Fertility Diet: part 2.1 (Super Foods for Fertility)

In part one of this fertility diet series we talked a bit about the essential nutrients needed for our reproductive parts to work at peak performance. This week we’ll discuss a bit about where we find these nutrients. And like I’ve said before, this is not an exclusive list, I’ll keep adding new data as I come across it!

The Problem in Our Modern Diets

Unfortunately most of us  no longer consume the foods that nourish our bodies! At. All. Even the “healthy” and “organic” foods we buy in the stores have been pasteurized and processed so that it damages all the precious vitamins and minerals. The standard American diet is now full of white sugars and flours, chemicals and preservatives, all robbing our bodies of the vital nutrients we actually do consume.

Vitamin D

Again, this important vitamin supports the production of estrogen in both men and women¹ , is needed for insulin production, and is key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow. Vitamin D is also activated into an endocrine hormone within the body.

And it seems that “primitive” societies knew better than us on how to fullfill their daily requirements for Vitamin D as intestines, organ meats, skin and fat from certain land animals, as well as oily fish are all rich in this important nutrient. When is the last time you had some intestine with your meal?

Yea, that’s what I thought.

Other ways to increase your Vitamin D intake would be to include the following in your diet. (IU per 3.75oz or 100 grams)

• Cod Liver Oil – is actually the richest source of vitamin D!(²) (and the good news is, it also contains vitamin A for better assimilation in the body)
• Lard/Tallow - (from grassfed and pastured animals) the second richest source of vitamin D.
• Pastured Eggs -especially the yolks and from chickens who have had regular access to run around in the great outdoors eating grass, worms, and other insects.
• Wild Caught Fish - especially fatty fish like herring
• Butter – (from grass fed cows)
• Organ Meats – I know -eww right? But they are chock full of nutrients!
• Sunlight
  

The way the animals are raised and fed also has a lot to do with the amount of nutrients you gain from eating products made from them. Animals that are allowed to be out in the pasture are recommended, as the exposure to UV-B rays from the sun allow the animals body to produce more vitamin D. Thus giving more vitamin D to us!

You’ll also notice that while the above mentioned foods are high in Vitamin D themselves, many of them are also high in cholesterol. Now, you’ll have to believe me here a minute as I tell you that cholesterol is not bad for you – in fact it’s very necessary! (I’ll get into the cholesterol debate later) But, vitamin D is actually synthesized from the cholesterol in our body when we are exposed to the sun.

Modern RDA requirements are a measly 400 IU per day. From what I’ve seen from the Weston A Price Foundation as well as other natural/holistic doctors, they recommend at least double that amount.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A  can be classified into one of 2 groups. Retinols, which are found in animal products, and carotenoids (beta carotene), found in plant foods. The great thing about retinols is that the body can easily convert this to a usable form of vitamin A. It takes a lot more beta carotene on the other hand to come up with the same amount of usable vitamin A. And infants and children as well as those in poor health (decreased thyroid function, celiac, diabetes) or on low fat diets, already have an even harder time converting beta carotene.

The list of foods below are per 3.75oz (or 100 grams)

• Beef Liver (30,000 IU)
• Butter and Cream – again, levels will be higher on cows fed growing grass.
• High Vitamin Cod Liver Oil (230,000 IU)
• Regular Cod Liver Oil (100,000 IU)
• Eggs from pastured chickens contain 2/3 more Vitamin A than conventional eggs and 7 times more beta carotene. ¹

The current RDA for vitamin A stands at 5000 IU though the WAPF (Weston A Price Foundation) seems to think that the work of Price showed primitive diets contained almost 50,000IUs per day.³ And as you can see, it wouldn’t be hard to get well over 5000 IUs just by making sure you get a small amount of just one of these foods into your diet each day.

Vitamin E

Again, this is also a fat soluble vitamin, but it’s also an important antioxidant. And being an antioxidant basically means that it deactivates free radicals within our bodies. Vitamin E also has a property in it known as tocopherol. It was given the name after a fertility study was done with rats in 1936 and in Greek this means “to bring forth a child”.

