I used to be quite attached to sugar as I’m sure some of you are, but I had no idea how to reduce my consumption and then replace refined sugars with natural ones.

Whether you’re just starting on your journey to ‘real’ and natural foods, or you’ve been on this road for some time and just need a bit of encouragement, this ebook is for you!

As our Standard American Diet dictates, most of us are addicted to refined sugars. Not only do we dump them into our coffee, and inhale cookies, it’s hidden in almost every processed food we buy. And the problem is, the more we eat it, the more our body craves it.

Along with the 8 weekly challenges you’ll also find:

• My Story with Sugar
• What’s Wrong with Sugar
• Know Your Good Sugars
• Dealing with Cravings
• Links to recipes using natural sweeteners

To download this free ebook, just subscribe to either the daily or weekly email blog updates! If you’re already a subscriber, you’ll see a link at the bottom of your email. This link will take you to the page of free subscriber downloads. (also available are the “Naturally Balanced” and “Is Your Flour Wet?” ebooks!)
Daily Updates:

Weekly Updates:

You can also sign up for the Naturally Knocked Up Community to receive support from others working to eat healthier and reduce their sugar intake.

Remember – you don’t have to sign up again if you already get our emails! Just check the bottom of your emails for a link to the subscriber downloads page.

Enjoy!

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Donielle contacted me recently because so many of her readers were complaining of having a low body temperature – something that is very common, practically universal, among women with standard menstrual and fertility issues. Since I’m notorious for making women hot, yeah baby, and I even have a “Hot Chicks Club” for all the women who have obtained a consistent waking luteal phase body temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or higher… I guess I’m the go-to guy on this issue.

While I could soften it and explain the particulars of the science and massage you into accepting that the advice I have has validity, I think it might be best if I just keep it simple. And slap you upside the head with it. If you would like to find out more about the basis of why the following information works so well (and I have 30,000 comments on my website confirming that it does indeed work very well – for raising body temperature, restoring menstruation, improving fertility, and many other metabolism-related disorders), I have put out several materials on it – the best and most recent being Diet Recovery: Restoring Hormonal Health, Metabolism, Mood, and Your Relationship with Food. 

So let’s get on with it.

The quick explanation of the problem at hand is that if the human body goes through the supply of something faster than it is being delivered, the body downregulates metabolism to slow down the rate at which it burns through stuff (namely calories and nutrients). There are other factors involved, most of them hereditary in nature (but can still be overcome with the right approach).

In a world in which we have developed serious calorie phobia, carbohydrate phobia, fat phobia, couch potato phobia, saturated fat and cholesterol phobia, and more – almost all women in today’s society have grown so accustomed to actively eating below appetite, with dietary restriction, and exercising vigorously that they don’t even realize that they are basically engaged in disordered eating.

This is particularly harmful to women who are already coming into the world with a suppressed metabolism, which is becoming increasingly common due to our nutrient-poor diet, the dieting our mothers did (kids of dieting mothers have a known increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes), chronic physiological stressors, and countless other factors.

To make a long story short, if you have a reduced morning body temperature (this is the most important time to check as this is the best indicator of your absolute lowest metabolic rate), cold hands and feet (another powerful indicator of low metabolism), or other signs of a low metabolism (constipation, frequent infection, yeast issues, chronic fatigue, low sex drive, abnormal menstrual cycle, thinning hair, puffy eyes or water retention, poor fingernail growth, poor strength, hypoglycemia, and others) – the typical modern approach of beating yourself into submission with dietary restriction (even just being a health nut) and lots of “cardio” exercise will take you much farther away from a healthy metabolism. It is counterproductive and worsens the underlying disorder.

Dr. Atkins perhaps said it best when he wrote…

“…remember that prolonged dieting (this one [meaning the Atkins diet], low-fat, low-calorie, or a combination) tends to shut down thyroid function. This is usually not a problem with the thyroid gland (therefore blood tests are likely to be normal) but with the liver, which fails to convert T4 into the more active thyroid principle, T3. The diagnosis is made on clinical ground with the presence of fatigue, sluggishness, dry skin, coarse or falling hair, an elevation in cholesterol, or a low body temperature. I ask my patients to take four temperature readings daily before the three meals and near bedtime. If the average of all these temperatures, taken for at least three days, is below 97.8 degrees F (36.5 C), that is usually low enough to point to this form of thyroid problem; lower readings than that are even more convincing.”

