Struggling with infertility? What's on your plate may be impacting you more than you know. Today I welcome Judy Simon, RDN and Dr. Angela Thayer, two leading experts in reproductive health. They join us to unravel the link between nutrition and fertility, potentially trimming the wait to welcome a new life. This is the basis for their upcoming book "Getting to Baby: A Food First Fertility Plan" that hits bookshelves, April 9th, 2024.
Resources from this Episode:
Getting to Baby: A Food-First Fertility Plan to Improve Your Odds and Shorten Your Time to Pregnancy
If you want to connect with Angela, visit the following:
Instagram: @angelathyermd
Website: angelathyermd.com
If you want to connect with Judy, visit the following:
Instagram: @fertilenutrition
Website: www.mind-body-nutrition.com
_____________________________________________________________________
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Have a question, suggestion or comment for the podcast? Fill out form here
Plant Centered Nutrition Essential Resources:
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Plant-Centered and Thriving
Podcast.
I'm your host, ashley Kitchens.
I'm a plant-based registereddietitian and virtual nutrition
mentor.
I was raised on an Angus cattlefarm, grew up with a lot of GI
issues and used the power ofplant-based eating to promote
healing.
Here you'll find inspiration,ideas and encouragement for your
(00:23):
own plant-based journey.
I'm so thrilled you're heretoday.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the showplant-centered listener.
My name is Ashley and I am yourhost today, and today I have
two special guests with us today, an interview that I found
incredibly fascinating.
We talk about infertility andwhat you can do to take a food
(00:47):
first approach to your fertilityplan to improve your odds and
shorten your time to getpregnant.
This was a amazing conversation.
Infertility can stem from anumber of challenges.
Pcos can stem from a number ofchallenges PCOS, endometriosis,
(01:08):
fibroids, egg quality, low spermcount and so much more.
But one thing that we talkabout is how diet can impact all
of these conditions and howmaking some small shifts in diet
and in other parts of your lifecan have a huge impact.
These two guests are incrediblyknowledgeable about this
subject and it was neat to learnhow it impacts fertility, but
(01:31):
also to just in general, how itimpacts sort of your overall
health, because we talk aboutthat as well.
So let me introduce our twoguests and then we are going to
dive into this amazingconversation.
Our first guest is with JudySimon.
She is an award-winningregistered dietitian
nutritionist who specializes inreproductive health.
(01:52):
She is the founder of MindBodyNutrition PLLC and a clinical
instructor at the University ofWashington.
Judy's expertise includesfertility, pcos, eating
disorders, weight-inclusivemedicine and reproductive health
.
Judy has held leadership rolesin the American Society of
(02:13):
Reproductive Medicine NutritionSpecial Interest Group and is a
fellow of the Academy ofNutrition and Dietetics.
Judy integrates mindfulness,intuitive eating, eating
competence while taking anonjudgmental, inclusive
approach to help people have ahealthier, more fertile life.
Judy is the co-founder of Foodfor Fertility Program and
(02:37):
co-author of the upcoming April2024 book Getting to Baby a Food
First Fertility Plan to Improveyour Odds and Shorten your Time
to Pregnancy, which we talkabout.
And then her lovely co-authorand presenter is Dr Angela
Thayer.
She is a medical doctor wholoves helping women discover the
(02:58):
joy of food to improve theirhealth.
She is triple board certifiedin reproductive endocrinology
and infertility, obgyn andlifestyle medicine.
She completed her undergraduateeducation at Duke University
Medical School at the Universityof Cincinnati College of
(03:18):
Medicine, residency at OregonHealth and Science University
and fellowship at the Universityof Texas Science Center at San
Antonio.
She and Judy Simon created theFood for Fertility program and
have co-authored a book comingout, like I said, in 2024, april
(03:39):
9th.
Dr Thayer is also a plant-basedchef and is currently studying
behavioral science at the LondonSchool of Economics, learning
new skills to advance health andhappiness.
These two are an amazing,dynamic duo.
Oh, my goodness, this podcast,this episode, is full of
invaluable information and Icannot wait for you to listen to
(04:02):
it.
