Recipe: Raw Chocolate Pudding
Creamy and chocolaty goodness normally means it’s a dish you need to stay away from, but this raw pudding is a wonderfully healthy indulgence and it’s a treat I don’t mind serving to my family.
Raw Chocolate “Pudding”
1 really ripe banana
1 avocado
1/8 cup cocoa
2-3 tsp raw honey, maple syrup, or rapadura
optional – milk or coconut milk if it needs to be thinned for blending
Put all ingredients into a food processor or blender and blend until well mixed. If needed add milk 1 Tbsp at a time to ease blending and also to get the right texture. (You can also add in a bit more sweetener if desired. Especially if your kids are used to regular boxed pudding) You can serve immediately, but I like mine well chilled.
A great replacement for boxed pudding and is full of nutrients because of the avocado!
Optional Add-ins:
-
- 1/4 cup yogurt (increase honey to 1/4 cup)
- Tbsp almond butter
- Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- few fresh mint leaves
Toppings: sliced fruit or berries, Tbsp of fresh cream, 1 tsp or so of GF, CF, SF mini chocolate chips
This post is linked to: Real Food Wednesday
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Essentials of a Pregnancy Diet
Now that my 5 part fertility diet series is over, and I know I have quite a few pregnant readers, I thought I’d delve a bit into pregnancy diets. I started this post over at Amy’s blog (The Finer Things in Life) today talking about the importance of eating well during pregnancy, and while everything I outlined for a fertility diet is just as important I thought it important to specifically talk about pregnancy.
5 Things to Include
1. Consume a variety of foods – each food has different vitamin and mineral compositions and it’s important to make sure we’re getting a bit of everything so that baby can develop correctly. If you like carrots, fabulous! But you don’t need to eat them every day all day. Make sure your plate is colorful and switch it up day to day.
2. Eat more raw – Heating and cooking kills enzymes that are needed for proper nutrient absorption. Making sure you eat raw foods allows your body to fully use everything you consume. This includes fruits, veggies, and even milk ,yogurt, and butter.
3. Drink plenty of water – Water is essential to life and we need to make sure we’re drinking enough of it. Urinating is one was our body rids itself of toxins and we need to make sure we are constantly flushing them out.
4. Make sure you consume good fats each day – fats like butter, ghee, coconut oil, lard/tallow. Eating fat allows your body to actually absorb fat soluble vitamins like A, D, E and K. Making sure your diet includes good fats and cholesterol also helps your body to produce the hormones needed to sustain a pregnancy and helps baby develop properly. Diets low in fat soluble vitamins are more often associated with degenerative diseases in children as well as poor bone structure and crooked teeth.
5. Add probiotic foods into your diet every day, like yogurt, kefir, or sauerkraut. Not only do eating these foods help keep you from getting sick, they will pass on to baby and help populate and protect their gut. This helps baby absorb nutrients correctly and protects against disorders associated with leaky gut syndrome like ADD, autism, and allergies.
5 Things to Leave Out
1. Stay away from refined sugar and flour. They rob your body of nutrients needed for baby and cause a rapid rise and fall of your blood sugar levels. With large fluctuations in blood sugar levels, your hormones may have a hard time balancing causing issues with sustaining a pregnancy as well as morning sickness.
2. While controversial, I personally think that soy should not be included in a healthy pregnancy diet. Some studies say the phytoestrogens in soy help your body make it’s own estrogen. Other studies say it mimics estrogen in the body and therefore causes your body to slow down production of the hormone. The Weston A Price Foundation mentions that soy also includes something called phytic acid which can severely rod your body of nutrients. There is also the fact that 90% of the soy grown in the US is genetically modified and studies are showing that GMO foods are not compatible with life. In any case, we do know that they way people consume soy today (soy milk, veggie burgers) is not the way people ate soy even 50 years ago.
3. Vegetable oils are high in omega 6’s and in turn upset the balance between themselves and the omega 3’s, which our body is supposed to have more of. This and the fact that many of the vegetable oils (corn, canola, and soy) are also genetically modified.