Keep in mind that the metabolic rate – the active thyroid in your system being a primary factor in your metabolic rate, determines the rate at which pregnenalone is converted to progesterone – the pro-gestation hormone. That’s why, when metabolism is low, fertility is poor. When metabolism increases, your chances of conception and a successful pregnancy skyrocket. I highly recommend going through the following steps to anyone looking to get pregnant – whether having problems or not. Having a high metabolism going into pregnancy, and producing abundant progesterone has all kinds of benefits to the offspring – from increased brain size/development to increased ratio of muscle mass to body fat. And it’s good for moms too. Progesterone increases the elasticity of cervical tissues! Making childbirth a LOT less painful.

Alright, so we’re finally getting to the useful stuff. If you consistently have a body temperature below 98 degrees F when you wake up in the morning (rectal temps being the most reliable), you can fix this. It is not hard, unless you consider being on vacation and spa days hard. It is very common for people of all ages, male and female, to see increases in body temperature from as low as 95F to 98F and above in less than 30 days. It really is that simple and reliable. The hard part is getting people to try it because it sounds so strange in contrast to the exercise more/eat less, ‘carbs are the devil’ and/or ‘saturated fat is the devil’ and ‘no pain no gain’ brainwashing that has taken place over the last half century.

To raise body temperature and increase your chances of having a successful pregnancy…

1. Eat as much nutritious food as you can every day. Emphasize the more calorie-dense unrefined carbohydrates like root vegetables, fruit, and grains in particular, but also eat a satisfying amount of meat, fat, dairy products (milk is incredible for body temperature), and whatever else that you find enjoyable. But keep it as nutritious and unprocessed as possible.
2. Eat beyond appetite. This is key. Eating more than you want to eat is what forces your body to get out of its low metabolism rut.
3. Go at least 12 hours straight per day without food – you don’t want to be overeating for more than half the day. So if you eat dinner at 7pm, have breakfast at 7am. I believe this practice can make the body more responsive to the hormone leptin, probably the most important hormone in fertility (because it raises thyroid and progesterone).
4. Get as much sleep as possible. Sleep is an incredibly powerful tool for raising metabolism.
5. Avoid vigorous exercise. This is not a permanent recommendation obviously. You can resume getting more vigorous exercise once your body temperature is fully restored.
6. Emphasize saturated fats over unsaturated fats. Dairy products, red meat, and coconut products are the best source of dietary saturated fats. You should eat these preferentially over nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, avocado, and other plant fats – as well as pork and poultry, when possible.
7. De-stress. While eating a lot, sleeping a lot, and avoiding excessive exercise is inherently de-stressing, it also pays to spend time doing something that you find leisurely or enjoyable and mentally and physically relaxing, which is highly individual. Massage and sunbathing would be my two personal favorites!

And, well. That’s all there is to it.

Enjoy.

Note – you will probably not feel well when you start doing this, but will feel bloated, hungover, and extremely fatigued and drowsy. Those are not bad signs, but signs of deep physiological relaxation and/or signs of adjustment to the new transition. Be patient. Give it a full 30-day trial.

Matt Stone, author of 7 books, is an independent health researcher who emphasizes the dangers of dieting and restricted and restrained eating of many varieties, and raising metabolism naturally. He is the voice of www.180degreehealth.com

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But now my adrenals seem fine and yet I’m plagued with issues coming from……somewhere.

After talking with me for an hour, my naturopathic doctor decided to start treating my thryoid glands and one of the treatments is supplemental iodine.

What is Iodine?

I’ve actually talked about iodine here before, it was part of my Superfoods for Fertility post, and yet it seems even I still struggle to get enough iodine in my diet.

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. – Superfoods for Fertility

Iodine is critical to human health. It forms the basis of thyroid hormones and plays many other roles in human biochemistry. While the thyroid gland contains the body’s highest concentration of iodine, the salivary glands, brain, cerebrospinal fluid, gastric mucosea, breasts, ovaries and a part of the eye also concentrate iodine. In the brain, iodine is found in the choroid plexus, the area on the ventricles of the brain where cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced, and in the substantia nigra, an area associated with Parkinson’s disease. – WAPF, Sally Fallon, The Great Iodine Debate

Depending on where you live in the country, it can actually put you at greater risk for an iodine deficiency. As for me – I live in what’s known as the “goiter belt”, an area of the country that struggles with getting enough iodine, due to the lack of fresh seafoods in our diet. (The ocean and the animals that live in it are magnificent sources of iodine)

Before the 1920s, iodine deficiency was common in the Great Lakes, Appalachian, and Northwestern U.S. regions and in most of Canada. Treatment of iodine deficiency by the introduction of iodized salt has virtually eliminated the “goiter belt” in these areas. However, many other parts of the world do not have enough iodine available through their diet and iodine deficiency continues to be an important public health problem globally. (source)

Iodine was added to the salt we routinely eat, which has taken care of much of the goiter issue, but are we still deficient enough to cause other health issues? And what about those of us who choose to no longer consume iodized salt?

