Author: Dr. Maryam Mahanian, DTCM, RAc
Audio Broadcast of the article is available below:
Love these tips from one of my favourite books for fertility based on Chinese medicine:
“Feed Your Fertility”
I always tell my fertility patients to keep eating wholesome nourishing foods on through to their pregnancies and postpartum time. Similarly, the tips in this post are for fertility but of course can and should be carried on through to pregnancy & the postpartum time.
Eat what your great great grandmother ate.
Some examples of this is to eat home cooked meals, dairy, meat, fish, seasonal produce and cultured foods.
No more junk food – absolutely no more processed foods
Eat more Fat!
Include some fats in every meal such as butter, cream, coconut oil, and bacon. Other oils like olive oil and various nut oils are great too.
Cultured foods & drinks
Some great examples are yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha and fermented condiments.
These will aid in your digestion significantly…and proper digestion is key to overall health and well being!
Grains, Legumes and Nuts should be properly prepared
Eat according to your Chinese medicine constitution – what does this mean?
Seeing a Chinese medicine practitioner is unbelievably worthwhile if you’re trying to get pregnant. Try seeing a fertility specialist.
Chinese medicine fertility experts can help you navigate your individual pattern and to get very specific on dietary recommendations for your particular pattern.
For example, if your body shows signs of cold, you will be advised to eat warm heating foods. If your body shows signs of blockage, you will be advised to eat foods that have a dispersing moving quality.
Practitioners can also administer acupuncture on a weekly basis to encourage blood flow to your reproductive organs which in turn will greatly enhance your fertility.
Get Inspired & Don’t Get Overwhelmed
You may think that you have to make too many dietary changes at once. You can start small with something that sounds good to you. Slowly, because your body will start to feel good with the new changes, you will start to eat the good stuff more and more and it will get easier to adopt those changes.
Eat with Joy!
How we eat is very important – for example, we should eat regularly, not be worried or stressed while we eat, or be doing a lot of mental thinking while we eat. Try to be present while eating and enjoy each bite.
Well, here it is in a nutshell. Some great clinical pearls by a couple of great gals. I highly recommend their book Feed Your Fertility.
Happy eating & best of luck in your fertility journey!
Much love,
Dr. Maryam
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