4. I feel like even after the refined sugar and the vegetable oils I still need to say that processed foods should not be part of a healthy diet either! These foods have been completely changed from their original source and the nutrients are altered. They rob your body of vitamins and minerals as you try to absorb the damaged nutrients and can affect your growing baby’s neurological system with the pesticides, chemical flavor enhancers, and coloring.
5. The folks from Responsible technology left a comment on one of my fertility diets posts mentioning that all Genetically Modified foods should not be consumed as well, and I agree! Here’s what they left:
“The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), for example, issued a policy statement that all physicians should prescribe non-GMO diets for everyone, citing a long list of disorders found in animal feeding studies.
A team of scientists re-evaluated data from three rat feeding studies by Monsanto, and published evidence showing “signs of toxicity” in major organs.
Two institutes in Russia found that by the third generation of feeding hamsters GM soy, most lost the ability to have babies. And the infant mortality was 4 or 5-fold higher than controls.
Scientists from the USDA, Purdue, and elsewhere, are now publishing reports about how the overuse of Roundup herbicide, used with GM Roundup Ready crops, may be depriving our food of key minerals.”
So what do you think? What’s the hardest to abide by?
What’s the easiest?
Tell me about your pregnancy diets!
This post is linked to: Fight Back Friday
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Fertility Diet part 5: What it Looks Like
Eating for fertility is all about getting in the most nutritious foods you can. Each one of us will eat slightly different based on our owns tastes, the way we were brought up, and our culture, but no matter our background – we must choose nutrient heavy foods!
I’ll give you a view into what that diet could include. While it’s not perfect, it’s food I love and food that’s easy to prepare.
Day One
Breakfast - whole milk yogurt (raw milk yogurt is even better!), fruit, touch of honey. Fresh juice from 1 green apple, celery, carrots, and 1 beet.
Snack – cut vegetables and homemade dip
Lunch – a salad that includes 2 cups of leaf lettuce, cut veggies, hard boiled egg (pastured), raw cheese, crispy nuts, and a homemade dressing
Snack – apple and raw cheese
Dinner – tacos with homemade ’soaked’ tortilla shells, rice (soaked) made with homemade bone broth, avocados, onion, fresh salsa, lettuce, and raw cheese.
Day Two
Breakfast – Scrambled eggs (pastured) made in tallow, slice of sourdough toast with butter
Snack – yogurt and fruit
Lunch – chicken noodle soup made with homemade bone broth and brown rice noodles
Snack – celery and peanut butter (soaked)
Dinner – Italian cream cheese chicken,(made with homemade bone broth, homemade cream cheese, and brown rice noodles) salad
Dessert – Nourishing Fudge
Day Three
Breakfast – Smoothie with 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup whole milk (raw preferred), frozen fruit, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 raw egg yolk
Snack – granola bar
Lunch – 2 hardboiled eggs, sourdough toast and butter, cut veggies
Snack – fruit and nuts
Dinner – hamburgers on homemade buns, sweet potatoes, broccoli, small salad
Day Four
Breakfast – 2 egg omelet with veggies and cheese, berries
Snack – cut veggies and dip
Lunch – lentil soup and salad
Snack – yogurt and fruit
Dinner – Grassfed beef roast with salad
Snack – Smoothie with 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/2 cup whole milk, frozen fruit, 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil, 1 raw egg yolk
Day Five
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal with raw cream, butter, nuts, maple syrup and fruit
Snack – homemade popcorn with butter and sea salt
Lunch – salad with leftover taco meat, avocados, rice, salsa, and homemade dressing
Snack – hard boiled eggs
Dinner – Grilled meat/poultry, steamed veggies, and soaked millet
Day Six
Breakfast – sourdough pancakes, yogurt and berries
Snack – fruit and cheese
Lunch – BLT pasta
Snack – homemade trail mix
Dinner – baked salmon, steamed veggies,baked potatoes with butter
Dessert – red grapes
Day Seven
Breakfast – eggs and sourdough toast, fruit
Snack – cut veggies and dip
Lunch – chicken tortilla wrap, cut veggies and dip
Snack -fruit
Dinner – homemade pizza and salad
Dessert – Healthy Brownies
What are 3 ways you think you can increase the amount of nutrients you consume in a day?
