Getting back to the garden

Here are six top basic lifestyle changes that Cynthia Stadd, Director of Nutrition Services at The Berkley Center, recommends to proactively promote and prepare your body for conception.

Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine and coffee altogether. It is a vasoconstrictor which can impede blood flow.

Okay, that's something I've been trying to do for a while now. I drink coffee in the morning and usually have a tea or a Diet Coke at tea time. I'm not officially addicted to caffeine I just find the coffee/tea/coke thing to be very comforting. And, what are the alternitives in the morning. I suppose herbal teas would be a substitute but that doesn't sound very exciting does it?.

And for the record chocolate is my big caffeine addiction. I ADORE it. We eat at least two bars a week! And it's good chocolate seeing that we're in France near Switzerland. How do I give up that. NOTE: will make concerted effort to give up chocolate *DEEP sigh* for the conception of the baby but can't guarantee it as a lifetime committment.

Establish a whole foods based diet that's easy to incorporate into your busy lifestyle. Include whole vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, and minimal animal protein. Consider scheduling a consultation with a nutritionist to discover which fresh whole foods you should choose for your body type including quantities, shopping tips and food preparation techniques for maximum health and digestion.
Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary liquids.

I think we already eat well, umm except for the chocolate addiction that is. I like the idea of seeing a nutritionist though. I've wanted to do that for a long time. S/he will most likely suggest I write down all of the foods I eat for a few weeks. I know this because my friend Dee saw a nutritionist recently and she had to do just that. Scary to see what we actually eat! At least Dee thought so. I have to start drinking more water. I'm very bad about that. I admit to adding orange juice to my water to make myself drink more of it. I know it's a sugar load but at least I'm hydrating myself.

Avoid chemicals, additives and preservatives. Get educated on how to read food labels, recognize the artificial sweeteners to stay away from, and get acquainted with some natural sweeteners you may never even have heard about. Start increasing your fertility quotient with powerful dietary and nutritional counseling.

The problem is that in Europe foods aren't labelled with as much detail as I have found in the US. As for sugar, we don't use it very much, or at least I don't. Seb uses lots of sweetners in his coffee. I have turned him onto using honey though and he likes it but he still uses a ton. I try to bake with less and less sugar these days. I guess I have to learn to cut it out completely for a while.

Limit your dairy intake. Find out the scary correlation between cow's milk and reproductive health. Get the latest information on hormones, organics and soy… and how they may be affecting your reproductive health.

I'm in the slow process of giving up dairy. It's SO hard. I recently gave up milk but cheese! I love cheese! HOW can I give up cheese and stay in this country, tell me that? What is this scary correlation she talks about. Hmmm, very curious. Excuse me while I google.

Curb unhealthy cravings. Here's a simple solution you can start using tomorrow. Eat breakfast! Skipping breakfast can make cravings worse so start your day right and don't miss the most important meal of the day.

No problem because I love breakfast. It's just that without dairy and coffee I'm having a hard time with breakfast right now. Any ideas?