Food Sources of Iodine

Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency

• Goiter – Without enough iodine in the body, the thyroid enlarges (develops a goiter) as it tries to keep up with demand for thyroid hormone production.
• Cretinism – a condition commonly characterised by mental retardation, deaf-mutism, squint, disorders of stance and gait, and stunted growth in children of mothers who were iodine deficient.
• Hypothyroidism
• Depression
• Dry skin
• Fatigue
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Menstrual cycle abnormalities
• Thinning and brittleness of the hair and nails
• Unintended weight gain
• Weakness

Iodine deficiency has also been tied to fibrocystic breasts and breast cancer.

Iodine Patch Skin Test, or Iodine “Painting”

One of the treatments that my naturopath wants me doing right now, is iodine painting, a transdermal supplementation of iodine. Though the use of Lugol’s Iodine Solution I can gage the iodine status within my body and also supplement with iodine at the same time.

Since there is no test that measures the level of iodine in the body, you can actually use this iodine solution to see where your own iodine levels are because your body will only absorb what it needs. And the solution is yellow so you’ll be able to see how long it takes.

Skin Patch Test:

• Use a yellow iodine, like Lugol’s solution
• Place a drop of the iodine on a thin area of skin, like the inside of your arm.
• Note the length in hours it takes to disappear.

If your body has an adequate amount of iodine, the stain should last about 24 hours. Some of it will evaporate and so it’s difficult to know exactly how much you’re absorbing, but it’s a tried and true method used my many holistic practitioners.

The inefficient uptake of iodine from the skin and slow release can be seen as an advantage for those wishing to safely improve their iodine status without medical supervision. This treatment does not seem to provoke a detoxification reaction that often occurs with oral ingestion of Lugol’s. (source)

My patch test lasted for three hours. *ahem*

Over the last 3 weeks I’ve dutifully reapplied the iodine solution (about 3 drops spread over a thin area of skin – about the size of my palm) each time I’ve noticed it has disappeared. It’s slowly been taking longer to disappear, being visible about 8 hours later. I’m hopeful that in a few more weeks I’ll be closer to 24 hours.

There are of course cautions when using iodine, especially when someone has a thyroid disorder.

Taking too much iodine can also cause problems. This is especially true in individuals that already have thyroid problems, such as nodules, hyperthyroidism and autoimmune thyroid disease. Administration of large amounts of iodine through medications (ie Amiodarone), radiology procedures (iodinated intravenous dye) and dietary excess (Dulce, kelp) can cause or worsen hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. (source)

There are also cautions against using it internally due to some detoxifying effects from the iodine, so I suggest you work with a holistic health practitioner if you plan on taking it internally.

Have you ever done the iodine patch test? Or worked on supporting your thyroid through supplemental iodine?

More reading:

Thyroid and Homeopathic Iodine

The Great Iodine Debate

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Natural balance is about eating clean and as close to the source as possible. There’s no need to deprive yourself when you’re trying to conceive or balance hormones; there is a vast array of foods that can help you feel great and energized everyday.

Whole Grains

Sticking to healthy whole grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wild rice, cornmeal and oatmeal you’ll realize how much better you feel as these options won’t alter your blood sugar and insulin as dramatically as their white friends will (white flour, white rice, white bread). Try whole grain pasta with fresh tomato sauce and fresh marjoram, a whole grain pita filled with steamed vegetables, almond butter and sesame seeds, create a balsamic quinoa dish with cashews and fresh thyme.**

Fresh Produce

The antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables will do wonders for you and your husband. Try to purchase organic as often as possible; aim for a fresh fruit and veggie at each meal. Try spinach in your morning omelet, red bell peppers and salsa for a snack, berries in your Greek yogurt parfait, bananas in your oatmeal, fresh orange and grapefruit juice as the dressing for your salad, steamed fennel and leeks added to your favorite soup recipe. See how easy it can be to sneak in a few new fruits and veggies into your daily eats?