For me, I try to include broth wherever I can fit it in, I like to eat whole milk yogurt (both for the fat and for the probiotics) and I try and consume a majority of my ‘breads’ as sourdough.
This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday and Mindful Menus
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Try it Tuesday: Homemade Toothpaste
The Problem
Fluoride is a chemical put in most public water systems and is placed there because someone thought it would help prevent cavities. The metro area I live near was actually the very first city to put fluoride in their water.The concept is that experts were/are hoping that through regular fluoride consumption the rates of cavities in both young and old would be reduced.
Unfortunately, not only has it yet to be proven to be effective, it has also been shown to decrease fertility in many of the animal studies that have been done. Seems that it causes multiple problems with sperm quality. Chronic exposure to fluoride has also been linked to thyroid and neurological disorders, hormonal imbalances, and heart disease.
It’s in most every conventional toothpaste as ‘cavity prevention’.
Sodium Laurly Sulfate is an anionic surfactant (foaming agent) that used in many cleaning and hygiene products, both conventional and so called ‘natural’. It’s the ingredient that helps to cause the foaming in our toothpastes, shampoos, bubble baths, and shaving creams. It has been linked to greater risks of developing canker sores, and more importantly it has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor as well. Which means this; once it is absorbed into the body, it mimics the activity of the hormone Oestrogen causing the natural balance of your hormones to ……disrupt.¹
My First Solution
After deciding to rid my body of exposure to these particular 2 toxins from my toothpaste, I headed to the nearest health food store and browsed the shelves. I was completely surprised by how many ‘natural’ toothpastes had not one – but BOTH of the ingredients in their mix!!
Actually, not just surprised….appalled!
I mean, how many people had done the same thing I had in running out to find a better alternative for their families and were mislead by the ‘natural’ label?!
But, I finally found a toothpaste that I thought would meet my requirements:
- no fluoride
- no sodium lauryl sulfate
- no crazy sounding chemicals
Back to Square One
A couple months ago I actually noticed my teeth.
Don’t get me wrong – I brush every day, floss sometimes, but how often do you really get up close and notice your teeth? I knew I hadn’t been doing the greatest job in the world, but I seriously almost cried.
I had dark spots between, and along the gum line, of many of my teeth.
You see, I had started using a glycerin based toothpaste, and come to find out……glycerin prevents teeth from remineralizing as it actually stays on the teeth for days after brushing. While studies are hard to come by, different sources claim that it can take 20 – 30 rinses to get it completely off the teeth. I don’t rinse like that, and I doubt you do either!
Plus what happens when you use it twice a day? It seems in my case anyways, my teeth have not gotten a chance to remineralize at all. Basically rotting from underneath.
Solution Number Two
I had a lot of comments of a post last week in which I had mentioned trying an herbal tooth powder. It contained Horsetail Grass, Peppermint Leaf, White Oak Bark, Cloves, Prickly Ash Bark, Bayberry Bark, Slippery Elm Bark & Stevia Herb. In my experience it worked just fine, though really odd to get used to! It was all a complete powder and like I said….it worked. But it left me wanting more.
Finally Hit the Nail
A couple weeks into using the tooth powder, I decided to make my own toothpaste. I’ve been using it a month or better and while it did take some getting used to, I prefer it over the powder. I’ve also started to notice the spots on my teeth diminishing to which I am thrilled about and all over my teeth have started brightening up.
How to Make Homemade Toothpaste
- 2 teaspoons Dr. Bronners Castile Soap – liquid (the baby mild is recommended!)
- 5 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 Tablespoon aluminum free baking soda
- 10-20 drops essential oil (I used a mix of orange and mint)
- 1/2 teaspoon stevia
- 1 Tablespoon water
Place 2 teaspoons of Dr. Bronners into a small bowl.
