Real Food for Fertility: Prepare your body for pregnancy with preconception nutrition and fertility awareness

. . .who wouldn’t benefit from buying and absorbing the wealth of powerful information and wisdom on nutrition and fertility contained in REAL FOOD FOR FERTILITY. I’m not going to repeat any of the wonderful things that have been said in the many reviews on REAL FOOD FOR FERTILITY. Except to say that, in my opinion, they are all true.Lilly Nichols and Lisa Hendrickson – Jack have interfaced their extensive research, knowledge and expertise in their own areas of practice so perfectly that it brings up the old saying: the total is much greater than the sum of its parts.All I can really do is repeat the title of my review (and add a bit more). I CAN’T THINK OF ANYONE, MALE OR FEMALE, LAY OR PROFESSIONAL, WHO WOULDN’T BENEFIT GREATLY FROM BUYING AND ABSORBING THIS BOOK.I will add that I strongly believe OB/GYN‘s, general practitioners, nurses, physicians assistants, certified nurse midwives and all those who work in the conventional/standard medical system that pervades North America should carefully read this book at least twice and refer to it often. I predict that, if this was done, the very way in which our healthcare system treats its patients would change drastically for the better.From my own experience, after 25 years of being a midwife, and from being a patient myself, of course, I see our healthcare system as an industrial complex that has long ago thrown out the Hippocratic Oath.This book could, if widely read, provide the impetus that would motivate healthcare professionals to get back on track - assuming at some point that they had been on track. I do, however, strongly believe that, at least in the fields of fertility awareness, nutrition, pregnancy and birthing that the traditional healthcare system has done more harm than good.I can go into other areas of medical practice and say the same but I’m going to concentrate on lily’s and Lisa’s groundbreaking book.Childbearing and birthing, for example, have been taken over by the healthcare industrial complex and treat pregnancy and birthing as if they were medical conditions. There is no continuity of care to speak of when establishment practitioners, whether male or female, become the overseers of childbearing and childbirth. They don’t really get to know the expectant mother during pregnancy or treat her with the dignity, humane support or allow the freedom of movement needed during the birth process, therefore, the hospital environment, both in it’s sterile and what I call, heartless, ambience, creates many of the complications that the hospital is equipped to deal with. “Birth must be induced.”“It’s CPD. A cesarean is mandatory.“ These determinations arise all too often because of the stress of giving birth in a hospital or for the convenience of whatever doctor who happens to be around at the critical stages of effacement and crowning. “Well I may have to use forceps for this. Or perhaps pulling on the mouth with my fingers may work.” All the while the mother is screaming for pain relief. Conventional hospital birthing dismisses the innate knowledge the mother has and turns the whole process upside down. How this point relates to Lily Nichols’, and Lisa Hendrickson – Jack’s book will be revealed near the end of this reviewAs a midwife who very rarely has anything to do with hospital births, I am committed to continuity of care, highly professional standards of care, making arrangements for medical back up, palpating a pregnant mother’s tummy in the second trimester - sometimes third – if the baby feels out of position, getting to know the mother as a person and eventually a friend in a relationship that begins with the first prenatal check up, through ultrasound procedures to determine the sex of babies, through the labor and delivery, education in postpartum conditions and breast-feeding. Sometimes the friendships just naturally endure.The menstrual cycle IS the fifth vital sign and that truth meshes with my practice. Nutrition for pregnancy and nutrition for gestational diabetes is powerful information that pregnant women and their significant others should learn thoroughly. This also meshes at the heart of my own practice.This is really what REAL FOOD FOR FERTILITY is all about. It exposes the antagonist myths created over the past 100+ years about nutrition and pregnancy - myths that have also turned related and accepted protocols upside down - and so thoroughly discredits them. It should be a best-seller and I think it will.

This stuff should be taught in schools. Honestly, so much of this is just basic health, not even reproductive. And I so appreciate that there is a part for men. So often it's all about the woman, my partner was really interested once he found out that there is so much that he can do too. We should all know it! Great book and I'm recommending it to everyone I know that is also TTC.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. If I could personally hug Lily Nichols, I absolutely would. After two failed transfers, I decided to overhaul my approach—ditched the processed junk, loaded up on real, nutrient-dense food, and added acupuncture. Fast forward to today: I just got my beta back, and it’s 10,000 at 16dpt!Coincidence? I think not.This book is a GAME-CHANGER. It’s not just “eat healthy” fluff—it’s science-backed, no-B.S. nutrition advice that actually makes sense. Turns out, pregnancy isn’t fueled by crackers and prenatal gummies (who knew?!). It’s fueled by protein, healthy fats, and actual real food that your hormones and baby need. The way she breaks down nutrient needs, blood sugar balance, and why mainstream pregnancy advice is stuck in 1995? Chef’s kiss.If you’re TTC, pregnant, or just wondering if you should trade your low-fat yogurt for some eggs and avocado—BUY THIS BOOK. It’s the best thing you can do for your body (and your future baby). I want to scream about it from the rooftops. Actually, I am screaming. Just trust me and add to cart NOW.

I bought Lily's first book, Real Food for Pregnancy, while in college studying nutrition to become a Registered Dietitian. I was recommended to look into her work because of her work in the functional nutrition space and women's health. While not looking to get pregnant at the time, I had other fertility struggles. I was diagnosed with primary hypothalamic amenorrhea (medically diagnosed as hypogonadotropic hypogonadism). This is often diagnosed when a woman has not menstruated after the age of 15, after other structural or genetic causes have been ruled out.I had all of the routine tests done to rule out other diagnoses: brain MRIs, ultrasounds, blood work, etc. However, the doctors I saw did not seem to ask much about my activity levels or the food I ate. I have run competitively from middle school up to some in college, and I struggled with some disordered eating throughout that time. I was not overly restrictive of protein or carbohydrates because I had learned "protein was essential for recovery" and carbs are "the body's preferred fuel". So to eat fewer calories, I was pretty restrictive of my fat intake, especially saturated fats (based on what I was taught in school). I also limited my SALT intake which was downright the opposite of what I should have been doing as an athlete.I felt in my gut that my restrictive behavior and overly active lifestyle likely played a role in my HA, but I was hesitant to change my lifestyle in case it was a different issue the doctor missed and it had nothing to do with my food/exercise habits. I also wasn't sure what steps to take because the information I found about the condition at the time was variable and the condition was not very common.I searched for other resources on the topic, and most of the recommendations that I found on the condition were to "increase calories and carbohydrates, gain weight, and decrease high-intensity exercise". I followed the recommendations, and I not only felt WORSE, but I still was not cycling. I was experiencing increased anxiety, constant headaches, reactive hypoglycemia (this is explained in Lily's books), elevated blood pressure, and retaining a lot of water all of the time. I also never felt satisfied after I ate anything.When I saw that Lily released this book and included a section on HA in it, I decided to look into it. And, boom. Within one month of reading this book and implementing Lily's way of eating... I had my first cycle!Other benefits I've experienced so far are clearer skin, less water retention and puffiness, fewer headaches and anxiety, and less irritability and mood swings. I have also noticed I can focus for longer periods and have less brain fog.Lily's work challenges the common "low-fat" and "low-cholesterol" way of eating that is emphasized in college nutrition classes and mainstream media. My story is a personal testament to the dangers that our modern dietary perspectives pose to young women's fertility. I have a whole new perspective on nutrition and fueling for fertility thanks to Lily and Lisa's work, and I am excited to carry it with me throughout my career as a dietitian. I wish I could give this 10 stars!