Holistic Fertility Prep – With Actionable Steps

In my world, holistic fertility prep refers to the idea of taking the time to work with our own bodies amazing ability to thrive and reproduce naturally. For the most part, we do not need any form of interference when it comes to procreating, but it seems many now need extra aid while we are living in times that do not, in fact, support out biological needs for procreation.

I often speak of the food and body components to support your body for fertility in a holistic manner… Things like:

1) Trusting in your body and trust in yourself.
2) Eating in a way that feels good to you, foods that will nourish your body and your spirit, foods that give you vitality and energy
3) Removing food and non-food items that cause you discomfort
4) Getting your gut and menstrual cycle on track before trying to conceive
5) Preparing your mental mind and support system ahead of conception

All of the above points are very important factors in order to best support fertility, and I talk about them in more detail in my preconception health blog and my blog on how to support your menstrual cycle for fertility. 

Today’s discussion dives a little deeper on how you can make better food choices starting today and what other important aspects are necessary to help support the preparations for a healthy, holistic fertility.

If you’re looking to go a little deeper and work one-on-one, I got you, boo. You can book a free discovery call to discuss your wants and needs, you can email me your questions or give me a call! You’re also encouraged to check out my fertility program packages for more information.

In the meantime, happy reading!

• Reading Labels to Support Fertility
• Items to Replace for Fertility Support
• Eat a Whole-food Diet for Holistic Fertility Prep
• Slowing Down to Support Fertility
• Working With Your Body: A Holistic Fertility Approach
• Have Some Fun!
• Drop All Preconceived Notions of Fertility Prep Perfection
• Summary

Reading Labels To Support Fertility

As part of preparing for pregnancy and fertility, I strongly encourage that you take the time to dig through your pantry, fridge and cold room to see what might be hiding in there. It’s now time for you to learn how to read labels and do an inventory of your pantry. Not only do we wish to clear out foods that may be near the expiry date, but we may also want to reconsider some of the items found there!

Ingredient lists should always be read before purchasing a food item so that you know what you are putting into your body. The food we eat, digest and assimilate will make up the cells of every moving part in our body. That said, taking care of the foods we’re choosing to eat will play a role in our fertility health!

In addition: the ingredients in the non-food items that we consume matter, too. Things like birth control have components that alter our own hormones and can cause nutrient deficiencies. This is why it’s recommended to wait a minimum of 3 months to try to conceive after coming off the birth control pill. More on that on my blog about the effects of the birth control pill!

How To Shop To Support Fertility, Vitality And Overall Health:

– Select foods with no ingredient list over foods that do contain them, or;
– Select foods with a minimal ingredient list: maybe 5-6 items at the most.
– Ensure that you are able to read and understand the ingredients on the list
– Avoid ingredients like: flavour, natural flavour, spices.
– Minimize processed sugar as much as you can (this ties into cholesterol health, too!)

Items To Replace For Fertility Support

In an attempt to remove as many unnecessary ingredients that may be hard on digestion, affect reproductive health and our overall wellbeing, it’s always a wise idea to remove foods that contain a plethora of chemicals, additives and flavourings. 

The easiest way to do this to support a holistic fertility journey would be to stick to real, whole foods. Cooking from scratch can often help with this – seeing as you now know exactly what you’re cooking with! If this is something you struggle with, there are ways you can help yourself with sticking to a new way of eating! PS.My favourite way to asses if it’s something I should buy or not is this: if I have trouble reading an ingredient on the list, my body won’t either – so that food is not for me.

Another tip for you to minimize chemical exposure is to purchase foods that don’t have ingredient lists in the first place! Shopping at food markets can result in your whole foods being even more fresh and delicious 😉

Finally, I should mention that having a look at your cooking tools, your cleaning products and skin care products should be dealt the same amount of scrutiny, especially when you’re working on fertility support for your body and mind.

Eat A Whole-food Diet For Holistic Fertility Prep

As soon as you start to cook your own meals at home, it helps to bring in more whole-foods, and minimize our chances of eating unknown ingredients that could affect our hormones, reproductive organs, gut health and overall health. I think this is such an important thing to consider when looking for added pregnancy support. Side note: how much you prepare yourself for fertility has the ability to affect your pregnancy, too 😉

If you’ve never been much of a home-cooker, start small and start with something you enjoy eating. When you’re ready, choose another meal and slowly increase the amount that you cook for yourself. You can even cook larger batches and freeze them so you have something quick, tasty and nutritious on hand for those days you’re not feeling like cooking!