Please join me in welcoming tothe show Judy and Angela.
Judy, angela, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
I'm so excited to talk to youboth today.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Thanks, Ashley.
We're excited to be here.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yes, thank you.
We love food and plants, sowe're so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Perfect combination Good.
So I would love to start withkind of just a simple Perfect
combination Good.
So I would love to start withkind of just a simple, simply
speaking question on howsignificant is the link between
nutrition and fertility.
If you both kind of want totouch on that, Angela, if you
want to go first, that'd begreat, Sure.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I think it's there.
Sometimes people don't reallyrecognize it, but we know that
people who eat really well andget lots of nutrients from diets
and are in an optimum state ofhealth have better fertility.
And if their diet is lacking, Imean, you know, you see this in
the most dramatic cases, incases of starvation and things
(04:58):
when the hypothalamus can besuppressed in high stress, none
you know.
If you're not getting enoughcalories, if you're not meeting
your energy needs, yourreproduction is going to be
compromised on both egg andsperm.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, and to tail on to what Angela said, is because
we worked with our patients,with many men and women, over
time.
We get to see the difference.
We get to see them when theycome back a few weeks later,
whether they're in one of ourcooking classes or we're seeing
them one-on-one, and they'relike wow, I have that fiber and
(05:30):
I feel good, my cycle's gettingregulated.
So they start to see thebenefits even before they're
pregnant, which is reallywonderful, because who doesn't
want to feel better?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Right, absolutely yes .
Feeling better is such a bigpart of this journey, I'm sure,
as you see in the patients andthe clients that you work with.
One thing I love about yourbook the subtitle says A Food
First Fertility Plan to Improveyour Odds and Shorten your Time
to Pregnancy.
I'm curious, what does Judy youcan start?
What does a food first approachto fertility sort of entail, or
(06:03):
how would you describe that?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Great and the reason we came up with that chapter?
Because we had to talk aboutsupplements a little bit in the
book, because people are curiousand they want to know will they
make a difference?
But we really want to say wait,hold on.
Food needs to come first.
Supplements, supplement, right.
So we wanted food to come firstand that's where we, you know,
although everyone's needs can bea little bit different.
(06:25):
You know, we came up with theidea of the fertility plate,
similar to you know, usda has aplate.
But really what's unique aboutour plate?
Is we actually like?
I asked Angela, shouldn't wehave like a slice of bread?
She says, oh no, no, we'regoing to put wheat on here.
Because we want to show themwhere is that food coming.
And we want them, when theythink about grains, to think
(06:45):
about what works for them, butthe least processed, like, yeah,
go ahead.
And you know, try out farro andspelt and different grains that
we have a whole chapter on that.
That we really wanted them toget back to realizing what is
food that isn't, you know, ultraprocessed.
You know, without being toopreachy or anything, so we're
like.
You know, whenever people, youknow, without being too preachy
or anything.
So we're like you know,whenever people tell me like
(07:07):
they're taking a magnesiumsupplement, they don't even know
why they're taking them halfthe time they go oh, I heard
it's really good for you andit's a really important mineral.
And I'm like did you know?
Seeds, nuts and whole grains notonly have magnesium, they have
lots of minerals that you need.
So you're honestly doing abetter job if you can try to get
most of those micronutrientsfrom your diet because they come
(07:29):
along with so many otherbenefits.
That magnesium supplementdoesn't have any fiber right and
it might not be the right formthat you can absorb the best.
So we're really trying to showthat you know foods really do
have most of what you need andsupplement should supplement.
So that's kind of why we put alot of emphasis and we really
said we're going to be barebones when we talk about
(07:49):
supplements.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, I really appreciate that and, angela, I'm
curious kind of yourperspective on how maybe this
food first approach differs frommaybe conventional treatments
or approaches.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Well, it certainly complements everything, right.
So I mean, a lot of people aregoing to get pregnant naturally
easily, with no problems at all.
And what happens what I see inthe fertility space is, as women
and men get older, certainthings don't work as well the
mitochondria don't work as wellwith cell division and so things
(08:24):
.
