone to infection. Sugar promotes growth of yeast in the gastrointestinal tract.
Sugar alternatives, also to be used sparingly…
Honey, rice syrup, molasses, barley malt, maple syrup.
Vitamins
C – antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
E – antioxidant, tissue healing, cellular health, red blood cells, slows aging of cells, protect tissues from damage by pollutants.
Selenium – antioxidant, cell membranes, tissue repair, resistance to cancer, pancreas function
Beta-carotene – antioxidant, strengthens mucous membranes, immune system, adrenal glands
B-Complex – breakdown of carbohydrates, heart, muscles, nerves, energy, adrenal hormones, nervous and digestive systems, red blood cells and antibodies, sex hormones
My Organic Market
Herbalife, 800-683-1815
Hinkey Chemists, www.invitehealth.com, 800-724-5566 (carries Nature’s Plus)
Birth Control Pills: Most of the B vitamins are needed in higher amounts when birth control pills are taken. An increased need for vitamins C, E, and K and zinc may also result from the use of BCPs. Some authors suggest that increased blood levels of copper generated by oral contraceptive use may contribute to depression and emotional symptoms; additional manganese and zinc may reverse these symptoms.
Minerals
Part of all body tissues and fluids.
Essential in nerve responses, muscle contraction, maintenance of the body’s fluid balance and processing of nutrients. Minerals influence the manufacture of hormones and regulate electrolyte balance.
Sources: greens, dairy products, soy, fish, grains, nuts, fruits
From Conquering Infertility: deficiencies in the minerals magnesium, potassium and zinc are associated with reduced fertility.
Liquimin 74 (New World Minerals, 800-634-6466
RESOURCES
Smart Medicine for Healthier Living
By Janet Zand, Allan N. Spreen, James B. LaValle
Staying Healthy with Nutrition
By Elson M. Haas
Nutritional Healing
By Phyllis A. Balch, James F. Balch
Healing with Whole Foods
By Paul Pitchford
www.ewg.org
www.foodnews.org
www.whfoods.com
www.mercuryaction.org
www.soybean.org
www.cspinet.org
www.ppnf.org
www.silentspring.org
ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. The human body needs EFAs to manufacture and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and expel harmful waste products. A primary function of EFAs is the production of prostaglandins, which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, conception, and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and encouraging the body to fight infection. Essential Fatty Acids are also needed for proper growth in children, particularly for neural development and maturation of sensory systems. Fetuses and breast-fed infants also require an adequate supply of EFAs through the mother’s dietary intake.
Omega-3s (Linolenic Acid) are used in the formation of cell walls, making them supple and flexible, and improving circulation and oxygen uptake with proper red blood cell flexibility and function.
One tablespoon per day of flaxseed oil should provide the recommended daily adult portion of linolenic acid, although “time-released” effects of consuming nuts and other linolenic-rich foods is being studied, and considered more beneficial than a once-daily oil intake.
Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid). Some Omega-6s improve diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, PMS, skin disorders (e.g. psoriasis and eczema), and aid in cancer treatment. With good nutrition, linoleic acid is converted into gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which helps to reduce inflammation in the body. Adequate amounts of certain nutrients in the body, including magnesium, zinc, and vitamins C, B3, and B6, facilitate this conversion.
Although most Americans obtain an excess of linoleic acid, often it is not converted to GLA because of metabolic problems caused by diets rich in sugar, alcohol, or trans fats from processed foods, as well as smoking, pollution, stress, aging, viral infections, and other illnesses such as diabetes. It is best to eliminate these factors when possible, but some prefer to supplement with GLA-rich foods such as borage oil, black currant seed oil, or evening primrose oil.
Avoid refined and hydrogenated versions of these foods: corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils are also sources of linoleic acid, but are refined and may be nutrient-deficient as sold in stores.
The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1. The typical North American diets are usually in the range of 11:1 to 30:1.
Omega-9 (Oleic acid) is essential but technically not an EFA, because the human body can manufacture a limited amount, provided essential EFAs are present.
One to two tablespoons of extra virgin or virgin olive oil per day should provide sufficient oleic acid for adults. However, the “time-released” effects of obtaining these nutrients from nuts and other whole foods is thought to be more beneficial than consuming the entire daily amount via a single oil dose.
Magnesium sources: swiss chard, spinach., mustard greens, summer squash, broccoli, blackstrap molasses, halibut, turnip greens, pumpkin seeds and peppermint. Also, cucumber, green beans, celery, kale and a variety of seeds, including sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flax seeds. Zinc sources: seafood (shellfish), beef and other red meats, eggs and legumes.
Omega-6
- Algae
- Shell fish
- Crabs
- Squid
- Raw, unsalted seeds and nuts:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Pine nuts
- Pistachio nuts
- Sunflower seeds
- Flaxseeds, Flaxseed oil
- Flaxseed meal
- Hempseed oil
- Safflower oil
- Sunflower seeds
- Borage oil
- Evening primrose oil
- Wheat germ oil
- Olive oil, olives
- Borage oil
- Chestnut oil
- Soy beans
- Peanut oil
- Black current seed oil
- Rice bran oil
- Grape seed oil
- Vegetable oils
Omega-3
- Alaskan Salmon
- Mackerel
- Herring
- Sardines
- Trout
- Cod Liver Oil
- Tuna
- Anchovies
- Fish Oils (not fresh fish, PCBs, lead, mercury, toxins, too high)
- Walnuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Brazil nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Flax seed oil (highest content of linolenic acid)
- Flaxseeds, flaxseed meal
- Hempseeds, hempseed oil
- Canola oil (cold pressed, unrefined)
- Soybean oil
- Wheat germ oil
- Avocados
- Lecithin
- Seaweed
- Some dark green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, purslane, mustard and collard greens