Nutrition- Nutrition is a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to balanced hormones, fertility, and overall health. If you’re preparing to get pregnant, it helps for you and your partner to be as healthy as possible, because your health determines the baby’s health, and not just at birth, but for its whole life. Hashtag-no pressure. I recommend eating a whole food diet and minimizing or avoiding processed foods for optimal health and hormones. I have been dialing in my nutrition (and overall healthy lifestyle) over the last 4-5 years and I know that was a big reason that we did not have any issues conceiving when we were ready, regardless of the fact that I have genetic pre-disposition (or genetic marker. I'm not even sure if that's the correct word but you get the point) that could have affected not only my ability to conceive but also my ability to stay pregnant (more on that below). I have been Paleo-ish since about 2014, but started really focusing on eating whole foods back in 2012. I mostly eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, meat, eggs, and fish. I very rarely eat any type of grains or dairy and I avoid soy and gluten as much as humanly possible. I rarely eat any processed sugar but do get a fair amount from fruit, and natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup. This is what works for me. This is the “diet’ that makes me feel my best because it’s anti-inflammatory, is healing to my gut, and therefore supportive of hormone balance, and mentally I feel my best eating this way. My husband’s diet has changed pretty drastically over the years as well, his first round of Whole30 was pretty eye opening for him, so where his diet isn’t as “Paleo” as mine, he, too, eats mostly real, whole foods. If there is ever a time for you to focus on your health, it is now- before you are trying to conceive and then after you’re pregnant, the second best place to start is with your nutrition. Stress/mindset- Stress affects your hormones. It’s important to your overall health to reduce stress, whether it’s physical stress from over exercise or mental stress from your job, finances, relationship, etc. Try deep breathing, meditating, walking, hanging out with friends; whatever you need to do to reduce stress. Shift your mindset about what’s stressing you. Shift your mindset about what healthy is. Shift your mindset about your relationship with food and why you struggle to eat foods that support good health. Mindset and reducing stress is the best place to start on improving your overall health. Sleep-our hormones need adequate sleep. Our bodies need adequate sleep, and our organs need adequate sleep. This is the easiest way to improve your health… just get more sleep! Go to bed earlier. Don’t watch TV before bed. Don’t play on your phone in bed. Turn down the temperature. Use black out curtains or a sleep mask. Practice deep breathing to help relax your mind. Pay attention to your nutrition because it affects your sleep. Toxins- we are exposed to toxins in the form of stress, pollution, from our water, from our food, from our household products, and from our personal care items. It is essential for hormone health and fertility, that we reduce our exposure to toxins. Look into water filters, reduce stress, and check the EWG website to see how your current cleaning products, candles, detergents, lotions, deodorants, shampoos, soaps, etc rate and start switching over to safer, chemical free brands. Everything you put onto or into your body while pregnant goes into your bloodstream and straight to baby. Supplements I love supplements and I admit that I take a fair amount. BUT it’s because I’ve experimented with what works best for me, coupled with my education in holistic nutrition and I know what’s lacking in our food and therefore know what I (we) need. Especially when it comes to conception. I’m a researcher; I LOVE to learn and you can bet I’ve done a boatload of research on this topic since I’m going through it myself. My midwife also confirmed at my first appointment with her at 12 weeks, that I was taking all the supplements that she would recommend. I kept nudging my husband every time she listed one off, and was like, “See, already taking it. I’m on top of this.” It was a proud moment for me. I like reassurance. I started taking prenatal vitamins instead of my usual multivitamin back in early 2017, as advised by my midwife. She recommended taking it anywhere from 6-8 months prior to conception. I only recommend for any type of vitamin, a whole food form. There are synthetic vitamins that are manufactured in labs or there are vitamins that you can extract from actual food. Your body will recognize and use the form from food much better than the form from the lab. Also, it’s important to get methylated B vitamins, which only come from whole food forms, not synthetic forms. Synthetic vitamins can also make you sick to your stomach if not taken with food, or sometimes even with food, which is yet another reason to take the whole food form. If you’re going to spend your money on supplements, then you might as well buy ones that are going to be absorbed and utilized, right? You can find all