• Butter – from grassfed cows
  
• Organ Meats
• Grains – vitamin E is found in the wheat kernel which is removed to make white flour. It is also easily damaged during processing and can become oxidized. Freshly ground wheat is always best!
• Seeds – sunflowers contain 35mg per 3.75oz
• Nuts -  almonds contain 26 mg per 3.75oz (90% of which is tocopherol!)
• Legumes – varies from 7mg to 28 mg depending on variety
  
• Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
• Unrefined (and unheated) oils like olive and sunflower oil
• Pastured eggs also contain 3 times more vitamin E than conventional eggs.¹

Current RDA is 15mg for both adult men and women. I can’t find anything else regarding how much we should consume, but it seems to me that a diet of fresh ‘real’ foods and freshly ground grains would be much higher than this.

Vitamin K2

Is a fat soluble compound that assists vitamins A & D, also known as Activator X by Weston A Price. It is found in certain fatty parts of animals that feed on young green growing plants. And the growing grass is the most important part of that statement! What happens is the animals eat rapidly growing plants, which are high in vitamin K1. Part of this K1 is then converted by the animals tissues to K2. And the amounts of Kz within the animal products will then vary widely depending on what the animal eats and when they eat it. Sources include:

• Liver
• Egg Yolks
• Butter
• High vitamin butter oil {natural supplement}
• Fish Eggs

If you’d like to read even more about vitamin K2, I’d recommend an article written by Chris Masterjohn, “On the Trail of the Elusive X-Factor: A Sixty-Two-Year-Old Mystery Finally Solved”. It’s more complex than what I can ever get into.

So are you noticing any trends yet?

To Be Continued………. (part 2.2 iodine and omega-3’s)

1.Mother Earth News - free range egg

2.Vitamin D is Synthesized From Cholesterol and Found in Cholesterol-Rich Foods by Chris Masterjohn May 5, 2006

3. Vitamin A Saga

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Fertility Diet: part one (traditional diets and essential nutrients)

This series has been on my mind now for a very long time, but there is so much information out there that I’ve hesitated to post it since I don’t want to miss anything. But I’ll do my best to include as much as I can, just know that this is not an exhaustive list and I’ll add more as I come across it.

Traditional Diets

I love the work of Weston A Price for the fact that he researched (and photographed) traditional cultures.

tra·di·tion:

1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice
2. something that is handed down
3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting
4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices

As a dentist here in the United States, he became concerned with how much tooth decay was becoming present in our society. So he traveled the world looking for and researching why other cultures did not have the same problems. What he found was that not only did these people (who’s diets included no processed or refined foods) have no tooth decay or need for corrective braces, they were full of vitality and health. They did not have problems with fertility and pregnancy, cancer and heart disease were unknown, and as a whole they were happy and mentally healthy.

He found that the reasons behind this were because of what they ate and how they ate it.

He also found that eating for fertility was extremely important to them, no matter the country or tribe they came from. In some cultures it was customary for couples to refrain from getting married until after the women had been able to consume these nutrients for a certain number of months when these foods were in season. Many other cultures found it very important for women to eat certain foods before marriage and traveled far distances to provide it for them. And other cultures even held special ceremonies that included many of these foods.

*It intrigues me to no end that although these people had no real knowledge of why they needed certain nutrients (or even what those nutrients were!) they knew from generation to generation how to build healthy bodies and healthy babies.*

Nutrients For Fertility

Dairy and seafoods seemed to be prominent fertility foods for these indigenous people. And together they offer nutrients that without, a women can not conceive; vitamins A, D, E, and K2, iodine, and omega-3 fats. Unfortunately most of us eating a modern American diet are basically eating ourselves into infertility by not consuming the foods that nourish our bodies with these essential nutrients.

Vitamin A: fat soluble vitamin that promotes better cervical fluid and helps ensure follicles develop correctly

Vitamin D: fat soluble vitamin that supports the production of estrogen in both men and women¹ , is needed for insulin production, and is key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow.