Fresh herbs are also a great way to add flavor to all of your dishes; I love cilantro, rosemary, marjoram, basil and sage but don’t stop there- there’s a whole garden of herbs that you can experiment with. Try a bit of mint in your evening tea or some cilantro in your tomato sauce; how about basil in your salmon salad?

Plant Proteins

Beans, legumes, peas, nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of protein and can be used in recipes from stews to hummus, salsa to stir-fries, nut butters to chili. Toss some peas onto your lunchtime salad, cook up a batch of black beans to store in your fridge for the week to use in your scrambled eggs, homemade hummus, burritos, wraps and rice dishes. Carry around a Ziploc bag filled with chia seeds for a nice dose of protein when traveling or running errands where there are no healthy protein options; you can sprinkle a bit of these seeds onto your cereal, salads, baked goods, pilafs and smoothies.

Healthy Fats

We all need a bit of healthy fat in our lifestyles and there’s no need to shun the three letter word or be scared of eating foods with fat because we all need fat to survive and for our bodies to properly function. Try a mashed avocado with a slice of whole grain toast with fresh arugula and tomato slices. Or whip up an easy hummus with chickpeas, chia seeds, extra virgin olive oil and red beets for a quick mid-day snack that can be enjoyed with crudités, a toasted English muffin or whole grain crackers. Roast some pumpkin seeds in your oven with olive oil, cinnamon and sea salt; store in Ziploc bags for an easy travel snack that you can store in your bag when you need a bit of a blood sugar boost.

White Bean Sage Hummus

Makes 8 (1/3-cup) servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans (Great Northern, white kidney or cannelloni), drained and rinsed
• 1 small Vidalia onion, minced
• 1 small plum tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 springs fresh sage, rinsed
• 2 tsp. ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Method of Preparation

1. Drain liquid from beans, reserving 3/4 cup.

2. Place half of the beans in food processor. Add reserved bean liquid and blend. Mix in other half of beans with remaining ingredients.

3. Transfer to serving dishes. Serve chilled with crudités.

4. Enjoy.

Amie Valpone, HHC, AADP is a Manhattan based Culinary Nutritionist, Marketing Consultant, recipe developer and food writer specializing in Gluten Free, Soy Free and Dairy Free Culinary Nutrition.  Amie is the author of the gluten-free blog, The Healthy Apple and is the Publisher and Marketing Director of the online gluten-free magazine, Easy Eats.

Amie shares her passion for and approach to ‘Clean Eating’ by focusing on natural, whole foods and ingredients. She’s a Food Media Expert and works hands-on with individuals and groups as a Food Allergy Concierge and Healthy Family Pantry Stylist to guide them through their transition into a healthier lifestyle.

 **it’s recommended that all whole grains be properly soaked or fermented before consumption

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I often get asked this question, and a lot of people want to know what I’m taking and why. So let’s address that shall we?

photo credit: detroitsunrise

When the world was first created, our food was perfect and supplied all of our needs. After the fall of man things changed and the ground became “cursed”, we had to toil in the fields for our food. After the flood, things may have changed even more – plants may not have resurfaced in certain areas, the ground was changed yet again.

And then we humans have done our own damage to the ground we walk on, the same ground that feeds the food we then eat. Whether it’s plant or vegetable matter, all of our food gets its nutrients from the stores in the ground. And our modern-day agriculture has damages this precious source of nutrients quite drastically in just the last 50-100 years. Most soil no longer has the same amount of vitamins and minerals as it once did. And the soil is artificially fertilized with less absorb-able synthetic minerals.

I highly believe that whole foods is the foundation for good health, yet I and many other whole food fanatics still take supplements. And the amount that I take has grown and changed over the years. Yet, how can I justify it? I mean, even my husband asked me at dinner the other night why I feel it’s acceptable to take pills for nutrients.

I feel that in a perfect world, we wouldn’t need them. People who have always eaten and stayed on a nutrient rich, whole foods diet probably don’t need them. But my body has been damaged by 25 years of eating a standard american diet. I went through phases of starving myself to lose weight, I was on the birth control pill for 4 years – my body just doesn’t work like it should and I’m still in the process of healing. So for that reason I take supplements based on my particular symptoms as well as a pre-natal vitamin.