Add in the 5 Tbsp of coconut oil
Then 1/2 tablespoon baking soda (you can leave this out if you’d like. Personally I won’t add this every time as I’ve also heard it can wear down enamel with long term use. You can also taste it so I leave it out of my sons toothpaste) and 1 tablespoon of water,
Then comes the 1/2 teaspoon stevia (helps to sweeten – but to much can leave it chalky feeling)
Place your mix of essential oils into the bowl (I used about 10 drops sweet orange and 5 drops spearmint)
Mix it all together and then revel at the crazy concoction you’ve just made.
Pour it into a small container and let set back up. (any container will do, I happened to have a very small mason jar on hand)
To use, just dab your toothbrush into the mix. Personally I mix it up per individual as I’d rather not have a community ‘tub’ of toothpaste!!
Also -
- When you first try it it won’t be as bad as you might think, but, after a few days it seems completely normal and you won’t mind it at all!!
- You could use any other type of oil, if you can’t use coconut oil for some reason, it would just stay in a liquid form. (you could use a hand pump instead if you’d like)
- The actual stevia herb is green – hence my mad scientist toothpaste! I prefer to use stevia this way as it’s not highly processed like it’s refined, white alternative.
So, what do you use for toothpaste?
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Homemade Deodorant Tutorial
Learn how to make your own deodorant! Read more
Journey Through Infertility
Journeying through years of infertility, we read through every “how to get pregnant” book we could get our hands on. So many anecdotal “tips and tricks” abounded on message boards and in conversation, but would just send us roller-coasting from hope to disappointment each month.
SUPPLEMENTS
- We both decided to start taking “natural” multivitamins, to fill any potential “gaps” in our nutrition.
- During various seasons, my husband especially focused on taking at least a zinc supplement (and eating foods rich in zinc), and pycenogenol or grapeseed extract (both antioxidants reputed to possibly help sperm health).
- When I noticed my once long- but predictable- cycles becoming irregular and more uncomfortable, I was able to help regulate my cycles with Evening Primrose Oil for the first 2 weeks of my cycle (I did this for about 3 months).
FOODS
- After spending years as vegetarians, we began adding some naturally/humanely-grown meats to our diet.
- We switched from non-fat dairy products to drinking whole raw milk and eating hormone-free whole-fat dairy products (yogurt, cheeses, etc).
- We eliminated white “all-purpose” flour, white sugar, and corn syrup from our foods, in favor of more whole-grain flours and natural sweeteners (such as raw honey).Note: the sugar cravings during this stage were pretty intense, and showed us how necessary this was for us! We now find that we sweeten things drastically less, as our “taste buds have adjusted.”
- Our previous vegetarian diet had been very high in soy (TVP, tofu, etc.). At one point, as we increased the soy products in our meals in an attempt to save money, we noticed a significant decline in our health. We eventually eliminated soy from our meals, except for an occasional dash of tamari in a stir-fry.
- I began to realize that I had an intolerance for gluten, and discovered celiac. I radically adjusted my diet to eliminate gluten.. (Note: celiac is often a cause of unexplained infertility/miscarriages, and is actually quite prevalent, but under-diagnosed.)
- We made a point to add more seasonal fruits and vegetables to our meals, and discovered a wealth of delicious options at Farmer’s Markets. (Previously, canned or frozen vegetables were our staples.)
- We eliminated canola oil, in favor of “healthy fats” such as coconut oil, and the butter made from raw milk.
- I began following the “Brewer Diet” as a way to help make sure I was actually eating enough nutrients to support a pregnancy.
- Calvin reduced, then basically eliminated, coffee, in favor of more natural herbal teas, and lots of water. (I already was not a coffee-drinker.)
- We added cultured items to our diet (such as kefir and lacto-fermented vegetables).
- We eliminated sources of MSG and other additives/preservatives in our foods, and started using real sea salt and herbs as seasonings.