Vitamin E: plays an important role in sperm production, may help normalize hormone production, and is needed for proper absorption of fat soluble vitamins.

Vitamin K2: (referred to as activator X by Weston Price) is important in helping the body utilized proteins by working in combination with Vitamins A&D.

Iodine: a mineral needed for thyroid function and the production of sex hormones² and the utilization of iodine requires vitamin A.

Omega-3 fats: helps regulate hormones, increases cervical fluid, promotes ovulation, and increases blood flow to the reproductive organs.³

To be continued……..

Join me for the rest of the series!

Part 2 – Super Foods for Fertility – where to find these essential nutrients

Part 3 – Other important nutrients

Part 4 – Foods to Avoid

Part 5 – How to Eat and What a Fertility Diet Looks Like

Some of my sources:

1.The Miracle of D

2. Mineral Primer

3. Omega-3 and fertility

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Sorry Doctor Oz,

but I disagree with you.

A reader sent me a note a couple weeks ago about Dr. Oz’s new book “You, Having a Baby” and mentioned that there was a lot of unfortunate nutritional advice that she knew I’d be totally against. But before I just ran with it, I figured I needed to go check out the book for myself.

So yesterday I headed to the bookstore to see if I could find it. And well…..there is some good information in there along with some not so great advice, and even some advice that contradicts itself. I took 20 minutes or so and skimmed through the book and I’ll outline some of what stuck out to me.

Page 83

+ mentions kefir!

- also mentions eating edamame (soy beans)

- and says to eat low fat cheese

Page 84

+ advises to stay away from artificial sweeteners (quote “Aspertame hangs out in your body for 36 hours. Bleech”)

- But then they advise to use agave syrup instead.

Page 85

+ advises to use more organic produce and even lists the 12 most and least contaminated.

Page 152

+ mentions doulas, what they are and how to find one!

Then on page 286 they break down what foods are “Good Fuels” and “Bad Fuels” And while they do have some very good points on both lists, I’ll list just the ones I have an issue with.

Good Fuels I have issue with:

- lean meat; less than 4 grams saturated fat per serving (where oh where will the baby’s get the fat they need for good brain development)

- low fat yogurt (again – baby’s need fat!)

- soy products (tofu, edamame, tempeh)

- organic skim milk (seriously why would we put babies on low fat diets?! Plus organic milk is normally ultra pasteurized – ick)

The it goes on to totally contradict the advice to eat soy by saying, quote ” You may choose to limit soy milk to 1 – 2 glasses daily because of phytoestrogens; there’s concern that they cause feminization of the brain and other organs, including sex organs.”

The one “Bad Fuel” I have issue with:

- saturated fats; from 4 legged animals and palm and coconut oils (We all need fat! Especially growing babies!)

+ The rest included HFCS, soda, simple sugars, bleached flours, and other items that I do agree with.

They also included a section on infertility and while I know this is a “pregnancy” book, this section was seriously lacking.

Page 382

-List the causes of infertility: Stress, PCOS, and Tubal factors (uh – last I checked there were more than 3 causes!!)

Page 383

- The fixes for PCOS were listed : Metformin and Clomid. Nothing else.

Page 388

- Discusses male infertility and suggests that men eat soy (Umm…..did they not JUST say that soy may cause the feminization of males!!!)

Now, I knew with it being written by conventional doctors, that there would be quite a bit of nutritional information in there I didn’t care for. I’ve read it many times over in the books I bought prior to my first pregnancy. It just saddens me that we’ve come so far away from real, God given foods that we are no longer nourishing our little babies. New studies of low cholesterol diets, like those outlined in the book, have been shown to increase the rates of babies born with autism and behavioral difficulties. (mentioned at the Wise Traditions conference in the Low Cholesterol; A Major New Factor in Autism session.)

This is the most important time in a baby’s life when it comes to development, why would we want to limit nourishment?

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Is Milk Affecting Your Fertility?

