Healthy Pregnancy

The relaxation response is a key element on the fertility journey. Circle and Bloom has created a series of mind body programs with the intention of helping women to gain control of their health, by reducing cortisol levels and balancing the internal system. Their first programs help women to enhance their fertility through the effects of meditative relaxation and they plan to continue with more general topics like the energy for empowerment series.

As I write this blog, I have just completed my second session of Circle + Bloom’s Energy for Empowerment guided visualization. Calm and more centered, I am convinced that guided meditations are not only a wonderful way to start the day but a key to creating a healthy mind body connection in everyday life.

Research shows that our bodies cannot tell the difference between what we are visualizing and what we are actually experiencing. The implications of these findings are incredible, implying that we can actually retrain our bodies to the perfect state of health by working with mind body meditations that deliver positive messages and relaxation.

If you are looking to enhance fertility consider the following Circle + Bloom meditations:

Natural Cycle: 28 days of guided meditations that lead you through each day and happening of a fertile month.

IVF and IUI: helps to prepare your body for a medicated cycle

Even though I love to eat salad, I’m always feeling like I could use more greens in my diet. Greens are, in fact, way easier for us digest when we chew extremely well (which Paul Pitchford told me is at least 30 chews per bite) or in my new favorite form: the green smoothie. My doctor was kind enough to share the work of a local Ashland Oregon author Victoria Boutenko who wrote Green Smoothie Revolution. This book has really changed the way I eat. Victoria herself is mostly a raw foodist, which is something I am not. I believe that lightly cooked foods can be a lot easier to digest and it’s generally what I recommend to my fertility clients. That said, the Green Smoothie Revolution has bridged the two worlds of raw and cooked foods for me. By using a powerful vitamix or comparable blender, the green are liquefied making them highly digestible and I would argue absolutely delicious.

Beyond being a fabulous source of chlorophyll, a lot of the research in the green smoothie revolution is based on the fact that human beings are most compartable to chimapnazees. In fact we share about 99% in dna structure. While we do a lot of testing on these animals about various human conditions, not enough consideration has been given to their diet and what makes them healthy. What Victoria concluded is that it is there above average intake of greens. Also the way they break down the cellular wall structure to access the nutrients present in the cellular walls. With this level of nutrition, hydrochloric acid is increased in the gut which contributes to many healthy benefits including: improved digestion, increase in dietary fiber, increase in chlorophyll rich blood building properties, decrease in inflammation, gentle detoxification and more energy. I would highly recommend reading Victoria’s book to hear about all the incredible benefits derived from drinking one quart of green smoothie per day.

Every day I fill the blender with variations of the following ingredients:

2 cups filtered water
a bunch of kale
a bunch of spinach
½ a peach
½ a banana
a handful of blueberries

Kathryn Flynn is the author of Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul. Kathryn supports men and women worldwide in achieving a healthy pregnancy through nutrition and lifestyle changes in her individual fertility nutrition consultations. For additional information, please feel free to email Kathryn.

Below are the video instructions for making the delicious chlorophyll salad recipe from the Cooking for Fertility DVD.  For written instructions please click here.

Recently, a number of nutrition clients have been reporting that they have the MTHFR gene.  MTHFR (methylenetetrahydrofoloate reductase) is an enzyme/ protein that is used to activate folic acid, a crucial B vitamin for pregnancy.  In certain cases, the MTHFR gene does not activate the folic acid to it’s full capacity: heterozygous MTHFR carriers activate folate at 60-70%; homozygous carriers only activate folate at 10%.  When testing for MTHFR, doctors use a blood test to look for two genes: MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C.  It is a fact that MTHFR is quite common (present in as much as 30% of the population) and by simply adding additional methylfolate a number of medical conditions including infertility and pregnancy can be supported.  Additional folic acid in cases of MTHFR can help:

• reduce miscarriage frequency
• avoid neural tube defects
• treat depression and anxiety
• heal ADD and autism
• reduce dementia
• support uric acid metabolism and resolve gout
• facilitate detoxification
• lower homocysteine levels
• encourage DNA repair which decreases cancer risk

Folic acid consumption is particularly important in fertility and pregnancy to maintain a healthy pregnancy and prevent birth defects.  If a blood test reveals that you have MTHFR, your doctor may suggest taking a higher dose of  folic acid in a methylated form that helps bypass the enzyme.  It’s important to include the other B vitamins (B6 and B12)  in your regimen as well as eating a diet rich in folate.