What to look for:

When you’re looking for supplements, the biggest thing to look for is one made from whole foods.many times these will be listed as “raw” or “whole foods based”. Of course, many still have issues, like vitamin A being plant-based and not animal based, maybe folic acid is used instead of the natural based folate. But they will be miles better than regular vitamins.

And you can also look to herbs for vitamins and minerals as well – this way you truly are using whole foods!

A simple whole foods pre-natal is a great choice for those trying to conceive, but if you have deeper issues that need healing I would highly suggest you consult a naturopath, chiropractor, or holistic health counselor who uses nutritional response testing and/or can look at your symptoms and best “prescribe” certain supplements. I’ve had great luck going this route, and the supplements were tailored to my specific issues, allowing for healing.

What am I taking now? Well…… I’m currently healing and building after a miscarriage and seem to have some thyroid issues going on (and I’m working with a naturopath), but I take a raw prenatal, fermented cod liver oil, vitamin C, desiccated adrenal and ovary, calcium/magnesium, and iodine. I don’t always take all of these and I’m looking to get back to taking just the prenatal, fish oil, and calcium/magnesium. But in the short-term, my body needs the extra nutrients.

What are your thoughts on supplements?

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photo credit: andybutkaj

Our body has many different ways that it natural detoxifys, and there are also some things we can do to help it along. One alternative “detox” method commonly talked about is called dry brushing.

The thought behind this is that you’ll stimulate the lymph system to move faster, while it is normally quite sluggish.

“The lymphoid system is the part of the immune system comprising a network of conduits called lymphatic vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph (from Latin lympha “water”^[1]) unidirectionally toward the heart.” – Wikipedia

This system also carries out toxins from the body, and it moves from the end of our appendages toward the heart. By dry brushing, what you do is take a body brush and starting at the end of your legs or arms, brushing in a circular motion toward the heart, stimulating the system to move faster and thereby helping toxins move more quickly out of the body. (the system empties near the heart) It’s “dry” because you do this before you would take a shower.

But is it effective and does it work?

I was recently asked my thoughts on this as a reader was not wanting to continue to “detox” her body, but enjoyed the dry brushing, and I thought since we talk about detoxification here at NKU every once in a while that I might as well discuss it here.

Awhile back I went to a local seminar on detoxification and cleansing, put on by our health food store and taught by a local naturopath. I was hoping he’d discuss this a bit as I’d tried it for a while but didn’t know if it was quite working. Let’s just say he basically poo-poo’d the whole thing.

I guess since the lymph system moves so slowly, it needs a lot more stimulation than simple dry brushing. He mentioned that it was much more effective if you actually used your hands and “squeegeed” toward your heart. So starting at your feet, you’d wrap your hands around your leg and while using a bit of pressure, you’d pull up and massage toward the heart. Taking extra pulls at joints since that’s where many of the lymphatic glands are.

But he did say that dry brushing was a great exfoliant. And that it was good for stimulating circulation, so it does have its benefits even if it doesn’t do as much detoxification as some would like. Plus it makes for healthier and prettier skin.

So what do you think of dry brushing? Have you done it? Have you noticed a difference in your body at all?

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Well, not so much.

I used to avoid fat like it would be the death of me. And then I had my cholesterol checked only to find that at 23, I had extremely high cholesterol. So high that if I had been older, they would have put me on statins right away. My ‘bad’ cholesterol was through the roof, and it scared the living daylights out of me – especially since heart disease was in my family. I wouldn’t touch anything that had saturated fat in it; buying low fat cheese {gross!} and fake animal products instead. For six months I ate nasty tasting food trying to get my cholesterol down. And to show for it? It worked.

A little bit.

A couple years later, after trying unsuccessfully to stick to a no-fat diet, I found traditional foods, and began to throw away my vegetable oils and margarine. I bought full fat yogurt and milk, and began eating more red meat. {Todd was thrilled!} After years of me telling him he was going to die eating all that full fat stuff, I was now touting it as healthy.

But was it?

Well, I had my cholesterol checked again and after about 6 months on a whole foods diet, my cholesterol was at 168, down from 258 where it was at my very first blood draw.{I was also ovulating regularly for the first time} I felt better than I had in a long time…..fat is here to stay in my diet!

Luckily the popular decision on fat is slowly swinging back to the positive aspects of fat, it’s not all that bad!

Consuming fat in our foods in actually really important for hormone balance, and cholesterol is needed to produce progesterone. We need it for our bodies to work correctly, for our brains to function properly, and to reproduce. Did you know that when Native American couples had trouble conceiving that they put them on bear fat diets.