Other than the few who are lactose intolerant, we pretty much all drink milk. For years and years, I drank only skim. Anything thicker just made me gag. Plus it’s what the doctors, and heads of all medical communities, recommend that everyone over the age of two drink. It’s been touted as a way to keep our weight down while still providing us the necessary nutrients, like calcium.

But is it having an effect on our fertility?
The problem is, it seems our bodies need fat in order to maintain our cellular structure. And removing the fat from milk has actually been shown to cause an imbalance of hormones throughout the body, causing a failure to ovulate or produce a healthy egg. In a recent study, scientists found that women who ate full fat dairy were found to have a 27% lower risk of infertility. Women who ate low fat milk products twice a day were found to be twice as likely to not ovulate. This study shows that eating healthy fats, as are in milk, is helpful in reproduction. And we’re not talking about going out and eating whatever we want, or stuffing ourselves with cake and cookies. We’re talking about supplying our body with healthy fats. Natural, God given fats, not the ones we humans make ourselves.

The problem with milk today
Cows now produce about 20 times more than what is needed to sustain a growing calf. Yet, this over abundance of milk contains only the same amount of vitamins and minerals, meaning our milk is diluted of nourishment. And I’ve also heard that up to 40% of our milk supply comes from cows that have infections in the udders, called mastitis, and this milk is used for the public.  And to counteract the infection, they are routinely given antibiotics. These may antibiotics eventually make their way into the milk as well, though of course it’s only a small percentage of what the cow was given. To make matter worse, much of the milk in stores (and thankfully this is changing!) comes from cows that have been treated with a recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBST). This hormone seems to be linked to early puberty in girls as well as causing hormone imbalances in older women.

So what should we be drinking?
If you would have told me two years ago that I’d be buying only raw whole milk, I would have told you that you were off your rocker! But since my son had a horrible time with digesting pasteurized cows milk, I’ve changed my mind. Exactly two years ago I spent a lot of time researching raw milk as I was afraid of any germs and bacteria in it. I’ve come to the conclusion that not only is raw milk healthier for us, but it can effect our fertility.
The problem with pasteurized milk is that during the heating process, it loses much of it’s beneficial nutrients, nutrients that are already diluted. Most unfortunate for those suffering infertility is the loss of vitamin B in the milk.

A study done in 1934, published in the Journal of Dairy Science, (back when they were first fighting to keep raw milk) showed a loss of 38% of the B complex vitamins. Another study done as a masters thesis at the University of Georgia in 1979 showed a 34.4% loss of vitamin B6, a 33.8% loss of thiamin (B1), and a 24.1% loss of folic acid. These losses were due just to heating the milk.(source)

Another study was done (didn’t write the year-sorry!) on rats fed either raw or pasteurized milk. It was shown that the heated milk was not capable of supporting the reproductive systems in these animals. Two female rats were fed a diet of sterilized milk for approximately 8 months. During this time they were each mated 15 times to male rats that had either been fed a raw milk or sterilized milk diet. No pregnancies were shown on any of these 15 occasions. Once a female was switched to a raw milk diet for 11 weeks, she was able to get pregnant when mated with a male, also from the raw milk group. (source)

And finally, as a very unscientific study, the farmer I receive my raw milk from has many stories of her own. One being goat milk fed to orphaned puppies. A woman was buying raw milk from a different farmer to feed the pups and one by one they were slowly dying. She found my farmer and started buying milk from her, thinking that it was bad milk she was buying previously. Upon my farmer talking with the woman, it was found that she was heating the milk so it was warm when the pups were fed. This small thing proved to be fatal to the poor dogs and when she stopped heating the milk, the puppies started to thrive. My thinking is, if heated milk can’t sustain a puppy, why should we expect it to nourish our own bodies?

What’s a gal to do?
Personally, I won’t touch pasteurized milk anymore. I did take me quite awhile to get used to raw milk, and I have to admit, I still don’t pour myself a tall glass of it, but it’s all we buy. If you must buy pasteurized milk, at least buy full fat. Even better is to buy organic, in order to stay away from antibiotics and rBST. (Though make sure it’s not ultrapastuerized! That’s a whole other can of worms) And consider making yogurt or kefir out of it. This process at least returns some of the beneficial bacteria and nutrients back into the milk that have been lost due to heating. Also maybe consider consuming cheeses to meet your dietary needs. Many vegetables can also be used in place of milk for calcium consumption as well.

