Oh Baby! A Paleo Approach to Increase Your Fertility

Here’s where the cave people had it right. Without the distractions of Facebook, projects at the office, or Netflix, we really had our priorities straight. Eat. Sleep. Reproduce. Repeat. Right? I mean, yes we had to fight off some sabertooth tigers or oooh and ahhh at the creation of fire, but really…we were pretty focused. So this whole making babies thing. The concept is literally programmed in our DNA. It’s our choice, our right, and absolutely within our ability to reproduce. We just have to take a step back and figure out where exactly our bodies are on the fertility spectrum. Now, fertility and conception are two very complicated things to delve into. However, I’d like to simplify the basics into three main components that you can start tackling today! Stress Nutrient Deficiencies Toxins Stress can do quite the number on your body! Think about it: if you were a caveperson and you hadn’t found food in days or if you lived constantly in fear of a wild beast attacking you, the last thing your body wants to do is create or nurture ANOTHER life. When our bodies experience stress, they respond by focusing on sole survival, not the dreams you have of creating a family. The act of creating a family would add far too much additional stress on your already chaotic system. Stress produces adrenalin and cortisol, which can suppress ovulation, sexual activity and sperm count. Yikes! One of the very first things you can do to boost your levels on the fertility spectrum is to R E L A X. Try out these tips: Talk to your partner. Ensure that creating a family is something that you both truly want to pursue. Having that unconditional love and trust with your partner is essential. Your subconscious mind won’t calm down if it thinks that you are being threatened in any way. Take the time to express any concerns you may have and share your feelings…chances are, your partner is feeling the same way you are! You entered into this relationship to have a lifelong love to move through challenges TOGETHER. You can do it!rnFind ways to calm down, breathe, and re-center yourself throughout the day. Simply sitting and breathing in and out slowly will do the trick!rnMaybe you can go to bed earlier or arrange your work schedule so you can sleep in later. Sleep is super important! Now is the time to prioritize it!rnTry to be mindful of how you respond to things throughout the day. It’s perfectly OK to turn down an extra project or to NOT stay overtime at work. The health of your mind, body, and spirit is just as important (if not more) than whatever deadline you have!rnShake that body! Movement each and every day can be a super easy way to improve your fertility. However, this doesn’t mean run a million miles and hike a few mountains every day! Working out too much can actually cause that same stress response we were discussing above! You just have to find an activity that you love like yoga, walking, or swimming that helps you sweat out toxins, rebalance your stress hormone levels, and shed extra weight. This could be the perfect time to try out those coupons you have for a free first class at the gym that just opened up!rnNutrient deficiencies are real! You want your body to be in the best possible health for your child. Think of your baby like a VIP guest that’s entering your home. You wouldn’t want your home to be cluttered or lacking important items that your guest needs, right? In the same way, you want your body to have all the building blocks and tools that your baby will need to grow. After you’ve managed your stress levels, get your hands on a prenatal vitamin. The prenatal will have a good amount of vitamins and minerals for you and for baby, like folic acid, which is incredibly important for the development of the baby’s brain and spinal cord.rnIncorporate fish oil into your diet if you haven’t already. Add a spoonful to your breakfast and you’ll be providing your body with the essential fatty acids that it needs to feel healthy enough to support and maintain a pregnancy.rnProbiotics! Take a high quality probiotic first thing in the morning or right before bed to keep your immune system health high. Probiotics help maintain the health and bacterial balance within your reproductive system. If there was ever a time to boost the health of your reproductive organs, it’s now!rnSupplement your already awesome Paleo diet with antioxidants. We want to give your body the power to fight off any damage that comes its way! Incorporate more berries and green tea into your daily intake, please!rnFat, fat, fat! Your diet needs to be very nutrient rich in order to signal to your brain that the body is ready for reproduction. You can do this easily by eating lots of healthy fats. This means incorporating avocados, egg yolks, coconut oil, and wild caught salmon into your diet (more so than you would normally!) Cook with ghee and grassfed butter to feel even better!rnIf you can, eat organ meats! Grassfed organic beef liver is full of essential vitamins and minerals that can greatly boost health. Vitamins B12, B6, E, D, zinc, and fatty acids like DHA and EPA are great to have in your arsenal of reproductivity boosting elements!rnCarbs! I know, I know…you were told to stay far, far away from carbs. Well, it isn’t advised to go crazy with carbs, but you should certainly maintain a moderate level of complex carb consumption. Get your hands on sweet potatoes, yams, apples, and beets. Try roasting them with salt, pepper, and rosemary for a delicious side! Add ½ cup of this goodness to each meal throughout the day and you’ll be in the clear for keeping your thyroid and other hormone levels within normal limits.rnFinally, be mindful of toxins in your environment. Your body gives you incredibly important information each day if you just listen. Notice how you feel throughout the day. Do you feel fatigue, cramping, mood swings, or brain fog? These cues may signify an underlying reaction to toxins in or around you. Remember, you have a huge say in what your fertility looks like! Make sure to remove alcohol and nicotine habits from your daily life. Alcohol and the thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke can decrease the health of your eggs and sperm as well as create a less-than-favorable environment for conception in the uterus.rnKnow what your body is allergic to. Sometimes, you won’t have the constipation or diarrhea that’s associated with food intolerances. Sometimes, they show up as brain fog, fatigue, or irritability. Notice how your body responds to certain foods. Remember, you should feel alive and full of energy after you eat. Anything that bogs you down may be something that isn’t exactly good for your particular system.rnCheck your home and work space for chemicals in soaps, shampoos, dish soaps, toothpastes, and deodorants that contain triclosan. This is a chemical that is linked to endocrine disruption that can mess with your reproductive system. Try switching out more popular brand names for clean/green cleaning products that contain more natural ingredients.rnTrust your mind and body! Remember, we reproduced before technology and before high technology treatments. Listen to what your body needs and know that given the proper support and love, your healthy body will absolutely be able to create a child! Go, Paleo Parent, go!