Prepping for a Fertility Diet

Care to know how I did at being strict on the fertility diet this week? I did well the first four days; not a single misstep. Then on day 5, I started to slip: a few too many from the starch group here, and then a comforting cup of hot chocolate late at night there (although made with organic rice milk, cocoa and honey).  Day 6 was my birthday, and my husband took me out to breakfast, and then to lunch.  I made healthy choices, but still, those meals weren’t organic!

My experience this week reminds me how hard it can be to be strict on a fertility diet in the face of social settings that may pull you in other directions, especially when you’re starting out. So, you may want to give yourself time away from social pressures for the first two or three weeks on the diet, and you really want to plan ahead. What to do to plan ahead? Here’s what I do:

• Stock the refrigerator with plenty of fresh, and recently prepared, vegetables.
• Make sure you have plenty of healthy, munchy snack foods on hand, like celery and carrots, and non-wheat crackers. If these snacks require preparation, like guacamole for dipping, make sure they’re prepared ahead of time.  Otherwise, you might want to go for the fistful of Cheeze-Its rather than make something healthy to dip your non-wheat crackers into. Next week, I'll post a list of healthy snacks with a fast recipe!
• Stock up on every kind of herb tea you think you’d enjoy (except for chamomile and any other herb that is contraindicated in fertility or pregnancy). Try to stick to those that are herbal over those that are “decaffeinated,” which has gone through usually a chemical process to remove the caffeine. Caffeinated versions are definitely out.
• As long as the rest of your household won’t mind, get rid of dietary items that are not allowed and may tempt you. You won’t find sugar in our house, although we have plenty of honey and Stevia.  I have to leave the milk and cheese alone out of respect for my son and husband, though.
• Plan your meals at least three days in advance – at least have an idea of what you’ll make – and shop for those ingredients. (Note: we’ll soon be adding meal plans to the Resources section of our website at www.fertilekitchen.com. Check back soon!)
• If you have a busy lifestyle (who doesn’t these days?), cook some healthy meals up over the weekend to last for two or three days. That way, if the urge to eat is more than a passing appetite, you can pull out the entire turkey and vegetable stew and eat that. I’ve had many lunches at 10:00 a.m. because I just couldn’t wait any longer. Much better to have chicken in vegetables or a bowl of broccoli than a donut, which will spike your blood sugar and just leave you hungry for more. If you end up having a second lunch later, it’s still OK, as long as you’re sticking to healthy food.

A fertility diet is going to ease your cravings over time, optimize your health and energy levels. You’ll experience far fewer dips and peeks in energy, too.  So stock up on healthy foods, ease into the adventure and enjoy!

Tune in next week for a list of healthy snacks and a fast recipe.

Photo by www.sportyscatering.com/snacks.html