You know, anything you can doto strengthen the functioning of
our cells, our sperm or eggs,the implantation into the
endometrium, so things likeantioxidants, which you can get
from food or you can get fromsupplements.
The food is where it's at, in asense, that we have seen time
(08:44):
and time again that food worksbetter than supplements.
And sometimes, oh, you know, Iprobably need to take some
antioxidants, but the data isn'tnearly as strong, it's harder.
You know you cannot really seethe same data from studying
supplement intake and vitaminintake as you do from eating
(09:05):
real whole foods.
And especially, you know westart with like fruits and
vegetables, so where most of theantioxidants are in the
vegetables, and just emphasizingthat we know that most people
aren't getting enough.
And so starting there seemsjust like an easy ask, like just
add more vegetables, just addmaybe another serving of fruits,
(09:27):
trying to get those naturalantioxidants which we know are
going to work better tostrengthen the action of the
mitochondria that can help thosecell divisions.
So processes which is reallyimportant both for initial
conception but then maintainingthe pregnancy and reducing
miscarriage risk.
Oh yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So really, instead of people having them shift their
diets overnight or completely,it's sort of like this gradual
approach like okay, what can weadd to sort of just make this
diet overall more well-roundedand to support your journey as
you're going through this.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, and I like to share, if it's okay.
I've worked with some couplesover the past year that they're
very honest.
They're Pacific Northwesttechies, they work a lot, they
work hard, play hard, andthey're like you know what, we
don't cook.
We just don't cook.
And they would say, okay, thisis where I eat.
What should we do?
We're trying to get pregnant,we might have to do IVF, in
vitro fertilization and so Iworked with them.
(10:22):
I didn't judge them, and then wereally figured out at each
place that they would eat orpick up what vegetables or whole
grains, what could they add towhat they were eating.
And, you know, I heard from thema few months later hey, we
didn't have to do the IVF, I gotpregnant, you know, with the
lifestyle changes, you know withadding, you know, more
plant-based foods to my diet.
And then they came back and sawme when they were pregnant, you
(10:45):
know, and said, hey, help meout so I can keep this up during
pregnancy.
And, as you know, ashley, as adietician, like more than half
the women are not eatingadequate fruits and vegetables
going into pregnancy.
Right, and we have data nowthat shows, at the time of
conception, what you're eatingcan help reduce risk of adverse
(11:07):
outcomes of pregnancy.
So less gestational diabetes,less preeclampsia, hypertension,
preterm deliveries diabetes,less preeclampsia, hypertension,
preterm deliveries.
So we try to say this isn'thelpful just for getting
pregnant, reducing miscarriageloss and having the healthy
pregnancy.
And then, of course, thoseintergenerational benefits that
your baby gets because you'vebeen providing them with all the
(11:28):
nutrients they need.
So it kind of feels really goodwhat you're passing on for the
next generation.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Absolutely.
We love hearing success stories, client success stories on this
show too, we do so any more youwant to throw in.
So I know you have lots of them.
There were some great ones inthe book too, and if we want to
touch on those, we definitelycan, because those were just so
fun to read and I think it justenergizes people to want to just
kind of keep going on thisjourney as well, want to, you
know, just kind of keep going onthis journey as well.
(11:54):
I'm kind of curious too whatare maybe some common
misconceptions that you seeabout food and fertility when
you're working with clients?
Is there anything that you know, something that you just kind
of see pop up pretty often?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, probably the mostcommon is, you know, people who
are trying to go low carb orthey're really focused on
protein and they might not knowthe best plant sources of
protein.
So I find that that's.
You know.
We're always trying to talkabout lentils and beans and tofu
(12:27):
and tempeh and edamame andgreat sources, and then we're
talking about how whole grainsare so different from processed
grains, and you don't.
I'm fine if people don't wantto eat processed grains, I mean,
believe me, but I really don'twant people to cut out whole
grains because whole grainsoffer so many benefits and those
(12:50):
are all carbs, and fruits andvegetables are all carbs and
beans and lentils have carbs.
So I mean all these things havecarbohydrates, and to go low
carbohydrate on a diet ispassing up.
