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I can’t believe the amount of women I see with various hormonal and reproductive problems – irregular cycles, cysts, endometriosis, fibroids, etc.
It seems like every woman these days has at one time or another taken birth control (which will totally whack out your hormonal cycle among other things).
And now today it’s becoming more common for many young women to take birth control for reasons other than birth control! Acne would be one common example.
And don’t think men are excluded from hormonal problems either. Erectile dysfunction, BPH and low sperm counts are all common.
Today we are in the midst of an epidemic of sexual dysfunction. Somewhere around 15% – 17% of married couples cannot conceive.
Miscarriages are considered normal today.
Couples will spend tens of thousands of dollars on fertility treatments that don’t always work before they even consider looking at their diet.
And even if those fertility treatments work, we all know that children today are coming into this world with so many health problems.
The four As – Autism, Asthma, Allergies and ADHD are also becoming normal.
Crazy.
It’s almost hard to believe that when Dr. Weston Price traveled the earth in the 1930s and studied traditional cultures that he found little evidence of reproductive issues.
Guess what reason Dr. Price attributed to this?
That’s right, nutrition.
And this is what he attributed to the good health of the children in these cultures as well.
Dr. Price found that these cultures had sacred foods especially for fertility. In some cultures, couples looking to conceive were put on a special diet of things like eggs, seafood, whole raw dairy, fish roe and organ meats.
From a scientific perspective, we know those things are great sources of fat and cholesterol, the very building blocks of our sex hormones, namely estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.
How many men and women do you know who eat those things today?
In my own practice I haven’t found too many good nutrition-related sources for fertility that are truly rooted in the wisdom of traditional diets.
Until now.
Kristen Michaelis of the very popular Food Renegade has just released her new book Beautiful Babies.
And it’s is absolutely fantastic. But it’s also really important.
If you know anyone thinking of having a baby, pregnant, nursing or with young children they MUST read this.
It could be the difference between healthy children and unhealthy children.
Kristen lays down the hammer from the get-go and shows the reader just how vitally important nutrition is to the health of a developing fetus and why our modern diet is so detrimental to our children’s health.
She clearly spells out what to eat and why with not only a look back to tradition but also an compassionate understanding to the challenges of modern life.
She has sections for eating for fertility and pregnancy, breastfeeding and homemade formula, baby’s first solid foods and weaning.
My favorite chapter is titled “Nutritional Myth Busting” where Kristen exposes some of the common myths around what a woman should eat while pregnant. Iron deficiency, fat and cholesterol, listeria and alcohol are all covered in detail.
Kristen is also pragmatic and open to more than just nutrition and explores alternative treatments for fertility as well.
In particular, she recommends acupuncture and chiropractic care as effective and complementary treatments to dietary changes and explains how and why those treatments work.
Finally, in part II of the book, Kristen includes several chapters of recipes including sections on snacks, seafood, eggs and beverages.
All of the recipes are geared towards simplicity and practicality. In fact, I started using some of them myself!
Click here to learn more about Beautiful Babies
Craig Fear is the creator of Fearless Eating and the author of three books, The 30-Day Heartburn Solution, Fearless Broths and Soups and The Thai Soup Secret. After years helping clients with digestive issues, Craig decided to pursue writing full-time. He intends to write many more books on broths and soups from around the world! Click here to learn more about Craig.
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