Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/855118
Page 36 | Abby's Magazine - www.AbbysMag.com Then it's the job of your intes nes to clear a lot of these, including the environmental hormones, which is why a daily poop is so important, and addressing cons pa on before ge ng pregnant is a big health plus. If extra help is needed to get things moving, you could add more fiber to your diet in the form of fresh vegetables and ground flax seeds daily, or take 400-600 mg magnesium citrate. In general, taking a mul vitamin/mul -mineral supplement daily is beneficial because they usually contain the nutrients your body needs to specifically enhance or repair natural detoxifica on, for example, B vitamins and magnesium. STEP THREE: CHECK YOUR NEEDS Depending on your personal health and/or medical problems, detox steps may include: • Evalua ng for heavy metals with a prac oner (par cularly if you have an autoimmune disease). • Clearing inflamma on, which itself acts as a toxin to the baby in utero), by: avoiding sugar and processed foods, and taking a fish oil (or equivalent algae- based product) to get a healthy dose of essen al fa y acids. This is important for both keeping inflamma on down and then for suppor ng the baby's brain and nervous system development. • One of the biggest causes of inflamma on during pregnancy? Blood sugar imbalances. In fact, gesta onal diabetes can lead to lifelong problems in the baby as a result of this early exposure to inflamma on in mom. The biggest culprits are usually a high sugar diet and "empty calories." Even natural sugars like honey and maple syrup, or fresh fruit juices, which can contain as many as 30 grams of sugar per serving, can really bump up your sugar load. All foods that contain processed fats, processed flour, and pack in more calories than they do nutrients are a problem. The diet below, along with ea ng regularly throughout the day to avoid ge ng overly hungry, helps keep your blood sugar steady. OPTIMIZE FERTILITY The Mediterranean-style diet, which consists of lots of fresh veggies, fish, poultry, and small amounts only of red meat, legumes and beans, nuts and seeds, good quality oils, small amounts of full-fat dairy, grains, and seasonal fruits has been shown to be the most fer lity-promo ng diet. I use this style of ea ng with my pa ents, modified for their unique needs, i.e., gluten- or dairy-free. Q Can some foods adversely affect fer lity? A Absolutely. For example: Gluten intolerance is a known cause of fer lity problems. Women who use low-fat milk products may have more trouble conceiving than women who use full-fat dairy. Full- fat dairy foods convey the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Skimming the fat from dairy removes these hormones, which are a ached to fat. Le behind are male hormones. Also, once the fat is removed from dairy, you have a higher sugar ra o in the remaining product and this contributes to insulin problems. Low protein intake and lack of adequate, good quality, dietary fats have both been shown to reduce concep on; again, because these essen al nutrients provide the building blocks we need for healthy hormones. Further, poor quality fats have been shown to cause inflamma on and high insulin levels, both of which can interfere with fer lity. Nutrient deficiencies—even insufficiency, where you're not flat-out deficient but have a lower than op mal nutri onal status—can interfere with concep on, too. Our bodies require a host of nutrients for ovula on to occur; for example, women who have been found to be low in folic acid have lower rates of natural ovula on. Skipping meals and having low blood sugar on a regular basis is also a red flag for concep on. When your blood sugar is low, it triggers your brain to go into survival mode. When this happens too o en, it affects your cor sol levels in a way that can start to have an impact on your hormones and your fer lity. On the other hand, high blood sugar and metabolic syndrome can throw our hormones out of whack, and create massive inflamma on, both of which block fer lity. Good carbs (those containing fiber, such as vegetables, beans, and whole grains) are digested slowly and have a more gradual effect on blood sugar and insulin. But fast burning sugars like those that come from processed flour products cause high insulin, which has been found to inhibit ovula on. And of course, foods that have high levels of herbicides and pes cides that act as toxic estrogens in our body can interfere with fer lity.