If you are finally ready to hop onto the raw milk train, check out Real Milk. This site not only has great information on why raw milk is healthier, but also a list of farms in your area where you may be able to buy raw milk. (it’s how I found my farm!) Personally I love the fact that I can see the animals out grazing on pasture when I stop by for my milk. I get to see the entire production, and I know exactly what the animals are being fed.

Things to look for in a farm

• Cleanliness. Make sure all aspects of the barn and grounds are clean.
• Room to roam. The milk has more nutrients in it if the animals are allowed to free roam and eat on pasture
• A farmer open to questions. You want to be able to ask how and when the animals are pastured, what they eat, if they are ever fed grain (as some do in the winter), and what happens if the animals get sick or contract mastitis.
• Referrals. Most raw milk farms have plenty of folks who are more than willing to give a great referral as well as a lecture on how awesome raw milk is. If you are still unsure, a referral can ease your mind.

While I try not be an extremist in any area of nutrition (because I know not everyone is ready and needs more time), I do recommend raw milk whole heartily! I hope this post gives you something to think about and even if you can’t stand the idea of raw milk, replacing skim with full fat milk is beneficial to your fertility and well being. Healthy fat is not your enemy!

*Along with milk, make sure you replace that sugar filled, low fat yogurt with a whole milk plain yogurt. Use honey to sweeten it and add in fresh fruit if you’d like. Much healthier than sugar!

Anyone else glad they made the switch to Raw? How did you finally come around to the idea?

What would you tell someone who is still “on the fence”?

This post is linked to:

Real Food Wednesday

*This is an updated and expanded post I wrote last September.

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Boost your fertility with vitamin D

*Originally posted on May 22, 2009

As the sun seems to be hiding a bit more these days and the fact that it’s getting colder here in Michigan, it seems like a good time to cover vitamin D again. Plus, as an added bonus, it’s great for the immune system!

What is it?
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and exists in several forms. Some of these are basically inactive in the body and have limited ability to function.

Why is it important for fertility? Well, you need it in order for your body to produce sex hormones. And without the right amount of hormones in your system, you can suffer from pcos, PMS, and infertility. Vitamin D is also key in regulating cell growth and deciding how those cells grow.

A study was done by the Yale University School of Medicine (source) with 67 women suffering from infertility. Only 7 % of them had normal vitamin D levels! 7%! The rest had either insufficient levels or an actual clinical deficiency.

Dr Lubna Pal, from Yale, said: “Of note, not a single patient with either ovulatory disturbance or polycystic ovary syndrome demonstrated normal Vitamin D levels; 39 per cent of those with ovulatory disturbance and 38 per cent of those with PCOS had serum 25OHD levels consistent with deficiency.

“Given the pandemic of Vitamin D insufficiency, if indeed our observations are substantiated, aggressive repletion with Vitamin D may emerge as an alternative approach to facilitate ovulation resumption with minimal to no risk for ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome or multiple pregnancy.”

Those are some pretty large percentages too! Almost 40% of the women with ovulation problems had clinical deficiencies! Obviously, vitamin D is important to our reproductive system.

How you get it
Food is the best source of vitamin D, and the easiest way to get it is to eat fatty fish, eggs, and grasssfed beef products (especially dairy). If you do have a hard time getting it in your diet (or don’t like fish or are wary of toxic mercury), supplementing with cod liver oil is also helpful in making sure you’re getting enough. (another great reason to take cod liver oil is the fact that it has the right ratios of vitamin A and D in it1) And just make sure if you buy supplements that the ones you buy contain vitamin D3 and not D2 which actually does not raise the blood levels of vitamin D.