EXERCISE/REST
- I began regular forms of exercise, with walks outdoors a couple mornings a week, along with yoga or pilates one or two evenings a week at home. I pushed our daughter in a stroller for our walks. I didn’t have a need of weight loss, so my yoga/pilates routines focused on a combination of strength, stretching, and relaxation.
- I have noticed that my body has always responded to the concept of “lunaception“. This may not necessarily be a “proven concept”, but I did notice a difference. Plus, our rest was definitely better once we put up some dark curtains!
- Focusing on eliminating a constant state of stress was a significant challenge. I had come from high-stress work environments, to being a stay-at-home mom, and my body took awhile to stop being in an ongoing “adrenaline state!” The relaxation exercises, along with restful baths, occasional naps, and regular prayer times really helped.
SPIRITUAL
- God began to teach me more about relinquishing my fertility to Him, as Lord of my life. Instead of trying to “control” it myself, and being “addicted” to all the fertility message boards and latest fertility publications, I needed to place the control in His hands. In response, I gave up all fertility-related reading (online and print) for a season of Lent. This added such a new peace to our situation- and by the end, I had no desire to go back!
- We were encouraged by reading Mary Pride’s book “All The Way Home,” as she has wonderfully written on healthy marital intimacy and fertility. It provided a much-needed Biblical focus in that season of our lives.
- God began to teach me more about His love for me, as His beautiful creation. Instead of being ashamed or frustrated by my body/infertility, I began to prayerfully embrace His work in my life. This Above Rubies article really encouraged us as we focused our prayers: “Protect Your Womb.”
- I chose to embrace the season God had placed us in, and chose to be content.. I knew that even if God blessed us with more children in the future, I didn’t want to be stuck in the “debilitating” spiritual state of always wanting more. We would love to see God grow our family, but believe that a contentment in His provision is so important in every area of life- not just with fertility. We can embrace His blessings, without allowing our desires to be consuming, and taking His place of headship in our lives.
LIFESTYLE
- In our world full of electronics, we began taking a closer look. The cell phone came out of the front pocket of my husband’s jeans, and was placed in his bag. The laptop computer stayed on the table- not on our laps! We gave away our microwave, and got a $5 toaster oven (both on craigslist).
- We switched from commercial cleaning products, detergents, and cosmetic/hygiene items to more natural choices. Many solutions can be homemade with natural ingredients (such as baking soda, vinegar, and essential oils), along with chemical-free soaps. I got rid of my collection of hairsprays, makeups, etc., in favor of a more natural routine. (Note: we’ve now noticed a high sensitivity to the chemicals/perfumes that we used to use regularly! We now feel “overwhelmed” by smells of commercial laundry detergents, soaps, & perfumes just by walking through store aisles or visiting others homes.)
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Review: Tropical Traditions
*I was sent a free quart of coconut oil in order for me to review it. This by no means swayed my thoughts about the product or my review.
Awhile back Tropical Traditions sent me a quart of extra virgin coconut oil to review. It sure didn’t last long! I love to use coconut oil and go through at least a half a quart a month and the oil from TT was a fine addition to my baking needs. The flavor was great (I’ve had some not so great tasting ones) and it wasn’t overly coconut smelling, but because it was extra virgin it still held all of the nutritional and medicinal benefits.
Another great thing about Tropical Traditions is that they have pretty good prices and run sales. I signed up for their newsletter and get deals and sales in my inbox quite often. Sometimes even a buy one get one free! They also have a lot of good information on their site where you can learn all you need to know about coconut oil.
Personally I’ve really been enjoying using this oil to make Nourishing Fudge and my Grains Free Brownies! What are you’re favorite ways to use coconut oil?
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Cold Kicking Garlic Herb Spread
Although I’ve tried my best to remain healthy and boost my immune system, we had a cold virus hit our house last week. And with the conference coming up….I was NOT getting sick. So I kept up with my regular boosters I turn to, I made some homemade chicken broth for soup and started sinus cleansing two times a day. And then I kicked it up a notch and started eating some yummy antiviral foods. My two favorite being coconut oil (contains lauric acid which has been shown to be a powerful antiviral fatty acid) and garlic (which needs to be consumed raw).