The main fuel source your bodyand brain needs is glucose,
right, you don't want to berunning on ketones if you're
trying to get pregnant.
You don't want to be doingintermittent fasting if you're
(13:11):
trying to be pregnant.
So I mean, to me those are kindof.
Sometimes people come in havingseen stuff online or through
social media that somebody mightmight have done and it might
have worked for them, but itgenerally isn't following the
best principles we know forhealth and nutrition and and
those are some of the biggestmyths I've seen- yeah, and I
think to add to Angela is sooften I have to spend the first
(13:36):
10 minutes listening to someonesaying, well, I've already cut
out gluten, dairy grains.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
They have this whole soy.
Soy is evil.
And I listen and acknowledgeand they're not pregnant.
And I said, well, would you beinterested in hearing the
current research?
Because you know you never wantto make anyone feel bad because
they did it with goodintentions.
But they're so relieved they'relike, oh my gosh, I can eat
grains.
I'm like, absolutely, and whatcan I have?
(14:03):
And that soy myth just won't die, you know, and so we really
talk about, you know, all thebenefits.
Especially we see a lot ofwomen with polycystic ovarian
syndrome, pcos, and we have somuch data that it actually
improves all their biomarkers.
It improves their lipids andtheir blood sugars, you know.
So really working with a lot ofthose myths that are out there
(14:26):
and they're just stressingpeople out, they're really
stressing people out and Ialways like to share the
Ferdinut study for men, wherethey did actually a randomized
controlled trial and all theytold these guys to do was eat 60
grams of nuts a day.
I think it was 12 to 14 weeks.
They checked their semenparameters, their sperm
(14:48):
parameters before and afterwards, and they all improved and I'm
sure it was from all theselenium, magnesium, zinc, all
those nutrients, monounsaturatedfats, all that good stuff they
got from nuts.
So a lot of times we just seethe women and we barely get to
scratch the surface on theirpartners a lot if they have male
partners, and so I'm alwayslike okay, I want you to have a
(15:08):
handful of seeds and nuts everyday and make sure your partner
who's ever sharing sperm shouldbe doing the same thing.
That's an easy thing that theycan do.
So when I see people hear that,they're like oh, okay, that's
not so hard, I like nuts, Icould do that right.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Absolutely yes, nuts are delicious and they're like
you said.
They're packed with nutrientstoo, which is a benefit.
I'm curious too for someone whocomes to you and they are vegan
or plant-based or very, veryplant forward how do you
approach to make sure that theyare eating a well-rounded
plant-based diet?
And not just that, but I knowthat you do touch on supplements
in the book as well.
You know, just kind of likefilling in the gaps if needed.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Sure, and I do see a lot of folks that are really
vegan by choice or for religiousreasons.
Quite often they follow a veganpractice, so I never assume
anything 're taking a supplement, if we can review that.
And I ask if they've had anylab work, because some people
(16:14):
have had a recent lab work andsome of the things that we look
at is we look at if they havehad a B12 level drawn, you know,
maybe within that last year.
Or have they had a history everof a B12 deficiency?
Because that is one that wewant to make sure it's a little
more challenging, you know,unless they're eating a lot of
tempeh to make sure they'regetting enough, you know B12.
(16:34):
So talk, or maybe nutritionalyeast, so talking to them about
having adequate B12, which is inreally most prenatals and there
are vegan prenatals availableright.
And then the other nutrientthat maybe, if you really were
very careful, is choline,C-H-O-L-I-N-E.
(16:54):
And choline is a tricky onebecause even for non-vegetarians
, 90% of women are low incholine going into their
pregnancy and it's kind of asupplement that I've been told.
It's kind of bulky, so it'shard to put much of it into a
prenatal unless you're takinglike eight, which most people
don't want and it's found inplant sources, but it's more
(17:15):
concentrated in animal sources.
So what I do is I talk to themabout what are some of the plant
sources.
I actually work in my officesuite with a vegan doctor.
We had a whole discussion onthis because she's like what I
didn't know about this cholinething and I did show her how
much they have.