Supposedly it always worked.

The problem is, there are a lot of bad fats out there too. Fats that contribute to disease and degeneration of our bodies, and are over processed. They are also high in omega 6 fats, which cause us to have way to much omega 6 and not enough omega 3′s, causing inflammation and health problems.

The Good Fats

The following are the fats that I use in my kitchen. They are made from whole foods and minimally processed. It’s also important to note that any animal fats should be organic! Toxins are commonly stored in fat cells, so the cleaner the animal, the cleaner the fat.

Butter – most commonly made from the cream of cows milk, but can also be made from goat or sheep milk, butter offers many needed nutrients. For thousands of years, butter was prized for it’s health benefits! It has an easily absorbable form of vitamin A which is essential to thyroid function. Organic butter is best due to the fact that some toxins can accumulate in the fat cells of animals. Raw butter is even better (pasteurization can damage nutrients), and cultured raw butter is the best you can find!

I make my own butter when I have access to extra cream. And time. Next I try to buy grassfed butter (Kerrygold is good), and then finally organic. I rarely ever buy regular butter due to the fact that toxins are stored in fat – so toxins from a cow’s diet can end up in the butter.

Lard (or pork fat) – was widely used in America during the turn of the 21st century, but has fallen out of favor as the low fat diet has gained in popularity. A good source of vitamin D, lard is also high in monounsaturated fats. It’s solid at room temp and one of the preferred fats for frying due to it’s high smoke point. You can render your own lard if you get the excess fat when you buy a portion of beef from the butcher. Organic lard is hard for me to find, so I don’t use it very often.

Tallow (beef fat) – like lard, tallow is high in monounsaturated fats and when grass fed is also a great source of CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) an important anti-cancer property. Tallow is solid at room temp and it’s a great fat for use in frying.

Poultry fat – (duck, goose, chicken) semi-solid at room temperature, poultry fat is about 50% monounsaturated. The omega 3 fats available depend on what the bird has eaten and may vary. Good for use in cooking and frying. I tend to skim off the fat when I make broth out of a pastured chicken and use it for cooking.

Olive oil - rich in anti-oxidants, olive oil should be purchased as ‘extra virgin’. This slightly cloudy oil is made from the first pressing of the olives. Use olive oil in salad dressing and low temperature cooking.

Coconut oil – solid when stored at less than 76 degrees, this tropical oil has many health benefits. It can help improve insulin secretion and the utilization of blood glucose, provides quick energy (the medium chain fatty acids), and helps to boost the immune system. Always look for extra virgin coconut oil, though it will have a slight coconut flavor. I find it works wonderfully in baking due to it’s slightly sweet flavor, allowing me to lower the amount of sugar I use in a recipe.

Peanut oil – a relatively stable oil for use on a limited basis for stir-frys (it has a rather high ratio of omega 6 fats).

Sesame oil – like peanut oil, it weighs heavier on the omega 6 side of the scale, but can be used on a limited basis for stir frys.

Flaxseed oil – with a high level of omega 3 fats in flaxseed oil, this oil is fine on a limited basis and in small amounts. Best for salads. (may be slightly estrogenic)

The way I use fats in my kitchen is also based on their source. I regularly use animal fats in heated applications, reserving the more fragile oils like extra virgin olive oil and flax oil for unheated preparations like dressings.

The fats I don’t use consist of margarine, vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola), and anything hydrogenated.

Fats from good healthy sources can be a wonderful addition to your diet. Not only do the fats themselves add nutrients to your body, but they also help your body absorb and utilize other vitamins and minerals from the other foods you eat. Without fat in the diet we can easily become malnourished.

What are your favorite fats to consume and how do you use them?

this post is linked to Real Food Wednesday

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My Natural Fertility Manifesto

• Processed foods have no place in a diet meant to nourish the body and balance the hormones. These foods are prepared in ways that denature the nutrients so that they become unavailable to our bodies. They also add chemicals to foods to add color, flavor, and preserve them for storage. These chemicals alter the way our bodies see foods, causing us to overeat as well as affecting many different aspects of our natural function. All foods should be “real” and whole foods.

1. Meats, dairy products, eggs, and animal fats should be preferably from grass-fed animals to ensure nutrient density. Organic is the next go-to preference, and regular store bought last. When you consume grass-fed meats you’ll find they are higher in fat soluble vitamins that are essential for hormone development.

