Cynthia Stadd, HHC
Holistic Health and Nutrition Specialist

                                                             © 2007 Cynfully Healthy

A NOTE FROM CYNTHIA...

My inbox has been overflowing with questions and comments about the December 10th cover story for Newsweek magazine titled, "Fertility and Diet, How What You Eat Affects Your Odds of Getting Pregnant." 

Finally, this subject hit mainstream attention!

Today's issue is only about my comments and suggestions regarding this article.  If you are trying to conceive, this is a must read.  If not, please consider forwarding this newsletter to a person in your life who is trying to get pregnant.   It will be an early holiday gift!

Remember, I love to hear from you! 

Have questions or comments about anything in this newsletter?

Don't hesitate to email me at cynthia@cynfullyhealthy.com.

(To see any previous e-newsletter,  just click on

http://cynfullyhealthy.com/enewsletters.html)

SUCCESS STORY

We all have to reach out for help from time to time.  The friend I reached out to luckily referred me to Cynthia.

She called me.  She called me twice.  With an out of control schedule and a to-do list a mile long I really did not have time for me, for my health, for my life.

I have time now.  Every day I now have time for me, for thinking about what I put into my body.  It takes about ten seconds.

I am not on a diet.  I am on a mission.

I am not on a program.  I am being educated.

This was something I knew could not be done alone.  After a short period of time, it is almost beyond explanation how easy it is.  I am not limited, I have more choices, and I am actually eating more.

My participation with Cynthia has given me the opportunity to get back the lasting healthy feeling a left behind a decade ago.

I lost 20 lbs. and I am just getting started!

Jay Norway, Sales Professional

FEATURE ARTICLE

Cynthia's Comments on the December 10th Newsweek Cover Story: 

Fertility and Diet

Much to my delight, the December 10th, 20007 edition of Newsweek magazine featured the cover story, “Fertility and Diet, How What You Eat Affects Your Odds of Getting Pregnant.” 

For several years I have devoted a large portion of my practice to serving clients who are trying to get pregnant by helping them shape up their physical and mental health through diet, lifestyle re-patterning, detoxification protocols and overcoming “mental gymnastics” that keep the body in a state of stress.

Finally… A FIRM ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE MAINSTREAM MEDICAL COMMUNITY THAT DIET AND LIFESTYLE FACTORS CAN PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE ABILITY TO CONCEIVE!

There isn’t much science out there on this subject.

In fact, the only major comprehensive study I’m aware of prior to the Harvard Nurses Health Study mentioned in the article comes from the University of Surrey.

Their study examined how the fundamentals of health including diet, pollutants, lifestyle and environmental factors affects fertility and miscarriage over a three year trial.   

The results were stunning – 81% of the previously infertile couples in the study conceived, and 83% of the women who miscarried had a healthy baby within the three years after the trial without miscarrying again.

The Newsweek article acknowledges that we don’t question how diet, exercise and lifestyle factors affect everything from life expectancy to chronic disease risk, yet we decide it is only a “maybe” for these factors affecting fertility.

Since when is our reproductive system separate from every other system in our body?  Last time I checked, what you eat gets assimilated into EVERY cell, not just the ones that are susceptible to cancer or migraine headaches.  “Farmers, ranchers and animal scientists know more about how nutrition affects fertility in cows, pigs and other commercially important animals than fertility experts know about how it affects reproduction in humans.” 

So, the Harvard Nurses Health Study, from which this article and book “The Fertility Diet,” by Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D.l, Sc.D., Walter C. Willet, M.D., Dr.P.H, and Patrick J. Skerrett is based, is a welcome addition to back up what I’ve know intuitively for a very long time – that yes, food affects fertility.  It is important to note that food cannot overcome physical blocks such as scarred fallopian tubes or a blocked cervix.  What is can do is help to rebalance the delicate hormonal system which is directly responsible for “ovulatory infertility, which accounts for one quarter or more of all cases of infertility.”

So, let’s look at a few of the major points:

Slow Carbs, Not No Carbs

Yes, this one is big.  As I’ve explained to many clients, carbs have a huge role in a fertility-boosting diet because they set the stage for blood sugar levels.  If your blood sugar gets too high too often, usually a result of eating too many high-glycemic and simple, fast-absorbing carbs, your insulin level gets wacky (insulin is a hormone) and the delicate hormonal system goes haywire. 

The study confirmed that total carbs was less of a risk factor than type of carb. 

In fact, women who ate 60% total carb vs. those who ate about 42% total carbs were less likely to suffer from ovulatory infertility.  The women in the first group ate more carbs, but the type of carb they were eating was lower on the glycemic scale and full of more fiber and nutrients.

Lower glycemic, nutrient-rich carbs linked with greater pregnancy success: 

Brown rice and other whole grains, high-fiber minimally processed breads, whole fruit, vegetables and beans.

The ones to avoid: 

Cold breakfast cereals (been saying that one for years!), white rice, potatoes, candy and other highly refined foods. 

So yes, eat your oatmeal for breakfast and your quality breads.  If you have not already, seriously consider exploring other whole grains that you may not be as familiar with, such as quinoa and millet.  They are excellent alternatives to the ever popular brown rice and can provide variety as well as a broader nutritional base.

The Fat Connection

Hallelujah, they confirmed that trans-fat is bad news for fertility!  Thank goodness.  Denmark banned them. New York City just banned them.  They are bad.