But honestly, just to be safe,if someone's trying to conceive,
(17:36):
I would recommend a vegansource, a choline supplement and
we mentioned that in the bookthe B12 and choline and then all
the other supplements that wewould recommend for any woman
trying to get pregnant.
You know, iron, iodine andfolic acid.
Those are really the biggies.
And if they live somewherewhere there isn't a lot of sun,
like where we live in thePacific Northwest, vitamin D
(18:00):
does play an important role withhelping, you know, with
fertility.
We may recommend a vegan, whichare readily available vegan
vitamin D source.
But again, we would recommendthat to everyone.
Angela, can you think of anyother ones that you might want
to add in?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I mean.
The only other one I'd add isfor omega-3s.
Depending on how much they'regetting from nuts and ALA.
The ALA conversion to DHA isn'tas much as maybe you'd like,
and so a lot of people mightwant to take a DHA EPA
supplement and you can get thatfrom algae.
So a lot of people think it'sfish based and you can only get
(18:37):
it from fish, but it's becausefish eat algae, so you can get
vegan sources of you know,specifically DHA is the one we
want more of, so we I usuallyrecommend a DHA vegan supplement
if somebody's yeah's trying toget pregnant through pregnancy.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, thanks for adding that one, because you do
get some from nuts.
But, like you said, theconversion and just to make sure
, I'm really big about talkingabout endocrine disruptors, like
really checking in with people,like just how they handle their
food, are they microwavingtheir leftovers in a plastic
container?
And I can talk to them like,hey, let's use glass, let's use
(19:17):
ceramic, let's reduce ourexposure to bisphenol A.
I don't want to, you know,scare people when it comes to
talking about.
So we talk about the ones thatyou can easily reduce your risk
from, and BPA.
We said, okay, if you can cookyour beans from scratch, great,
if you already have some canned,rinse them off.
Like trying to be very practical, and then, with phthalates,
being able to say, look at yourcleaning products and go really
(19:40):
simple, stay away from theperfumed and the scented ones.
And then if you can give themidea how they can actually use
baking soda and vinegar and alot of things that are much less
toxic and dangerous.
So those endocrine disruptorshave a short half-life.
So I love being able to askthem a few questions and, hey,
this is going to be helpful andthey feel like they've done
something.
Yes, it's wonderful and I'mgoing to turn it over to Angela
(20:01):
because she loves boosters anddisruptors.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I do For boosters.
One of the other ones we talkabout is stress, right, which?
Does stress contribute toinfertility?
Does infertility contribute tostress?
Yeah, I think, with all of thetechnology and things we have
today cycle tracking people justexperience these huge ups and
(20:26):
downs, these highs and lowsevery month if you get your
period and you're not pregnant.
And how you deal with thatstress, not to mention just day
to day stress, is so important.
And the way you know our gut isa neuro is it has all of these
neuroendocrine, the gut, mind,brain connection, right.
(20:46):
So these things, all feedbackto to each other, and so more
stress can actually change theway we eat.
You can crave comfort foodswhen you're stressed, so you
might go, you know, eatdifferently.
But so I think recognizingstress is present for most
people.
And then what outlets do youhave that make you feel good?
(21:09):
So it might be moving more.
It might be going for a walk innature.
I think nature's great, beingoutside for some certain period
of time every day, if you can.
And then some people likejournaling or just 10 minutes of
meditation a great meditationpractice, mindful being mindful
is really helpful.
So any of those practicemindful, being mindful is really
(21:33):
helpful.
So any of those I think can bereally helpful.
They're hard to measure, likethe direct impact on on
fertility, but I think it isjust key to living is to to have
some of those good, healthyoutlets to to help you manage
stress.
And then for disruptors, I thinkthe one I would bring up is
alcohol, which is so common inour society, and a lot of people
(21:56):
who don't drink much but drinka little bit don't really think
it's affecting fertility perhaps, but it could be.
And so there is data, especiallyfor people who are in the IVF
field or where they've studiedthis in fertility clinics.
We're drinking alcohol, youknow, the month before an IVF
(22:16):
cycle even, or during the IVFcycle, or the patient or the
partner, either one.
