Book Review # 1: The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant
The Fertility Dietby Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Walter Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett was the first fertility nutrition book I chose to read when I decided to up my chances of getting pregnant in the future (emphasis on future.) Being a total science nerd, I place a lot of importance on making sure everything I read is scientifically sound and research based, but it also has to be readable and relatable. The Fertility Diet definitely fits the criteria.
Based on data from the Nurse's Health Study, The Fertility Diet is chock-full of tips to build a diet capable of improving fertility and general health and wellness. The tips in the book include:
- Steer clear of trans fats.
- Include unsaturated fats in your diet.
- Choose plant-based protein frequently.
- Don't give up carbs, instead choose slower digesting carbs.
- Drink and eat full fat dairy products.
- Consider taking a multivitamin.
- Turn to plants to up your iron.
- Water, water, water! Drink up!
- Find your happy, healthy, fertile weight range. Then get in and stay in that zone.
- Get moving. Find ways to stay active, just don't overdo it.
What I appreciated most about this book is the recommendations are doable; nothing crazy, spooky, or potentially dangerous. These are simple tips which time and time again have been shown to help us stay healthy no matter what stage of life we are in.
There is more to come on how I put these tips into practice and ways you can too.
Head over to Follow The Fertility Diet? if you would like to read the summary of the book and its recommendations. If you are up for a scholarly read, the study that started it all is just a click away: Diet and Lifestyle in the Prevention of Ovulatory Disorder Infertility.
