Real Food for Fertility: Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy with Preconception Nutrition and Fertility Awareness
By Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, FAE, HRHP
Fertility Food Publishing
More than seventy million couples worldwide have received an infertility diagnosis (applied when couples do not become pregnant after having unprotected sex for a period of twelve months or more). Rates of miscarriage and pregnancy loss are also rising, attributed to embryo abnormalities and problems with implantation, among other complications. This is the opposite of what Dr. Price observed nearly a century ago among isolated indigenous people who not only were fertile but intentionally made provision for the next generation by making sure couples who hoped to conceive were well nourished.
The authors of Real Food for Fertility, Lily Nichols and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack, kick off their 2024 book with a discussion of “Why preconception nutrient stores matter.” They understand and communicate the need to be “nutrient replete” before conception in order to support optimal egg and sperm health, a healthy menstrual cycle, hormonal balance, proper cervical mucus production (key for the survival of the sperm on its journey to fertilize the egg), ample endometrial development (for proper egg implantation), a functional placenta and physiological adaptation to pregnancy.
The two authors cite and are clearly aligned with Dr. Price’s work, pointing to the wisdom of indigenous cultures and inviting modern couples to follow suit—because preparing for conception provides the best outcome not only for the couple but for their children and their children’s children. Women are born with all of the eggs that they will ever have, but the quality of the egg released each month during the menstrual cycle is a reflection of the overall health and nutrient status of the woman during the previous three to eight months. This is why taking steps to ensure fertility prior to conception is critical.
To optimize nutrition and fertility, the body should be well nourished and relaxed. Unfortunately, our modern lifestyles are a mismatch, with a diet of more sugar and less fat leading to more infertility and fewer babies. One study of thirty-eight hundred women in North America planning a pregnancy showed that those who drank seven or more sugary beverages per week (compared to none) took 20 percent longer to conceive. One sweetened drink per day made a significant difference on the outcome.
By decreasing our intake of healthy fats, the authors note, we have decreased our intake of numerous fertility-supportive micronutrients, including zinc, iron, vitamin B12, choline, vitamin A, iodine and DHA. Arguing that women must learn to embrace fat again, they advise avoiding “naked carbs” and including a source of fat at each meal and snack. They also emphasize avoiding refined vegetable oils (high in omega-6 fatty acids and usually rancid) and returning to animal fats such as lard, tallow, duck fat and chicken skin and dairy fats like butter, ghee, heavy cream and sour cream. Additionally, they recommend coconut oil and “unprocessed” olive and palm oils, as well as avocado and nut oils. The Weston A. Price Foundation does not encourage consumption of the two latter oils, and we have also found that the amount of omega-6 in olive oil can vary widely (see “The Olive Oil Conundrum” in the Fall 2024 issue of Wise Traditions).
That said, almost everything the authors recommend is in alignment with WAPF’s dietary principles. In particular, the authors point to nutrient-rich foods like eggs, liver and seafood to prepare the body for motherhood: “There’s ample research showing that seafood consumption has a beneficial effect on fertility. In a 2018 study of over 500 American couples planning to conceive, those with the highest intake of seafood had the shortest time to pregnancy.”
Women’s bodies, Nichols and Hendrickson-Jack remind us, can give off menstrual cycle-related warning signs that we’re off track. Signs that the body is nutrient-deficient or stressed include missed periods, scant or light periods, mid-cycle or premenstrual spotting, increased PMS symptoms and/or a short luteal phase.
For women who hope to conceive, the authors are against skipping breakfast and doing intermittent fasting. They also cover how vegetarian and vegan diets are not fertility-enhancing, emphasizing that animal products are richest in the nutrients the body needs. For example, growing embryos require glycine, the most abundant amino acid in collagen, and “the relative concentration of glycine in plants is very low compared to animal sources.” They note that pork rinds are very high in glycine (6,760 mg per 2 oz) versus 280 mg and 60 mg, respectively, in one-half cup of black beans or one-half cup cooked spinach.
Beyond diet, other practical tips woven throughout the book include suggestions for lowering exposure to non-native electromagnetic frequencies, strategies for improving sperm and egg quality, tips for addressing reproductive health challenges like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and the advice to adopt skepticism toward conventional advice from media or scientists with agendas. I give this book an unequivocal thumbs up for those seeking ancestral answers for modern fertility concerns.
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