The Fertility Diet

My acupuncturist has recommended that, in addition to treatments and nutritional supplements, I augment my diet to increase fertility.  Wanting to leave no stone unturned, I agreed and began soaking in the information provided to me.

The basis for the diet is the "most comprehensive study to date following fertility and diet."  In 2008, the Harvard Nurses Health Study followed 18,000 women who, during the period of study, were trying to have a baby and correlated their eating habits with their abilities to conceive.

Diet is one of the most critical criteria used to treat ovulatory infertility (meaning the woman doesn't ovulate properly each month and that is the reason that she is infertile).  While we have not been diagnosed with ovulatory infertility, it cannot hurt to increase fertility leading into our IVF cycle.

The book "The Fertility Diet" outlines the findings of the 2008 study.  It is very easy to read and the ideas seem logical to implement.  My acupuncturist is having me take The Fertility Diet one step further by adding some Chinese medicine ideas to the mix.  The plan she is having me follow can be found at http://www.acubalance.ca/fertility-diet/acubalance-fertility-diet.  It is called yang sheng eating and is governed by the following five principles:

1.  Mindful eating:  Relax, eat slowly, and enjoy your food.
2.  Whole food:  Eat food as nature intended it in as unadulterated a state as possible.
3.  Local food:  Eat food that has been grown close to home minimizing your environmental impact and maximizing the freshness and energetic quality of the food.
4.  Seasonal food:  Nature provides just the right foods for the season.  Summer vegetables and fruits tend to be cooler and lighter while winter produce tends to be more warming and denser in nutrition.
5.  Moderate eating:  Eat only when you are hungry, stopping before you are completely full.

In addition to diet and exercise, the Acubalance Fertility diet also advocates spending time on yourself, improving your relationships with others, and spending time in nature.  These things I like very much.  And, of course, I love the IDEA of the diet, but I know that implementing it is going to be very difficult for me.  I like eating donuts at work on Fridays and grabbing McDonald's chicken nuggets when I'm in a hurry.  Also when I just want them.  I enjoy Starbucks coffee and diet coke.  Somehow, these items don't make it into the plan.

Not only is the type of food going to be a change for me, the effort and expense that goes into eating this way is hugely increased.  I'm not much of a cook, but that's primarily because I don't enjoy doing it.  Today, I went to the store and bought a week's worth of diet friendly meals and snacks.  $90!!  And that didn't include snacks for Ryan.  Our typical weekly grocery bill is closer to $75.  I promised myself when we started going down the path to IVF that I would do everything that the doctor's recommended ad nauseam.  This is not going to be fun.  Wish me luck.