Fat & Fertility

Fat is an important issue for women, especially if they are struggling with infertility. While it is important to have a healthy body weigt, it is also important to increase the amount of healthy fats in your diet and too many women have become a little obsessed with following a low-fat diet.

Part of the trinity of macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat), fat is absolutely a necessary part of a healthy diet. Fat is important for a strong immune system, stimulating an active metabolism, preventing inflammatory diseases like arthritis and keeping our brains sharp. If women do not have enough fat, they sometimes cannot produce the hormones they require for ovulation.

Any diet that omits fat, is not a healthy diet, however is is essntial to learn which fat to choose...

Trans Fats are neither required, nor beneficial for health, but still Canadians are one of the largest consumers of trans fat in the world. Since the invention of Crisco in 1911, trans fats have slowly taken over our baked goods. Because it is not recognized by the body, trans fat increases cholesterol, breaks down healthy fats, inhibits the functioning of insulin and suppresses the immune system; leaving in its wake an epidemic of cancer, coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, liver dysfunction and obesity. When fats are hydrogenated, trans fats are created. Because hydrogenation extends the shelf life and the firmness of food, you can be sure that there are trans fats in popular baked goods, snack foods, fried foods and fast food.

READ THE LABEL! While a food may be labelled ‘Trans Fat Free’, beware: any food that contains the words modified or hydrogenated contains trans fat. Labelling laws allows a label to show 0 trans fat when it may contain up to.49 g of trans fat per portion. To flaunt their food as ‘trans fat free’, food manufacturers have been known to adjust their portion size. For example: according to the label a serving of 2 chips may be ‘trans fat free’, but when do you ever eat only 2 chips?

Butter or Margarine? Butter & lard contain 3% trans fat, margarine contains 15% trans fat while shortening contains 30% trans fat. Cook like Grandma and choose butter.

Saturated Fat has been long known as the ‘bad fat’; however research is showing that this is not true. Saturated fats are found in meat, dairy and coconuts and some vegetables. Saturated fat is a naturally occurring fat and is recognized by the body. It is used to lower cholesterol, conserve Omega 3, help with blood sugar maintenance and support the immune system by fighting viruses and bacteria. Why the bad fat label? Research in the past showed that saturated fat was contributing to poor health and disease, however further research discovered the existence of trans fat and has shown that it is in fact the trans fat, not saturated fat, that is the killer.

READ THE LABEL! Saturated fat is usually the fat that has been removed when you see the words ‘low fat’ or 0% fat, however to enhance taste and satiety, it is usually replaced by sugar. Remember that anything ending in ‘ose’ or containing corn syrup are high in refined sugars and are replacing the natural fat.

Skim or 2%? In a study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2000), it was found that women who were on low-fat diets absorbed less calcium and were at a greater risk for osteoporosis. Eat that 3% yogurt and drink milk with a higher fat percentage.

Monosaturated Fat has always been a good guy. This is the fat that is found in olive oil, canola oil, sunflower oil and vegetable oils. Cold-pressed or expeller pressed oils are best, as the oils are mechanically, not chemically, processed. To ensure the healthiest of oils, choose oils in a glass bottle as oil pulls the chemicals out of plastic and into your oil.

READ THE LABEL! Remember if that monosaturated fat has been modified or hydrogenated, it is in fact a trans fat.

Coconut oil or olive oil? Coconut oil has been used in traditional cooking for centuries. A terrific replacement for olive oil, it is odourless, colourless and is great for cooking. The bad publicity that coconut oil has had in the past is because the oil used in baked goods and movie popcorn is highly hydrogenated, making it a trans fat. If you choose a virgin coconut oil, you will be adding healthy oil to your pantry.

Omega Fats are everywhere these days! Also known as Essential Fatty Acids, these fats are essential for our body, but cannot be produced, which means we must get them from food. The Omegas help with metabolism, boost immunity and brain development. Omega 6 is very common in our food as it is found in grains, cereals, vegetable oils, eggs and poultry. Omega 3 is more difficult to get as it is found in flax seed oil, hemp seed oil, fish oil, salba (chia) seeds and walnuts. The ideal omega ratio in our diet should be one Omega 3 for every four Omega 6 (1:4), however our current diet is 1:30. We need to drastically increase our levels of Omega 3s to improve our health by eating fish, walnuts and adding flax seed and hemp seed oils to our diets.

READ THE LABEL! ‘Contains Omegas!’ is a very common claim, however the food may just contain Omega 6, which we do not need as much as Omega 3. And don’t think that a sprinkling of flax seeds on that bread will tip the Omega 3 scale; to get the beneficial Omega 3 from flax seeds, the seed must be fresh ground as after a few hours the oil dissipates.