Both of them though are not my favorite things to eat plain, or raw in the case of garlic. Believe me though, I tried. I tried a spoonful of coconut oil, but I about gagged. I tried swallowing cut up raw garlic and it made my stomach upset.
And then my brilliance set in. (hey – no laughing!)
Behold the best recipe ever:
Donielle’s Garlic Herb Butter
- 3 Tbsp softened butter
- 3 Tsp softened/melted coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp dried onion
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 2+ cloves of garlic
Mix all ingredients together and slather over bread, toast, baked potato, etc.
One tip on the garlic, use one of those microplane zesters to really get it to an almost smooth consistency. And add in as much as you can! Raw garlic is supposed to be a great antiviral. I put 4 or 5 good sized cloves in mine and could have done more if it wasn’t for my 3 year old eating it as well.
Also, a word of caution. You will smell after eating so much garlic! I made this about 4 times in a few days and most of it was eaten by me. Good thing I know how good butter actually is for you too! And I still haven’t come down with a cold even though I had all the symptoms of one starting!
I’m also entering this post into the Mountain Rose Herbs Recipe Contest to toss my name into the hat for a $200.00 MRH gift card! I love MRH and all the ingredients I used for this recipe (minus the butter and garlic) came from them. It’s the only place I trust when I want both great quality and great taste in my herbs. (I’m sure sucking up won’t help me win – just thought you’d like to know where to buy awesome herbs)
*fyi – I am not a doctor or medical professional. This is just one moms way of fighting off a cold. And it seems to have worked for me! Use your head and do what you think is right for you and your family. And even if it doesn’t help with a cold, this is just a fabulous way to eat butter!!
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Fertility Diet: part 2.2 (superfoods for fertility)
If you missed the beginning of the series you can catch part one – Traditional Diets and Essential Nutrients and
part 2.1 Superfoods for Fertility.
Iodine
Iodine, a non metallic trace element, is required by our bodies for making thyroid hormones. As in, if you do not have enough iodine in your body you can not make enough thyroid hormones. When our bodies are deficient in this element, it affects our thyroid, adrenals, and entire endocrine system. Not only is it important in a fertility diet, it’s essential in the prenatal and nursing period as well. Infant mortality rates start to climb in areas known for iodine deficiency, and it’s also been linked to higher rates of miscarriage and still birth.
It used to be prevalent in our soil, but unfortunately we’ve destroyed so many of the nutrients with bad farming practices and chemicals that much of what we currently grow is lacking in key nutrients, iodine being one of them. While it’s not found in our soil near as much, it is still prevalent in seafoods. Our bodies can not make it on their own, so you must consume iodine in your diet.
- Fruits and Vegetables grown by the sea, including coconut products
- Blackstrap molasses (158 mcg per 100 grams/3.75 oz)
- Saltwater fish; haddock, whiting, herring (330 mcg per 100 grams)
- Butter from cows fed on iodine rich soil
- Dried Kelp (62,400 mcgs per 100 grams)
- Spinach (56 mcg per 100 grams)
- Milk and dairy products (14 mcg per 100 grams) (at least 20% of iodine is lost during pasteurization so raw is best)
- Eggs (13 mcg per 100 grams)
- (and while iodized salt is actually quite high in iodine, it’ can be rather hard for our bodies to assimilate)
The recommended RDA is a small 150 mcgs for women and increase to 220 when pregnant and 290 when nursing, but are you even eating foods that contain iodine in them? I recently came across a very unscientific and unmedical theory on how to test for iodine deficiency. You take a small amount of iodine (you can find it at any drugstore and it has a yellow tinge to it) and place a small swab of it on the inside of your arm. If you have enough iodine in your body the test patch will stay there for about 24 hours. And the quicker it disappears, the lower your level of iodine. Interestingly, when I tried this my patch was gone in about 6 hours. As with every area of nutrition, I’m currently researching to find out what this information might mean to me and looking at ways of making sure i get enough iodine into my diet.
