folate

Episode 2- Before the bump, bump up your nutrition

Is preconception nutrition a new idea?

Traditional cultures prized nutrient dense foods like organ meats, fatty fish, bone-in meats, and eating nose-to-tail. Without even having names for the nutrients found in these foods, they had such strong intuition ( and generations of practice) to know exactly which foods helped young couples conceive. 

Through optimizing your body's digestion, detox capacities, and nutrient status we:

  • directly optimize your womb's ability to release healthy eggs

  • produce fertile cervical fluid

  • implant fertilized eggs

  • develop an embryo

  • increase nutrient absorption and utilization

  • create a favorable epi-genetic environment for your future baby, and manifest healthy pregnancy & birth outcomes.

When to start pre-natal nutrition

In general I recommend 6 months but depending on the woman’s health history it may take more or less time. It takes 4 months for women to see a change in egg quality after implementing diet and lifestyle changes.

SYMPTOMS that may be a clue you need to work on your nutrition before conceiving

  • Period problems: Irregular cycles (long, short or skipped), heavy or light menstrual flow, painful periods, missing ovulation

  • Previous pregnancy complications: miscarriage history or challenges with previous pregnancy (pre-ecclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, etc.)

  • Severe mood swings

  • Low energy

  • Poor digestion: IBS/SIBO, diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, cramping.

  • Known toxin exposures: nail/hair salon frequently, using generic household cleaners, mainstream skincare products, high-mercury seafood intake.

Think “if you don’t do ICF, you might need IVF”

  • Iron- 20-65% of menstruating women have deficient reserves (ferritin)

  • Choline- intake should be between ~400-900mg depending on genetics. 2-3 eggs per day!

  • Folate- Bioavailable folate > folic acid especially for individuals with MTHFR variations.

Anisa’s Favorite Prenatal Vitamin (use code: WOODALLWELLNESS10 for 10% off)

3 Food Groups to be mindful of during pregnancy

  • High glycemic foods- first trimester HbA1c is 98% predictive of Gestational Diabetes.

  • Dirty dozen- EWG.org 

  • High mercury fish- Be mindful of Tuna and halibut especially. Though, DHA-rich seafood is still super important! A 2018 Cochrane review reported DHA intake is associated with 42% reduction in preterm (<34 weeks) birth while also reducing maternal risk such as preeclampsia, GD, PPD, hemorrhage etc. If RBC DHA is >5% then there’s reduced risk of low gestational age. Best sources of low mercury high omega-3 fish include wild-caught salmon and sardines.

Working with Anisa you'll learn:

  • How to listen to your intuitive voice and rebuild your relationship with food while preparing your body to carry life

  • How to use real-food to improve your energy, normalize your periods and fuel the life you want to live

  • The ins-and-outs of your menstrual cycle; learning to shift it to your advantage for fertility and optimizing metabolism.

  • How to prepare your body for a healthy baby, pregnancy, birth and postpartum while preserving your own health and well-being along the way

My Fertility Nutrition Coaching Includes:

  • 6 months of holistic nutrition and lifestyle support

  • 2-  60 minute nutrition consultations in the first month

  • 4- 45 minute monthly nutrition consultations

  • 1- 45 minute Fertility Awareness educational session

  • Preconception laboratory recommendations 

  • Personalized supplement recommendations 

  • 20% discount on professional grade supplements ordered through my dispensary


Books Mentioned in this podcast episode

The Fifth Vital Sign

Real Food For Pregnancy



Studies-

DHA and preterm birth: Middleton P, Gomersall JC, Gould JF, Shepherd E, Olsen SF, Makrides M. Omega-3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018;11(11):CD003402. Published 2018 Nov 15. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003402.pub3

An Early Pregnancy HbA 1c >5.9% (41 mmol/mol) Is Optimal for Detecting Diabetes and Identifies Women at Increased Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes. Hughes, R. C.E., Moore M.P., Gullam J., Mohamed K., Rowan J.Diabetes Care 2014;37:2953–2959. DOI: 10.2337/dc14-1312