It's so funny how many times I've been asked already if I was using any sort of fertility drugs because I'm pregnant with twins. :)
I'm just going to go ahead and answer that in a one simple word answer: No.
These twins happened naturally and spontaneously.
Ok, I'm glad I got that covered.
I was able to restore my hormones and my cycle naturally. Although...I didn't ever get the chance to actually have that cycle....cause clearly I got pregnant instead. :)
Over the last couple days I've been getting a lot of emails about my method for restoring this balance because many women are trying to get pregnant or are struggling with endocrine systems that are out of whack. I do not pretend at all to think I know what's best for everyone, but I do believe with all of my heart that the way I ate over the last several months had EVERYTHING to do with restoring that balance to my hormones. And I believe that no matter what your female issue may be for infertility or for hormonal imbalance that following my nutrition plan would help almost anyone restore that balance.
SO, it's your lucky day cause I'm going to pretty much tell you exactly what I did and ate on an average day.
And hey, if you're not trying to restore hormonal homeostasis or enhance your fertility, eating this way will help you lose weight, give you energy, fight disease, and age you gracefully. Not bad, huh?
OK. There were 5 KEY things about my nutrition and lifestyle that I believe are absolutely essential for resetting your metabolism and restoring hormonal balance and enhancing fertility. These things are based on what I know about food and its medicinal/nutritional properties. I did not read books on this matter. I just put into practice what I already knew to be true about nourishing the female body in an ideal way. I of course do research on the internet, but it was mostly of compilation of several years of learning and practicing and listening to my body.
1. ALL TOXINS OUT
2. Keep the body Alkaline
3. Eat Healthy Fats
4. Eat regularly, Eat RAW, Eat Super
5. Rest, Sleep, Relax
Ok. SO here it is broken down.
1. ALL TOXINS OUT!
This is number one because when it comes down to it, toxins are endocrine disruptors. Plain and simple. They act as evil impostor chemical messengers that confuse and lie to the body and cause it to act contrary to the way it should. Your body will also spend its energy and its immune system attacking these chemicals and toxins when it should spend its time fighting actual disease. It will stay inflamed and you will remain fatigued and foggy and sick.
What are common toxins:
1. High Fructose Corn Syrup
2. Hydrogenated Oils and Trans Fats
3. Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners
4. Food Dyes and Colorings
5. MSG
6. Genetically Modified Foods
7. Pesticides and Herbicides on conventional fruits and veggies
8. Soy and Corn preservatives
9. Refined Sugars
10. Animal Products that are not organic.
Look at your labels. PLEASE don't put this stuff in your body! Move as far away from foods with a bar code as you possibly can.
2. Keep your body Alkaline
For ONE, disease and cancer and other illnesses cannot thrive in a body that is alkaline. The common American Diet that is high in meat and processed foods leaves our bodies VERY acidic. Over the last several months, I ate almost all alkaline foods because I was on a mostly RAW and vegan diet. Now this doesn't mean that you have to go raw and vegan but it does mean for the purposes of healing, hormone balance, and fertility, you may want to cut back on the amount of animal products you have in your diet for a while. Eat fish several nights a week. Have chicken or turkey every now and then. And if you suffer from LOW estrogen like me, add in Tempeh and Soy a few days a week. However, most people are overly estrogenic, so keep soy products to a minimun. Your meat and soy sources though should be CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN! Organic, grass fed, farm raised, hormone free, antibiotic free, preservative free, etc......
For the purposes of fertility, sperm survive better in an alkaline environment, so the more alkaline your "you know what" is then the more likely there will be a happy journey from one end of the tunnel to the other. :)
How G rated was THAT?! haha.
I also had a dear friend who goes to my boot camp bring me ionized alkaline water every day. I had about a half a gallon a day. I truly believed this helped. It's called Kangen Water made my enagic. Many Cancer patients will purchase one of these water filters for their homes in hopes to bring their bodies to an alkaline state.
here's a link on Kangen water
Here is a great link that will tell you more about an alkaline diet and a whole bunch of foods that are both acidic and alkaline.
3. Eat Healthy Fats
The woman's body needs healthy fats. It is good for her hormones, good for her brain cells, good for her skin, and good for her metabolism. SO many women think fat is bad and try to keep a low fat diet, which often leads to a high carb diet, which keeps the blood sugar in an unstable state which only perpetuates the state of exhaustion, fatigue, and fogginess. Incorporate healthy fats at every meal. You don't need much. Sprinkle walnuts on your oatmeal. Use a tbs of evoo and balsamic on your salad. Put a tsp of coconut oil in your afternoon smoothie. Have avocado for dinner. Etc. Healthy fats are digested differently. DON'T be afraid of them! LOVE them. Cut out the sugars and high glycemic carbs...not the fats.