Folate rich foods include:  beans and lentils, peas (black-eyed peas, chickpeas, green peas), juices (orange, tomato, grapefruit, pineapple), fruits (oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, avocado, papaya, raspberries), soymilk, vegetables (green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and Chinese cabbage; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; asparagus; artichokes; okra; corn; cauliflower; potato; beets; green onions; sweet red peppers), nuts and sunflower seeds.  If you are folic acid deficient, avoid green tea which can limit the absorption of folate.

Source:

Delgado Family Care

Stone Medical Center

Kathryn Flynn is the author of Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul. Kathryn supports men and women worldwide in achieving a healthy pregnancy through nutrition and lifestyle changes in her individual fertility nutrition consultations. For additional information, please feel free to email Kathryn.

Inflammation is believed to be one of the root causes of many imbalances in the body. The stress of inflammation is indicated as a contributing factor in several infertility diagnosis including PCOS, endometriosis, recurrent miscarriage, poor sperm and egg quality. So it makes perfect sense that when you are ready to get pregnant, this diet can help to resolve any inflammatory responses in the body that could be preventing conception or impacting your health during pregnancy.

Even before tackling the dietary principles, it is important to take a close look at how stress may be impacting your life. It has been long known that cortisol, a stress hormone, is a leading cause of inflammation in the body. Choose activities that provide peace and relaxation each day can help to heal conditions of inflammation. This can be anything from a foot soak, a massage or even a funny movie at the end of the day. Something that helps you to unwind. Also, choose exercises you enjoy that replenish you, while detoxifying and reducing stress. Swimming, walking, dancing, yoga and gardening are all low impact exercises that get your blood flowing. One recent study on the benefits of stress reducing yoga has shown that a regular practice may have the capacity to reduce inflammation in the body, measured by C-reactive protein (CRP).

Along with stress reduction and gentle exercises consider adopting these anti-inflammatory dietary tips:

Avoid sugars and artificial sweeteners- especially in soda and processed candy

Limit caffeine, coffee (prefer green tea and herbal teas), alcohol, red meat, burnt food

Eat an abundance of colorful fresh fruits and vegetables for the bioflavanoids- especially dark leafy greens.

Cook with anti-inflammatory herbs or sprinkle on food: ginger and turmeric.

Consume a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water each day

Limit nightshades

Enjoy herbal Teas like Yogi detox, licorice, chamomile

Eat Omegas at every opportunity. Favor Omega 3’s and reduce omega 6 oils (corn, soy, canola, safflower and sunflower oil)

Foods containing a high ratio of omega 3 oil: Menhaden, salmon, cod liver, cod, shrimp, tuna, pink salmon, king crab, Mackerel, flax, flaxseed (sprinkled on salads or oatmeal in the morning) hemp, hemp nuts, canola, walnut, & pumpkin, pumpkin seeds.

Kathryn Flynn is the author of Cooking for Fertility: Foods to Nourish Your Fertile Soul. Kathryn supports men and women worldwide in achieving a healthy pregnancy through nutrition and lifestyle changes in her individual fertility nutrition consultations. For additional information, please feel free to email Kathryn.

The other night we went to a friend’s for a BBQ and she introduced us to one of the most delicious beverages I have ever tasted. Granted, most people at the party were having the alcoholic version, but on this HOT summer night I was most grateful that she could make mine a virgin.

