In living a healthy lifestyle, it’s important for me to spell out the areas of most importance.
My Natural Fertility Manifesto
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Processed foods have no place in a diet meant to nourish the body and balance the hormones. These foods are prepared in ways that denature the nutrients so that they become unavailable to our bodies. They also add chemicals to foods to add color, flavor, and preserve them for storage. These chemicals alter the way our bodies see foods, causing us to overeat as well as affecting many different aspects of our natural function. All foods should be “real” and whole foods.
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Meats, dairy products, eggs, and animal fats should be preferably from grass-fed animals to ensure nutrient density. Organic is the next go-to preference, and regular store bought last. When you consume grass-fed meats you’ll find they are higher in fat soluble vitamins that are essential for hormone development.
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Grains should be traditionally soaked whenever possible. By doing do, you’ll make sure that the nutrients are more readily absorbable by the body and easier to digest making less work for your digestive system.
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Fats should be from wholesome sources, the least processed the better. Many of our current vegetable oils are over processed and rancid by the time we use them. Stick to fats that scientists haven’t messed with.
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Produce should be organic whenever possible – and eat plenty of them. Eating in season and locally is best not only for your budget, but for nutrition as well. I’m a big believer that God chose to have certain foods ripen when our bodies are most able to utilize certain nutrients. (ex. Spring is a great time for greens which are cleansing – our bodies are naturally more receptive to cleansing in the spring)
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Milk should be consumed in an uncooked form, from grass-fed cows/goats/etc whenever possible. This ensures that the nutrients are more bio available and have not been damaged by heat. If raw milk is not available, pasteurized milk from grass-fed and/or organic animals is the preferred choice. I choose not to consume conventional dairy milk.
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I will choose to make most foods in my kitchen instead of eating out or buying convenience foods.
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I will make an effort to keep the environment I live in free of chemicals.
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This means making my own cleaning supplies or buying natural products.
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I will make most of my beauty care supplies or buy from those who make them.
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I will keep my home clean and air it out whenever possible.
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My body needs to move more.
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Daily exercise or an active lifestyle is to be maintained
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Yoga at least once per week to help balance the hormones.
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A concerted effort will be made to limit “down time” or vegging in front of the t.v.
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Holistic health is an important part of healing and balancing the body.
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Charting will be a part of my daily routine and I will follow the ideals of lunaception.
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I will work with my chiropractor and naturopath to find any supplemental needs my body may have and to fix my symptoms by treating the cause instead of the symptom.
What do you include in your natural fertility manifesto?
Donielle Baker
I am with you on *everything* except the yoga and charting. The yoga because it is incompatible with other spiritual choices I have made. I’ll use Pilates instead. And charting because… well… I greatly dislike charting. I am reading up more about it though, and am intrigued by lunaception. I hope to start in January with all of that.
I think this is the simplest and most complete list, one I have ever come across. A manifesto I have written with my life, but never with my pen. I love it. Thank you! I’ll be sending people this way!
@Amy (One Day Closer), I was definitely thinking the same thing about yoga! The rest I do agree with, but do a little research on yoga and you will find its root is in eastern religion and opening oneself up to gods. Yikes! Nothing I ever want to even think about messing with, no matter how beneficial.
@Lisa, I, of course, would never try to change anyone’s mind based on what they believe, but I thought I’d give you my thoughts on yoga so that you don’t go thinking I’m ‘opening myself up to other Gods’. 🙂
I believe that when one is filled with the Holy Spirit that other entities have no space there. So I do not believe that I am opening myself up to other gods while performing yoga. 1)because that is not my intent, and 2) because there is no room for evil spirits.
Many current Christian practices actually have roots in other theologies and dark practices and yet they are commonly practiced. (not by all, as we all have varying beliefs) I don’t believe that yoga in itself is evil, though I do believe that finding the right teacher is important. There are also many different forms of yoga, most of them very different than than when practiced as part of a religion.
I also think that a Christian doing yoga with intent on health and well being is the same as a non-Christian taking the sacrament without the intent that we do.
So, totally not starting a debate, I think we should all only do what we’re comfortable with after doing our own research! I’ve read both sides of the argument and talked with many people, and prayed about it, and based my decision on that. Just telling my side of the story. 🙂
Thanks Donielle for that insight. I have never really considered that. I just heard a preacher, from India, mention the real truth behind Yoga and its roots. I have never done any research about the issue beyond that, honestly.
On another note, would you see any reason why it would be a bad idea to take red clover and Vitex at the same time? I am also starting Raw B Complex and a prenatal this months. I know that is a lot, but we are now on our 10th cycle TTC with nothing, so I know something has to be wrong! I am still nursing my almost 19 month old but only twice a day. Could that really be affecting too much? We already eat very healthy (soaking all grains, LOTS of produce, raw milk, switched from coffee to green tea, not much sugar etc etc,) and we are also going gluten free this month. I’m trying everything to make this happen!
@Lisa, I’ve known women to take both red clover and vitex at the same time without any adverse affects.
But yes – nursing can disrupt your fertility that much. I for one do not ovulate at all, even when both of my kids went down to nursing just a few minutes, once a day. It was 8 weeks to the day after they weaned that I’d get my first PP period.
The thing is, sometimes unfortunately, that your body is naturally infertile while breastfeeding. To make sure that you and baby/toddler have what you need. And yes…I know that some women get pregnant while nursing. It happens. But traditionally, even biblically, children were nursed to about 3 years, and that’s also about what the child spacing was as well. The reason is that breastfeeding is supposed to keep prolactin levels up to ensure a good milk supply. When your prolactin is up, you don’t ovulate. And just getting your period doesn’t mean you technically ovulate – you’d have to look at your charts to figure that one out.
Another thing to look at would be your luteal phase – if it’s to short (less than 12 days) you may have low progesterone, not enough to maintain a pregnancy. Or it could just be that your body is waiting a bit, either until baby is weaned, or until it has sufficient nutrient reserves.