4. Eat Regular, Eat RAW, Eat Super!
Your metabolism needs a regular feeding in order to function well. Most overweight women who are infertile or hormonally imbalanced share a common habit. They don't eat until late in the day. Their bodies hate them. They don't trust them. They are confused. And they rebel. If you want to reset your metabolism and balance your hormones, you absolutely must eat regularly....starting with a healthy breakfast.
You need to pack your diet full of RAW foods rich in enzymes and Superfoods rich in nutrition. These are both medicinal to your body and nourish every cell of your body.
RAW foods basically means uncooked foods, fresh, and from it's natural state. Cooking can destroy a lot of enzymes thereby reducing the nutritional value of food. Great ways to get RAW foods into your diet are to juice in the morning, have a super green smoothie in the afternoon, a freshly blended soup for lunch, and a huge salad for dinner.
Superfoods are basically foods that are high in nutrition for their calorie content. Examples are chia and flax seed, salmon, avocados, green vegetables, sweet potatoes, greek yogurt, you know.....stuff like that.
Do NOT eat empty calories like candies and cakes. They are high in calories and low in nutrition.
Disease loves sugar so the higher your blood sugar and the more acidic your body, the harder it will be for you to heal.
Now I will give you a snap shot of how I ate in a day. I post tons of recipes on my fit list page and amounts of the following things including pictures. This is a general snap shot. I create detailed meal plans for clients, but this will give you an idea
6:00 am: Wake up and have warm lemon water with maple syrup and cayenne pepper to stimulate the liver
7:00 am: Make 12 oz of fresh juice from your juicer for a quick natural energy boost:
1 apple, 3 carrots, 1/2 sweet potato, 1 lemon, 2 celery, 1" ginger.
8:00 am: Breakfast:
Superfood Oats: Gluten free oats with chia seed, flax seed, walnuts, stevia, and cinnamon
10:30 am: Post exercise plant protein shake and a brown rice cake with a tbs of homemade hummus
1:00 pm: Lunch. Huge Salads with lots of cut veggies and a homemade dressing. A big bowl of homemade soup. Pesto Stuffed mushrooms
3:30 pm: Afternoon Snack. Either a Rockin Wellness Shake with almond milk and a banana or a superfood Smoothie. My Super smoothies were always different, but one of my favorites was pear, spinach, banana, and green grapes.
Rockin Wellness is AMAZING!!!!!!!
here's the link if you want some.
6:30 pm: Dinner: Tempeh stir fry with coconut oil, braggs liquid aminos, mixed bell peppers over a bed of spinach
9:00 pm: Bedtime snack. A small cacao snack which is packed with antioxidants and more healthy fats. I'd make these homemade. I have recipes on my fit list page.
BAM! My nutrition in a day. I always meal prepped on Sunday. I'd make sure my fridge was stocked full so I never had an excuse to slack off.
5. SLEEP, REST, RELAX!
I know one of the BIGGEST reasons that I didn't ovulate was because I overtrained, slept too little, and never had any down time. This year I committed to that. I let my adrenal glands relax a little. I backed off the training. I still exercised fully and regularly just not too much. I also aimed for 8 hrs of sleep a night, and I learned to say NO. I learned my limits and I knew I wanted to spend more time doing things I enjoyed. I could rarely get around to that if I was overloading myself with work.
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So, There ya go! If you can keep toxins out, fill your body with superfoods, keep your body alkaline, sleep more, and have less stress then you are WELL on your way to healing. People say "everything in moderation" but I say that's BS! If you are sick, your primary focus should be total and complete commitment to being clean...totally and completely. :)
For example, just a 2% increase in daily hydrogenated oils and trans fats can increase your risk of cancer and heart disease by up to 60%. That's only 20-40 calories coming from hydrogenation a day!!! If you think your coffee creamer is the only bad thing you do a day so you think you'll be fine, you need to think about cutting it out because disease doesn't happen in a day. It is a cumulative effect from years of bad habits. Why do you think people don't start coming down with immune issues til their 30's, cancer til their 40's, Alzheimer's til their 50's?...cause yes....it's happening that early these days.
If you are someone who is desperate for change and are perpetually frustrated because you are doing "MOSTLY" right but getting nowhere, try doing "ALL" right. Sometimes you just gotta put your nose to the grindstone and stop making excuses that are socially acceptable like "everything in moderation." You don't give your kid one cigarette a day. Why do you need one cookie a day?
Want a cookie? GREAT! Google is your best friend. In the google search, write Raw, Vegan, Healthy, Organic, Superfood, etc....cookies. Find a recipe. Make it in bulk and have one a day!
That's how you get healthy. You find alternatives. And getting healthy doesn't happen overnight. It is a process. Stick to the safe and in the meantime, try expanding your wings every week to find a new recipe or a new food that you love and can incorporate to create variety. Crowd out the bad with the good. Take your time. Healing is right around the corner!
XOXO,
Cheers to health!!!!
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