What’s causing all your period issues? Find out now

podcast

February 22, 2024

Real Food for Fertility

with podcast guest

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack & Lily Nichols

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Lisa Hendrickson-Jack is a certified Fertility Awareness Educator and Holistic Reproductive Health Practitioner who teaches women to chart their menstrual cycles for natural birth control,
conception, and monitoring overall health. Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author with a passion for evidence-based nutrition. In their new phenomenal book Real Food for Fertility, Lisa and Lily unravel the complexities of preconception nutrition and fertility optimization. I was an early reviewer of this book and can’t recommend it enough.

In this episode, Lisa, Lily, and I talk about the importance of pre-conception nutrition, the effects of hormonal birth control on fertility, strategies for optimizing fertility through diet, the significance of tracking ovulation, the role of diet in improving egg and sperm quality, challenges of nutrition research, the nuances of sperm health parameters, considerations for plant-based diets concerning fertility, and so much more. Enjoy the episode!

Highlights

  • Why you need to give yourself time after coming off hormonal birth control before trying to conceive
  • Rebuilding your nutrient stores before conception
  • Conventional medicine’s limited focus on pre-conception health and the need for a shift in the conversation
  • Differences between tracking ovulation using cervical mucus versus ovulation strips
  • Foundational pre-conception nutrition guidelines
  • The significant influence of funding and bias in nutrition research and challenges in interpreting research findings
  • Why couples may still struggle to conceive within current conventional sperm parameters
  • Conventional versus optimal sperm parameters
  • Nutrient-rich foods that support optimal sperm health
  • The concept of fertility-boosting foods and why you need to focus on a nutrient-dense diet for optimal fertility
  • Challenges with vegetarian or vegan diets when it comes to hormone health and fertility
  • Strategies for optimizing nutrition within vegetarian dietary restrictions
  • Transitioning away from a vegetarian diet
  • What the research shows about the role of AMH in predicting ovarian reserve and its limitations in predicting natural conception
  • The variability of AMH and its implications

Resources

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Bonuses Include: The Fix Your Period Workbook to Use Alongside the Book
The Fix Your Period Toolkit includes a series of handouts on vaginal steaming, how to use CBD for your menstrual cycle problems, seed cycling, how to use castor oil packs to support your period and fertility, and how to live in harmony with your cycle!

Medical Disclaimer
Information in this post and on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of practice experience and research by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always speak with your physician or another healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal, or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read my affiliate disclosure.