Not only does this help you eat cleaner, but it will save you money, help you connect to the foods you’re eating and it will help you better cater to your bodies needs! When we cook for ourselves, we can ask ourselves what we may be craving that day – by honouring that, you are ultimately feeding your body what it needs to thrive! More on cravings and what they might mean on another post some day.

In terms of holistic fertility prep (and ultimately pregnancy support), ask yourself – what does my body crave? What does it need to help me feel good? So… What makes you feel good?

DO THAT!

Slow Down. 

When talking about an approach that is for holistic fertility prep, I cannot emphasize this enough – you probably, very likely, absolutely need to sslllloooooowwwwww dddooowwwwwnnnnnnn.

And I mean that with so much love.

You need to slow down.

Turn it down a notch and cancel some of your plans.

Spend time at home, rest, breathe, move your body in a way that feels good.

Leave behind all the things that do not work for you.

Leave your work at work, and be present in the small moments at home.

Enjoy some fresh air and the slowness of nature.

Watch something grow, see how it moves.

We are not meant to rush all the time.

While there is a time and a place for it, there is also a time and a place for us to take a step back, rest, relax, repair and just, be.

Work With Your Body For Fertility Support, Not Against It

We have pretty resilient bodies, we can really handle a lot before it starts to act out. The best thing we can do for ourselves prior to conceiving is to make sure we’ve removed as many interferences as possible from our body – the tips shared above will help with that and I can go deeper when consulting, are you ready for a chat?

So think about this for a minute: we can drink, party, stay up late, push our muscles beyond it’s limits and we may suffer a little, but we’ll be back to normal shortly after. We can push through the pain, through the discomfort, the twinges and the cramping. We can ignore a light headache or a little cold.

On the other hand, we can feel perfectly fine and suddenly find ourselves in a state of distress and illness.

We might also be the type of person who persistently feels crummy and suddenly you can no longer function adequately.

Point is, our bodies can put up with a lot and we’ll either bounce back quickly or we won’t but just because we know we can put it through the trenches, it doesn’t mean that we should if it’s hurting us!

The best way to care for your body starting right now is to take a moment to listen inward. Your body is always communicating with you – if you need anything, it will often ask for it in one way or another.

An example of this would be chocolate cravings! With chocolate, you may be craving love/affection, Magnesium or maybe a quick little boost of energy from the caffeine! Taking that information (the chocolate craving), I can then make a decision as to how I might be able help satiate my craving. Will I find a way to show myself some love? Will I eat foods that are rich in Magnesium or will I have a small protein/fat rich snack to help maintain stable energy levels?

No matter what you do, tuning into self is the key to helping your body and mind feel its best – so I encourage you to take small moments in your day to check in every so often. Whether it be in a journal or doing a mental check-in, the choice is yours 🙂

Drop All Preconceived Notions Of Fertility Prep Perfection

Because it will never be perfect, so don’t kid yourself. 

It’s really easy to trick yourself into thinking that you need to do everything before even starting to conceive, especially if you’ve already been on a health journey for a long time.

Oh, I’ll just do this cleanse. Oh, I need to do a heavy metal detox. Oh, I need to loose 20+ pounds first. I need to do this strict diet because it’s the only way! Oh, just one more thing, and this, and that!

If you keep telling yourself these stories, you will literally never conceive because no single person on this planet has perfect health.

I dare you to instead ask yourself – how do I feel right now? Do I feel like I am ready? Mentally? Physically? Do I feel like my body and mind are prepared to bring fourth life? If that’s the case, that’s your sign to get a move-on.

Now, while I am saying not to over-stress every single detail, that doesn’t change the fact that I believe that there are still some key areas in your life that I think are worth addressing before trying to conceive!

Just remember to trust yourself and your gut – if it feels right, go for it <3

How to Support Holistic Fertility Preparations: Summary

There are many steps that can be taken to support holistic fertility preparations, therefore acting as pregnancy support. I talk about the practices that can be used frequently, and these actionable steps can help you on your journey starting today!

Reading labels, knowing the foods you’re eating, preparing them yourself and listening to your body are major helpers in this realm. What is just as important, is finding peace and balance in all aspects of your life – whatever that may look like for you.

I would almost argue that finding joy in the small things, in the big things, too! Making the time to play, to move and to honour what your body is asking for is possibly even more important in your fertility journey.

So what are you waiting for?

Pick one thing that resonates with you and start with that. Once you’ve mastered that, move onto the next and so on.

For added guidance, I am just a click (email) or call away. You can also book a FREE discovery call to ask me your questions in a dedicated space 🙂

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Wishing you all the best,

Veronique, CNP
Your fertility and nutrition coach.