On the other side of the deficiency coin, is that to much in your body isn’t a good thing either. And because iodine directly affects your thyroid and hormones it may be something you want to work with a health professional on. Hormones are crazy things and we don’t want to go messing around to much without knowing what we’re doing!
Omega 3 fatty acids
There are 3 different types of omega 3 fats; alpha-linolenic acid (ALA- plant based), eicosapentaenioc acid (EPA – animal based), and docosahexaenioc acid (DHA – animal based). Plant based ALA can be found in:
- walnuts
- flaxseed
- hemp.
Animal based EPA and DHA can be found in:
- Egg yolks from pastured chickens {contain two to four times the amount of omega 3’s as conventional eggs ¹}
- oily coldwater fish like salmon, herring, tuna, cod, and trout.
These healthy fats have been shown to help increase a womans fertility by regulating hormones and ovulation as well as increasing both the quantity of fertile cervical mucous and the blood flow to the reproductive organs. It is also thought that these good fats help women who are suffering from endometriosis.¹ And a study done last year suggests that women suffering from infertility, on average, have lower levels of omega 3 fats. ² Men who do not have enough omega 3’s in their system may have issues with sperm production since the DHA within these good fats help protect the sperm from free radicals and damage.
So, how often do you eat foods that are high in nutrients for increased fertility? Other the last few weeks we’ve looked at some of the many things our bodies need – where are you lacking?
I have a lot of new and exciting things coming up here this fall, so make sure you add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email. I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter! **
Real Food Twitter Party
Pardon me while I make an official landing page for the Real Food Twitter Parties!
What is a Twitter Party?
A twitter party consists of a group of people “talking” on twitter using what’s called a hashtag to follow all of the posts. For this particular party we use the hashtag #realfood. Once placed into the search feature on twitter only the #realfood posts will show up. All people must also use this hastag in each post they send so that others can see their comments within the “party” as well.
One really easy way to follow a twitter party is to use a third party site called Tweet Chat that will automatically enter the hashtag in for you, making it super easy to chat!
What is Real Food?
It’s quite common for us to get lots of questions during our “party” when others notice the hashtag in their own twitter feed, so I thought I’d address it here as well.
The Real Food we talk about is normally:
- whole foods in their least processed state
- grassfed, pastured meats, milk, eggs
- organic and sustainable foods
- good fats like butter, ghee, EVOO, coconut oil
- local foods
- foods traditionally eaten by our ancestors
- fermented and cultured foods
- foods prepared in ways that allow us to fully absorb their nutrients (soaking, sprouting, etc.)
- a lot of us follow the nutritional guidelines of Weston A. Price though to different extents
Of course, we’re all slightly different in our eating styles depending on food allergies/sensitivities and where we live. Some of us are just starting out in our journey to whole foods and others have been eating this way for years. The great part about this eclectic group of folks is that there is always someone to ask a question, and always someone there to answer!
When is the Real Food Twitter Party?
We “meet” on the first Thursday of every month from 9-11pm EST and you may join in at any time! Once it gets going, it can go pretty fast and be hard to keep up, but once you get the hang of the conversation it does get easier.
If you’re unable to make it, but have a question you’d love to have answered you can always send me a tweet (@donielle) and I’ll ask for you. I normally try and do a recap of the nights conversation as well within a couple days so that others can read the great stuff we’ve talked about.
Who can join in?
Anyone can join in the conversation at any time. But…..I also ask that you be respectful to others. We all come from different backgrounds and different eating styles. We’re all trying to do our best to feed our families in the healthiest way we know how. (example – while the majority of us are in no way vegetarian, we have been able to have some great conversations and learn from those who are) So please refrain from any and all name calling and other such nonsense. It’s just not cool.
You may of course choose to be a wall flower and just watch the conversation as it happens, but we’d love to know you’re out there so please introduce yourself!!
Want to help spread the word?
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