these at health food store or online- you can find most of the brands I recommend on my website under “recommended products”- here Prenatal vitamins- Again, only take a whole food form with methylated B vitamins. You need methylated B vitamins and folate, not folic acid. (If your doctor is old school, she/he will likely argue that but do your own research. Nothing against doctors but their specialty is not in nutrition.) I recommend Garden of Life or Mega Food Brands. I have been taking Garden of Life’s Raw Prenatal. *Why no folic acid? Because 40-60% of people cannot convert folic acid into folate, or convert b vitamins into the useable form, so therefore these vitamins are not useable and can actually get hung up in the body, like a toxin would, since the body does not recognize it. That’s why I recommend skipping those vitamins and only purchasing ones that are already in the useable form. This is also why I advocate for a whole foods diet because many processed foods are fortified with folic acid. I have MTHFR, a genetic mutation, which affects this methylation process I’m speaking of, so I’ve done a considerable amount of research on it over the last few years. It also affects mood, detoxification, and fertility, and did I mention that 40-60% are affected by it, yet not many people know about it or are tested for it? It’s more commonly known in the functional medicine world. My naturopath tested me for it but when I asked my OB/GYN about it, they had no idea what I was talking about. Just another reason to be your own advocate, and don’t stop asking questions and seeking answers if you feel something is not right. You can read more about MTHFR here or here. Probiotics- I also take and recommend a daily probiotic for gut health, improved digestion, hormone support, mood support, immune support, and energy. I trade off between Bio-K, Garden of Life, or Inner Eco brands. Vitamin D3- d3 is the active form of vitamin D, “active” meaning it’s in a useable form and no conversion is needed inside the body to uptake it- we need vitamin D for pretty much all metabolic processes in the body, and it’s particularly important for fetal development. Even if we spent adequate time outside each day, exposed, and at just the right time between 11-2pm, we still would be deficient on vitamin D, so I recommend that everyone supplements with it. I take Natural Factors brand. I take a higher dose in the winter than in the summer, but take it year round. I also like Garden of Life, but it is quite a bit pricier. Fish oil-we need EPA and DHA, but especially so when pregnant as these two are crucial in fetal development, specifically visual and cognitive development. Fish oil is also great for inflammation, brain health, heart health, and supports a good mood. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of allergies in infants. I recommend Nordic Naturals or Carlson’s brand. Fish oil quality is very important. The way the oil is sourced, the fish used, and the processing all determines its bioavailability. If you’ve ever taken fish oil and had the “fishy burp back”, it means you were taking a form that was not being absorbed. Again, don’t waste your money on junky supplements. Magnesium- most people are deficient in magnesium and it is also needed for most metabolic processes within the body. During pregnancy, magnesium helps with fetal development, specifically strong bones and teeth, and also helps strengthen the uterus. Magnesium also can help with digestion, which can be beneficial during the stages of pregnancy when constipation is common. It also promotes relaxation so I would recommend taking it in the evening before bed. I like Garden of Life powder form or Nature’s Life- a blend of 3 forms of magnesium: oxide, citrate, and malate. I also supplement with a whole food form of B complex by Garden of Life, due to being deficient in b vitamins. I think this is mostly due to methylation issues, but blood tests confirm that I’m low and I feel better when taking a B complex. Early on in my pregnancy, I was super sick from weeks 6-11-ish, and I took milk thistle to help support my liver and its’ processing of all the extra hormones. It helped a little but didn’t completely alleviate the nausea. You can google "milk thistle and pregnancy" to find more info on this. Most of what I read was from other bloggers, but knowing I don't detoxify as I should, I thought it made pretty good sense that the influx of all these hormones and a sluggish liver, could be part of my morning sickness problems. Disclaimer- this information is not intended to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your doctor before supplementing.
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AuthorChloe is a holistic nutritionist, certified Whole30 coach, certified personal trainer, and Beautycounter consultant who loves all things: food, fitness, wellness, outdoor, dog, and non-toxic living related. (especially people) She's on the hunt for optimal, yet sustainable health and happiness, and enjoys sharing her learning's and experiences with everyone who wants to listen. And some who don't. Archives
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