2. Grains should be traditionally soaked whenever possible. By doing do, you’ll make sure that the nutrients are more readily absorbable by the body and easier to digest making less work for your digestive system.

3. Fats should be from wholesome sources, the least processed the better. Many of our current vegetable oils are over processed and rancid by the time we use them. Stick to fats that scientists haven’t messed with.

4. Produce should be organic whenever possible – and eat plenty of them. Eating in season and locally is best not only for your budget, but for nutrition as well. I’m a big believer that God chose to have certain foods ripen when our bodies are most able to utilize certain nutrients. (ex. Spring is a great time for greens which are cleansing – our bodies are naturally more receptive to cleansing in the spring)

5. Milk should be consumed in an uncooked form, from grass-fed cows/goats/etc whenever possible. This ensures that the nutrients are more bio available and have not been damaged by heat. If raw milk is not available, pasteurized milk from grass-fed and/or organic animals is the preferred choice. I choose not to consume conventional dairy milk.

6. I will choose to make most foods in my kitchen instead of eating out or buying convenience foods.
   

• I will make an effort to keep the environment I live in free of chemicals.

1. This means making my own cleaning supplies or buying natural products.

2. I will make most of my beauty care supplies or buy from those who make them.

3. I will keep my home clean and air it out whenever possible.

• My body needs to move more.

1. Daily exercise or an active lifestyle is to be maintained

2. Yoga at least once per week to help balance the hormones.

3. A concerted effort will be made to limit “down time” or vegging in front of the t.v.

• Holistic health is an important part of healing and balancing the body.

1. Charting will be a part of my daily routine and I will follow the ideals of lunaception.

2. I will work with my chiropractor and naturopath to find any supplemental needs my body may have and to fix my symptoms by treating the cause instead of the symptom.

What do you include in your natural fertility manifesto?

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But to make it easier on myself, I also came up with a checklist of foods that I want to try to get in each day, most days of the week. (you can download it on the front page of the forum if you haven’t signed up yet, you can do so here. If you’ve already signed up and are reading this via email- the link to the forum is at the very top)

I’m hoping that having a visual reminder of the good foods I need will help me nourish my body in the best way possible.

The basic guidelines I set for myself mirror the way traditional cultures ate. Real foods, not processed, and prepared in ways that allow our bodies to absorb the most nutrients.

• Traditional Diets and Essential Nutrients
  
• Superfoods for Fertility part one
• Superfoods for Fertility part two
• Other important nutrients
• Foods to Avoid
• What a Fertility Diet Can Look Like

“The cause of all menstrual issues is: not enough nutrients getting in – not enough of the bad getting out”

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1. Focus on the good stuff

Fill your plate with foods you know will feed and nourish your body first. Stick to meat and vegetable based dishes first to fill up on things that won’t affect your blood sugar so severely. And make sure to drink enough liquids (healthy ones…..) so that you’re not eating extra just because you’re really thirsty.

2. Make smart splurges

It’s somehow become customary to indulge in a multitude of desserts during the holiday, but we all know that’s not smart! Stick to desserts that are homemade (less preservatives and coloring) and try to go for ones that are full of more produce instead of only chocolate and sugar. Beware of the candies that sit around the house in bowls. My thinking is- Grandma’s apple pie that I get only once a year is a better splurge than store bought candy……..

And save your indulgences for just one moment out of the day. Constant grazing on sugary foods leads to chronic crashing of your blood sugar levels which feed the cravings for sweets. Have your pie! Just eat all your sweets at once so you’re not yo-yo-ing throughout the day.

3. Allow yourself grace

We all make mistakes now and again, yet overindulging in sweets is a forgivable offense. Don’t beat yourself up, but don’t fall into the “well, I’ve already ruined my nutrition for the day, I’ll just keep eating junk” mentality either. So you went back for seconds on the pie – big deal. But don’t let that cause you to graze on sweets all day long just because you made the decision to eat more than you originally wanted to.

Most of all remember this.

You are worthy of good health.

If you’re joining me on the 30-day challenge, it’s a tough day to get started, huh? But today is just the beginning: go fill yourself up with nutrient rich foods, make smart splurges, and allow yourself grace. We’re also getting started on charting tomorrow morning so make sure you put your thermometer next to your bedside and take your temperature before you get out of the bed in the morning! Mark it down on either a paper chart or sign up for Fertility Flower and enter your information there.

Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!

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