It can all decrease successrates and embryo quality, and so
if somebody asked, well, I willalways say the safest answer is
to abstain completely fromalcohol if you're trying to
conceive, just because alcoholdoesn't really have any
(22:41):
nutritional benefit.
It is frequently used in socialsituations, and so I think now
too, there is more of anemphasis on not drinking alcohol
.
There's like a new market,right.
So a lot of people areexploring non-alcoholic drinks
and being out with friends, andso I think that also is helping
(23:01):
us, because it's becoming moresocially acceptable to not drink
alcohol when you're out withfriends, and I think that we
should embrace that trend, Iagree.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
I think a lot of people listening will agree as
well that we're like we, we likethese non-alcoholic bars
popping up, you know, and itjust being more socially
acceptable.
So I'm glad that you broughtthat up because I do think it's
really important.
So I'm curious, each of you, ifyou have sort of just like one
small piece of advice, which I?
This book is packed with adviceand I will say it's attainable
(23:33):
advice.
I feel like it's things thatpeople can actually do, versus
like it being militant or likeyou have to like check all these
boxes.
So I really appreciated thatabout the book.
But if you both have sort of apiece of advice that you would
give for a listener who maybe isjust kind of starting to make
this connection between theirdiet and their fertility journey
.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
So I think the key to success and building a
sustainable habit, healthylifestyle, is don't try to do
everything all at once, likethat just seems to me.
I've seen more people who getdespondent and depressed when
things don't all just fall intoplace immediately, and that's
(24:13):
why we really emphasize cooking,cooking, learning to cook at
home or learning other methodsLike what are shortcuts, cause
it seems to be a timeEverybody's time is so valuable.
So what little steps can youtake on a regular basis every
week to add, to enhance andbenefit your health and
fertility?
(24:34):
So that's, that's like my nicetake home.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I would add to support when people read the
book.
We want them to feel like, okay, some of this, what resonates
with me?
Kind of I hope they read thatsome of the things you're doing
are really positive, like, yay,I got this down, now I'm going
to try beans.
But ask for support.
If you're single, maybe youwant to cook with a friend
sometime, or a family member ora partner.
(25:00):
Don't feel like you have tomake all the changes.
I have one couple.
I love this.
They do a cooking date nightnow.
They plan on the weekend andthen, instead of, like you know,
often it's the female who's theone who's cooking, they cook it
like a date night and they go,darn it.
We're going to make thisfertility thing fun.
You know we're going to make itwith like candles and a yummy
meal and make it really specialbecause we don't know the day
(25:24):
that we're going to get pregnantand we have to go on with our
life.
So I think asking friends orfamily for support I know you
know, with our book coming out,you know my friends are.
You know many of them arebecoming grandparents, so
they're almost like, hey, well,if my kid brings it up that you
know I have friends that arebuying them for their kids and
I'm like, okay, make sure youknow they want your support.
(25:46):
But if they want your support,how cool is that?
You know adding more recipes orincluding things at family
gatherings that are going to bereally nourishing, instead of
just saying, oh, it's going tobe heavy appetizers and heavy
sweets.
You know really saying, hey,where's the plant food?
You know, where's all that goodstuff?
If you want grandchildren,let's feed them right.
(26:06):
So that's kind of where mygeneration is at, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Right, and I think you know food should be fun and
that's the other thing I thinkwe want people to.
It's not drudgery, it's not wedon't know.
I mean we want people to, youknow, enjoy food and have joy in
food and cooking and sharing ameal with friends or someone
special and experimenting withnew flavors and spices and just
(26:34):
taking that time to be curiousand creative in the kitchen.
I think is a great thing tolook forward to and it gets
people excited.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
So the book comes out tomorrow, april 9, which is so
exciting.
I know that you can pre orderit right now, but if people do
end up catching this episodeafter April 8, where is the best
place for them to grab yourbook?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
All the biggies and many of the small independent
ones.
So absolutely pre-order.
It'll come right to your door,you'll be cooking out of it
before you know it and we'reexcited for you to share your
stories and we really hope yourlisteners enjoy.
I think we have what 11, 10, 11stories of women have gone
through our Food for Fertilityprogram on their journeys and
(27:18):
they still make me cry some ofthem because it's just some of
them have three kids now.