If you have no idea what trans-fats are, they are man-made hydrogenated oils designed to bring a longer shelf life with fuller flavor to many foods that need to sit on a supermarket shelf for a very long time.  You will easily avoid them if you generally stay away from commercially processed packaged foods such as protein bars, snack chips, cookies and cakes.  Trans-fats are never an issue when the majority of your diet comes from fresh,  whole foods centering around minimally processed grains, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds and some animal protein.

One very interesting finding from their research was that  “We saw an effect even at daily trans fat intakes of about four grams per day. 

That’s less than the amount the average American gets each day.”

What is still not conclusively proven is the exact role that dietary fats – saturated and unsaturated – has on fertility.  It is suggested that adequate fat of both varieties will improve the quality and length of the menstrual cycle.  As practitioners, we certainly rely alot on the qualities and health of the menstrual cycle as an indicator of overall fertility. 

Although I can’t pull science out of my ears, I can tell you from clinical experience there is no question that having a diet primarily centered around mono and poly-unsaturated fats, with minimal saturated fats from animal sources, produces the best results. 

That means enjoy some high quality olive, sesame, sunflower and safflower oils regularly.  Eat nuts often, preferably low mold ones such as almond and walnuts.  Sprinkle some fresh ground flax seeds into your morning hot grain breakfast.  Eat your eggs, chicken and beef, but eat them more sparingly.

Surprising Conclusions with Dairy.. But Don’t Dive Into the Ice Cream Yet

If you have been on my newsletter list for a while, or ever spoken with me about dairy, you know that I am not the biggest fan of cow’s milk for human consumption. 

The findings in this study suggest that modest amounts of full-fat dairy can decrease the risk for ovulatory infertility, while low-fat choices such as skim milk can do the opposite. 

It also mentions that low-fat yogurt, frozen yogurt and sherbet top the list for negative influences.

If we break apart what is actually in full-fat vs. low-fat dairy, and just as importantly what is NOT in both, this conclusion makes sense.  Full-fat dairy has more fat and as mentioned in the previous section, more fat is probably a good thing.  It has less sugar, while the low-fat varieties often have considerably more sugar to make up for the taste.  Full-fat also has more protein, whereas low-fat products have proteins added to help them appear creamier. 

However, I am still not convinced that adding significant amounts of dairy to the diet is necessary to boost our chances of conception when I find overall a huge host of problems with dairy in the population at large. 

Dairy is generally not digested well, creating bloating, poor nutrient assimilation and problems with elimination.  For many it causes a host of allergies and asthma related symptoms.  It tends to create excess mucus in the sinuses, throat and lung areas which makes people feel like they are carrying around low-grade sickness and sluggishness.  Also, as the article points out, it adds significant calories, and excess body weight is another negative factor when it comes to fertility.

And anything that stresses out your body or creates inflammation takes energy away from your reproductive cycle! 

Remember that animals in the wild who are sick do not reproduce!!  We are no different.  “Sick” does have to mean in bed with a cold to our bodies.  Chronic inflammation or allergy could be enough to shift our body’s energy from reproduction to trying to heal the immune system.

So, I can’t say that all humans should avoid dairy.  However, I still strongly urge you to consider your own body’s reaction to dairy before pouring full-fat milk  in your oatmeal every morning.

Thanks for reading, as these are the highlights from this article I wanted to touch on.  There is more, and I do recommend reading it. 

Did you find this article helpful?

Let me know by contacting me at cynthia@cynfullyhealthy.com!

RECIPES

In case you didn't know,

http://cynfullyhealthy.com/recipes.html

has free recipes and all are fertility friendly!

One of my favorites -

BAKED BEANS WITH MISO AND APPLE BUTTER

http://cynfullyhealthy.com/documents/BakedBeansMisoAppleButter.pdf

I also recommend the website

www.epicurious.com for an enormous selection of free recipes.  Beware though as not all are healthy!

Want to know more about Cynthia?

Check out Cynthia's Story on www.cynfullyhealthy.com.

CALL NOW FOR HOLISTIC HEALTH AND NUTRITION COUNSELING VIA PHONE/EMAIL

Start reaching your health goals today!

Cynthia works with clients all over the country via phone, email and video chat if you have a mac or other video capability.

She can help if you experience any of the following:

	Battle with a chronic imbalance — menstrual, digestive or energy related — that just won’t go away
	Suffer with male or female infertility and/or specific reproductive disorders
	Realize that deciding what to eat is more stressful than enjoyable
	Are unable to permanently lose weight and are sick of dieting
	Feel like your relationship with food and/or your body is unhealthy and don’t know how to get unstuck
	Over-eat and/or binge eat

Don’t hesitate to call for a FREE 30 minute talk. Let’s see if we are good match! 917.691.4170

Learn more about Cynthia's programs and services by visiting http://cynfullyhealthy.com/program.html.

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Note: the information in this newsletter is presented for educational purposes only. This information is not intended as a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a licensed professional.

© 2007 Cynfully Healthy. All Rights Reserved. You may copy or distribute this e-newsletter, in whole or in part, as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author are attached. The author is: Cynthia Stadd, and can be contacted at www.cynfullyhealthy.com.

Cynfully Healthy
Phone: 917.691.4170
Email: cynthia@cynfullyhealthy.com
www.cynfullyhealthy.com