And as most of you know, you can also get vitamin D from the sun. About 15-20 minutes of exposure (without sunblock as it blocks the ultraviolet light needed for vitamin D production) a day can be very beneficial. The sun actually causes your skin to produce vitamin D3 which is then converted by the liver and kidneys to the active hormone form of vitamin D. With proper sun exposure, your body can actually produce up to 10,000-25,000 IU of the vitamin.

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.

Zinc and your fertility

Zinc is actually one of the most studied nutrients when it comes to fertility. And the reasons behind that most likely stem from the fact that it is an essential component of genetic material. A deficiency in zinc therefore can cause chromosomal changes in either partner which in turn causes reduced fertility and greater risk of miscarriage.

What is Zinc?
Zinc is basically an essential mineral that your body uses in all sorts of ways, and is needed daily to replenish your bodies supplies. It’s so essential that it’s found in every cell of our body! It helps in the production of DNA, wound healing, and even helps your immune system to name just a few. It also directly effects your fertility.

Zinc also helps in supporting our a balance of our blood sugar. When low or deficeint in this mineral, our bodies insulin response slows and our blood sugar becomes harder to stabalize. (Very important for those of us with hormone balance issues!)

For women, zinc is important in helping your body utilize your reproductive hormones, oestrogen and progesterone. A deficiency can lead to hormone imbalance, abnormal ovarian development, and menstrual irregularity. When your body is low on zinc it also inhibits the metabolism of protein, which in turn lowers egg quality.

For a man, it can greatly impact the sperm count since zinc is found in high concentrations in the sperm. It is also needed to make the outer layer and the tail of the sperm.

Unfortunately zinc is not stored in the body well so you must keep up a constant intake of it. The best ways to get zinc naturally are to eat plenty of:

• beef, venison, and poultry
• eggs
• whole grains
• whole fat dairy products
• seeds like sunflower and pumpkin
• molasses and maple syrup

The recommended daily allowance is only 11mg for men and 8mg for women. Though these amounts may be to low to help boost fertility and may only work well for those who already have an ample supply of zinc. For boosting fertility I’ve seen amounts anywhere from 25 mgs to 50 mgs per day. Although long term use above 40 mgs has also been shown to cause deficiencies in other minerals (like copper), so if you plan on taking large doses, I’d talk to your doctor or get tested to see if you have a deficiency first.

Making sure you eat a diet full of whole foods can go a long way in supplying your bodies needs for certain vitamins and minerals, but if you still can’t get enough you may want to think about taking a good supplement or multivitamin. Head to your local health food store for some help in that area!

Vitamin C and fertility

It seems I’ve been leaving our poor men out in the dark when it comes to things to do to boost fertility, so….

A University of Texas study has shown that increasing the daily amount of Vitamin C in men, helps them produce more sperm, stronger sperm, and more mobile sperm. Sometimes the sperm count rose over ten times when men started ingesting the healthy amount of vitamin C.

Basically, because vitamin C is an antioxidant, it helps to protect the sperm and it’s DNA from damage thereby increasing the sperms quality. Sperm with damaged DNA can fail to thrive or fail to allow conception. And in some circumstances, it’s the damaged DNA that causes birth defects or a failure for the baby to thrive. It also helps to neutralize any chemicals or toxins found in the semen from things like environmental pollution, or smoking. (Another reason to quit before you try to conceive!) Along with it’s antioxidant properties, vitamin C seems to help sperm be less sticky, or clumped together, so that they are more mobile.

Foods high in Vitamin C:

• red peppers (1/2 cup has 142 mg)
• orange (70mg)
• broccoli (1/2 cup has 62 mg)
• kiwi (74 mg)
• papaya (62 mg)
• strawberries (5 of them have 51 mg)

How much should you take?
Currently the RDA amount for Vitamin C was recently raised almost across the board for all men, women, and children. What used to be 60mgs per day for men, now stands at 90 for non smokers and 120 for smokers. But fertility studies showing the effects of vitamin C were using 1000mgs, 3000mgs, and sometimes even more. So really, what you do is up to you! Personally, I’d start by making sure I get a least the recommended amount, if not a little bit more – especially if you have low sperm counts. If it doesn’t seen to help, try upping your dosage or taking a vitamin C supplement.