Be Nutty and Seedy! Nuts and seeds are a great source of healthy fat, as well as vitamins and minerals. For a healthy snack, pair some nuts and seeds with a piece of fruit.

A word about low fat... Many of the low/no fat products on our shelves have had the fat replaced by sugar or sugar subsitutes. Sugar substitues like aspartame, nutrasweet and Splenda are chemically derived sugars. There is nothing natural about them, so I would sugest that they not be a part of any diet. There is little evidence regarding the long-term effects of Splenda and aspartame crosses the blood brain barrier. This means that it actually affects your brain, how? We aren't really sure. It is best to avoid these substitutes. Besides, when you do become pregnant it is best to have them out of your diet so they do not impact the developing brains of your baby.

Endometriosis & the Power of Seeds

Endometriosis has been linked to infertility, but eating more seeds can help!

Endometriosis is when the endometrial tissue, which lines the uterus, migrates beyond the uterus lining the pelvc cavity, the ovaries and abdominal organs. A woman's body still sheds this lining but it is extremely painful. Endometriosis can be misdiagnosed as 'just bad PMS'.

Endometriosis has been linked to estrogen dominance. There is estrogen everywhere in Western society. Plastics, conventional dairy and teflon all emit estrogens and are absorbed in the body. Everyone should be avoiding plastics, defenitely never microwave a plastic container, and change from non-stick pans to cast iron, stainless steel or ceramic. All o this estrogen enters your body and if there is an overload, illness occurs. Cancers and uncomfortable menopause have also been linked to estrogen dominance.

As an aside... If there is one piece of nutritional advice I always give is that you should always consume organic dairy. Conventional cattle is given estrogen to increase their milk output, so if you are going to have only one thing in your kitchen that is organic, it should be dairy.

Now what's this about seeds? Lignans are a form of fibre that have been shown to help escort estrogen from the body. Lignans have 2 important roles related to estrogen. First they are blockers. They bind to estrogen receptors and do not allow estrogen to enter a cell. Second, because they are fibre, they absorb the excess estrogen and as they exit your body they take the excess estrogen with them. This is great because if you are struggling with infertility, you need to get your estrogen levels down.

Flaxseeds have the greatest amount of lignans and ground flax ismore beneficial than whole flax seeds. You can buy flax seeds already ground or you can grind whole flaxseeds in a (clean) coffee grinder. Always store ground flax in the fridge. Putting 1 Tablespoon of ground flax in a smoothie is an easy way to consume more flax. I would also recommend using ground flax in a recipe rather than wheat germ.

Pepitas, also known as Pumpkin Seeds are high in zinc. Zinc is a healer of wounds and if you have endometriosis you have wounds which need to be healed. Who knew that the toasted pumpkin seeds from Hallowe'en could be good for you?

Sesame Seeds are powerhouses, considering how small they are! High in lignans, calcium and good fats they should be included in your diet often. Tahini is ground sesame and is a spread that you can add to a sandwich or to hummus. The whole seeds can be ground and put in a smoothie or added to a stir fry.

Sunflower Seeds contain Vitamin E as well as healthy fats, iron and folic acid. Vitamin E promotes blood clotting and healing, reduces scarring and had been shown to protect against 80 diseases. Sunflower seeds are a tasty way to get these healthy nutrients. Throw them in a salad or snack on them (unsalted) throughout the day.

A Seedy Snack! This is a great snack to eat at your desk or add to a salad.

1 C pepitas

1 C sunflower seeds

1/2 C flax seeds

1/2 C sesame seeds

1 tsp each of sea salt, garlic powder and paprika

2 Tbsp olive oil

Place all of the seeds in a bowl and add the sea salt, garlic powder and paprika. Stir

Add the olive oil to the seeds and stir.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the seeds in a single layer on the parchment paper.

Place in a 300 deg. oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

I hope this was helpful and informative! I look forward to your comments,

To our health! Laurie

The Beginning of my Blog

Hi There,

Here is my first attempt at my blog. I am a Holistic Nutritionist in Toronto, Ontario. My focus is on helping couples build their families with nutrition. I like to say I help from seed to sprout, but I think that is already taken... I will have to think of something else creative.

I help couples plan for pregnancy, whether that is getting a woman's body free of toxins or supporting a couple through infertility treatment with nutritional guidance.

Once pregnancy happens it can be overwhelming. 'Don't eat chocolate? But that's all I crave!', helping a woman determine what to eat & what to avoid is important.

I love supporting families in this exciting time. I hope to post some interesting tidbits of info on both of these topics. Anything I learn... I plan to share!

I welcome any questions or comments on topics you may like me to discuss.

To our health!
Laurie