When desiring to conceive it makes sense to moderate or omit alcohol consumption, which impacts the health of the liver. For fertility, we want hormone metabolism to be optimal and cutting out unnecessary toxins is a first step toward a clean liver. This isn’t to say the occasional glass of wine or champagne is forbidden, I just notice I feel a lot better the less alcohol I consume and you may notice the same.

I have always loved lemonade, but the addition of the cooling properties of cucumber truly brought my old time favorite to a new level of refreshing. Like water, drink this beverage at room temperature to optimize digestion. I would also suggest making a larger quantity because you are sure to want more once you taste it!

Celina’s Lemon Cucumber Drink:

1/2 gallon lemonade (recipe is also in the Cooking for Fertility cookbook)
1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced and add to lemonade.

The cucumber will soak into the lemonade and the taste is nothing short of delightful. The essence building and liver cleansing properties are an added bonus!

The first time Tiffany made me this chlorophyll rich salad I was blown away. The rich colors of the green kale and the red beets filled me up just by looking at them, all the while deeply cleansing the liver and helping me to resolve any symptoms of PMS. I proceeded to make and eat this blood nourishing, easy to digest salad every day for a month playing with a variety of pumpkin seeds for the zinc and omega fertility benefits as well as delicious almonds. I would recommend you try both and please share any variations you find.

The food processor helps to predigest the raw vegetables and since we prefer to eat cooked or room temperature foods when eating for fertility, this salad makes the cut. You can really make salad spleen friendly if you take your time and chew it well (our teacher often recommends 30 chews per bite!). It’s also nice to include some raw foods during the summer months when weather is a lot warmer. Tif and I show you how to make this recipe on our Cooking for Fertility DVD along with 12 other fertility enhancing recipes.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Yields: 2-4 servings

This salad just looks like the northwest! It has beautiful greens, orange and reds with the browned nuts. You’ll experience an explosion of flavor in your mouth! All of these ingredients are filled with vitality, and that is what you’ll feel as you eat it!

2 cups, packed Kale and chard, washed and de-stemmed

1 cup grated raw carrot or beet (washed well, with skin on) 1/2 cup of each is nice

1 washed apple grated with skin on (about 1 cup)

2-3 tablespoons unrefined olive or sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons fresh citrus juice (I like lime)

2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Pinch of sea salt to taste

If you have a food processor, pulse kale and chard until well chopped, but not mush: if not, use knife to chop fine. Place in medium/large mixing bowl. Use food processor (to grate) or a hand grater for carrots and/or beets. Add to greens. Next grate apple with skin and add to the mixture. Be sure to put in any juice from the apple

Add oil, citrus juice, apple cider vinegar and mix. Toast pumpkin seeds on skillet over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until fragrant and browning. Pour into salad, toss and serve. Apple slices make a nice garnish. This salad will keep nicely in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Pregnancy is a joyous time in a woman’s life, but it can also be confusing because there’s a lot of advice out there.  Many women want recommendations that support not only their own health and their baby’s, but also the environment.  Most people are prompted to start making healthy changes in their lives when they find out a baby is on the way.  However, it is best to begin before conception.

Here are the top healthy changes to make that will benefit themselves, their baby, and the environment:

• Eating fresh organic, seasonal foods can make a difference to women wanting to get pregnant, to the health of their babies and the environment.
• Investing in a Kangen water filter and cutting out buying plastic water bottles will make a difference too. (www.carolinakangenwater.com)
• Cutting out things like alcohol, caffeine, sugar and recreational drug use can make it easier to get pregnant.
• Taking a high quality prenatal multivitamin
• Supplementing with DHA.  Fish oils are great options but there are vegetarian options as well.
• DHA has been shown to help with the baby’s brain development.
• Doing a cleanse before pregnancy is a great way start this journey.
• Yoga and rest can help you have a healthy pregnancy and post-partum.

By Tiffany Jackson, ND (www.ecohealthwellness.com