*I should also let you know that taking aspirin, alcohol, or antidepressants has been shown to lower vitamin C levels in the body. And high doses of C can also make some medications not as effective, so check with your doc if you’re serious about taking large doses and are already on meds. About 3/4 of the way down on this page tells you a bit more about the safety of high vitamin C doses.

A Preconception Diet

The following is a sample diet that worked for me in balancing out my hormones and improving my fertility. Although each one of us are different in our nutritional needs, this weekly diet makes sure you get 2 servings of fish, 5 days that include eggs, and a variety of lean meats, fruit and vegetables. I also include cheese and yogurt often as I don’t drink a lot of milk.

Most importantly though is the lack of refined sugars and processed foods which deplete your body of vital nutrients. The only sweetener I use is honey or maple syrup, and I make all of my own bread products. And along with this basic menu I also take both a prenatal vitamin as well as an extra B complex vitamin about 4 or 5 times a week.

Monday:
Breakfast – two egg omelet w/ cheese and veggies
snack – yogurt and berries
Lunch - tuna fish sandwich, cut veggies, cubed cheese
snack – banana
Dinner – grilled chicken, steamed or roasted broccoli, brown rice

Tuesday:
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal w/ flax seed and dried fruit, orange
snack – granola bar
Lunch – salad w/ baby spinach and lots of colorful veggies and cubed cheese, organic dressing
snack – apple
Dinner – tacos with homemade seasoning and shells. serve with cheese, dark green lettuce (romaine), guacamole and fresh salsa. Seasoned brown rice.

Wednesday:
Breakfast – 16 oz. yogurt or kefir smoothie
snack – whole wheat blueberry muffin, hard boiled egg
Lunch – homemade chicken noodle soup
snack – cut veggies and organic dip, cubed cheese
Dinner – grilled or baked salmon, steamed vegetables, baked potato w/ real butter

Thursday:
Breakfast - fried egg on whole wheat toast, banana
snack – yogurt and berries
Lunch – chicken sandwich (from leftover grilled chicken) w/ lettuce, cut veggies
snack – apple, cubed cheese
Dinner – hamburgers on whole wheat buns, sweet potato fries

Friday:
Breakfast – soaked oatmeal w/ flax seed and dried fruit, banana
snack – granola bar
Lunch – taco salad (leftover taco meat, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, some iceberg lettuce, cut avocado, fresh salsa, seasoned brown rice, and sharp cheddar cheese.
snack – orange
Dinner – roast chicken, real mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables

Saturday:
Breakfast - scrambled eggs w/ chopped spinach and cheese mixed in, fruit
snack – apple
Lunch – egg salad sandwich on whole wheat, cut veggies
snack – whole wheat blueberry muffin
Dinner – homemade pizza on whole wheat crust (at least half whole wheat!) topped with lots of veggies!
snack – homemade popcorn on the stove w/ real butter

Sunday:
Breakfast – whole wheat pancakes, banana
snack – hardboiled egg
Lunch – salad w/ baby spinach and leftover roast chicken and lots of colorful veggies.
snack – apple
Dinner – steak with side salad, baked potato, and steamed veggies

I hope this gives you some ideas on how to better your diet! For other dinner ideas you can always check out the org junkie.

p.s. – this makes a great pregnancy diet too!

Vitamin A and fertility

Nearly 15% of all Americans suffer from a vitamin A deficiency. (In animal sources it’s called retinol, in plant sources, it’s called beta-carotene) Not only is vitamin A an antioxidant and helps to protect the body from cancer and disease by neutralizing damaging free radicals in the body, it also assists your body in the metabolism of fat, contributes to the function of healthy eyes, hair, teeth, gums, and mucous membranes, and plays a role in immune function and skin health. It also helps support the reproductive system.

In the past
Traditional cultures actually used to provide couples (women especially) with certain foods that were thought to increase fertility. Dr. Weston A. Price did multiple studies all over the world and found that in cultures with very fertile women and healthy strong babies, they were fed diets high in fish, organ meats, and yellow butter. All of these are rich sources of vitamin A! So while these people had no scientific facts to back what they did, they knew it worked.

What it can do for you
Vitamin A actually helps support a womans fertility in many different ways. Most noticeably is the fact that it promotes better cervical fluid. Not only can it help your body to produce more fluid (making it easier to figure out NFP!) but the fluid itself is more nourishing for the sperm and helps them to live longer.

Vitamin A also assists the follicles in maturing properly. Both in the maturation of an egg and then in assisting the follicle in producing the hormones needed to aid the fertilized egg into the uterus. So if your body is low on vitamin A, a follicle may not be able to function correctly.

What you can do
To make sure you are getting enough, be sure to consume a diet with a variety of foods that are high in vitamin A. The retinol (animal) version is actually easier for your body to absorb while the plant version, beta carotene, is actually considered a provitamin in the aspect that your body must break it down into vitamin A before it can be used.

If you eat little animal products, seem to be low on cervical fluid, have a hard time charting mucous for natural family planning, or have been trying for awhile without success, you may want to think about adding a supplement, such as cod liver oil, to your diet along with your normal prenatal supplement.

The recommended daily amount for men, ages 19-70, is at least 900 IUs up to 3000 IUs. For women, ages 19-70, we need 700 IUs and up to 3000 IUs per day. (during pregnancy and lactation women require about 50 -100 IUs more per day)

Good sources of animal based vitamin A

• Whole milk
• Cheddar cheese
• Real butter
• Whole egg
• Liver (liver is one of the highest sources, so if you can handle liver – you go girl!)

Good sources of plant based vitamin A (just remember the absorb ability factor, each person will absorb it differently)

• Carrots
• Mango
• Sweet Potatoes
• Spinach
• Cantelope

*Also, there is a warning attached to vitamin A, especially when taken in synthetic form. In excess of 10,000 IU’s a day, the synthetic version of vitamin A has shown to increase the chances of birth defects.

Boosting fertility with vitamin B6

How much do you need?
Recommended daily amounts are between 100 and 200mg’s per day. Earlier in the year I actually started charting my daily meals on SparkPeople.com and realized my daily intake was falling quite short of 100mg’s. To boost your intake with food, include more whole grains, legumes, eggs, and meat in your diet. And try and stay away from processed foods as much as you can, since almost 90% of vitamin B6 can be lost during processing.

Supplements are also a good idea, and most women who are actively trying to conceive should be on a great pre-natal vitamin already. But the amount of B6 in them are not enough to increase your fertility, sometimes only giving you a few milligrams a day. The FDA recommended amount in a multi-vitamin is only 2.5 mg’s! Personally, I’ve been taking a B complex vitamin (B vitamins should be taken together for better absorption) along with my pre-natal vitamin. It’s recommended to start taking an additional 25-50 mg’s per day and increase it after a few months if you’re still having problems. (taking to much can cause health issues as well, so be sure to talk to your doctor or midwife about it!)


How you lose it

• Smoking
• Drinking caffeinated beverages
• Taking chemical hormones, (i.e. The Pill)
• Eating to much protein
• Eating white flour and refined bread products
• Eating to much sugar, and you may think you don’t eat many sweets, but simple sugars are in most processed foods!

Your body actually uses it’s stores of vitamin B6 to rid itself of toxic chemicals from smoking and The Pill, as well as extra caffeine, protein, and sugar. Even if you don’t smoke (or hang around anyone who does) and you’re not taking hormones, with this information you would most likely be well advised to limit or cut out all caffeinated beverages and refined sugars.

And while increasing your daily intake of Vitamin B, please note that it could take at least a couple months to really notice a difference.

** Please do not construe my posts as medical advice, because *ahem*, I am not a doctor or medical professional. I am but a student of Nourishing Nutrition and Natural Health. I only hope to ignite a passion within you to do your own research and begin your own journey to better health. And to make sure you don't miss a single post, you can add my blog's RSS Feed to your reader or you can sign up for free updates by Email.