So it's really, really excitingto see where they've been and
how a way that food has played arole for them.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I know, I know so manylisteners can agree that just
food plays such an importantrole in so many things.
So I love that we're talkingabout fertility, because we
haven't talked about that on thepodcast yet.
Oh good, great.
And I like too because you alsoinclude like a blueprint, sort
of like a six-week guide, whichis kind of nice as well for
someone who's really justgetting started.
(27:48):
So there's a lot of informationin here.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
But if people want to go above and beyond and connect
with both of y'all, where isthe best place for them to do
that?
You can follow me at FertileNutrition on Instagram, and I
have a website,mindbodynutritioncom, too.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yes, and mine's Angela Thayer MD, on Instagram
or same name for my website.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Wonderful, wonderful, well.
Again, thank you both forcoming on and just sharing just
this invaluable information whenit comes to people's fertility
journeys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, ashley, you're welcome.
Thank you, again, sharing justthis invaluable information when
it comes to people's fertilityjourneys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, ashley, you're welcome.
Thank you again.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Plant-Centered and
Thriving Podcast today.
If you found this episodeinspiring, please share it with
(28:37):
a friend or post it on socialmedia and tag me so I can
personally say thank you.
Until next time, keep thriving.
Welcome to the Plant-Centered and Thriving
Podcast.
I'm your host, ashley Kitchens.
I'm a plant-based registereddietitian and virtual nutrition
mentor.
I was raised on an Angus cattlefarm, grew up with a lot of GI
issues and used the power ofplant-based eating to promote
healing.
Here you'll find inspiration,ideas and encouragement for your
(00:23):
own plant-based journey.
I'm so thrilled you're heretoday.
Let's get started.
Welcome to the showplant-centered listener.
My name is Ashley and I am yourhost today, and today I have
two special guests with us today, an interview that I found
incredibly fascinating.
We talk about infertility andwhat you can do to take a food
(00:47):
first approach to your fertilityplan to improve your odds and
shorten your time to getpregnant.
This was a amazing conversation.
Infertility can stem from anumber of challenges.
Pcos can stem from a number ofchallenges PCOS, endometriosis,
(01:08):
fibroids, egg quality, low spermcount and so much more.
But one thing that we talkabout is how diet can impact all
of these conditions and howmaking some small shifts in diet
and in other parts of your lifecan have a huge impact.
These two guests are incrediblyknowledgeable about this
subject and it was neat to learnhow it impacts fertility, but
(01:31):
also to just in general, how itimpacts sort of your overall
health, because we talk aboutthat as well.
So let me introduce our twoguests and then we are going to
dive into this amazingconversation.
Our first guest is with JudySimon.
She is an award-winningregistered dietitian
nutritionist who specializes inreproductive health.
(01:52):
She is the founder of MindBodyNutrition PLLC and a clinical
instructor at the University ofWashington.
Judy's expertise includesfertility, pcos, eating
disorders, weight-inclusivemedicine and reproductive health
.
Judy has held leadership rolesin the American Society of
(02:13):
Reproductive Medicine NutritionSpecial Interest Group and is a
fellow of the Academy ofNutrition and Dietetics.
Judy integrates mindfulness,intuitive eating, eating
competence while taking anonjudgmental, inclusive
approach to help people have ahealthier, more fertile life.
Judy is the co-founder of Foodfor Fertility Program and
(02:37):
co-author of the upcoming April2024 book Getting to Baby a Food
First Fertility Plan to Improveyour Odds and Shorten your Time
to Pregnancy, which we talkabout.
And then her lovely co-authorand presenter is Dr Angela
Thayer.
She is a medical doctor wholoves helping women discover the
(02:58):
joy of food to improve theirhealth.
She is triple board certifiedin reproductive endocrinology
and infertility, obgyn andlifestyle medicine.
She completed her undergraduateeducation at Duke University
Medical School at the Universityof Cincinnati College of
(03:18):
Medicine, residency at OregonHealth and Science University
and fellowship at the Universityof Texas Science Center at San
Antonio.
She and Judy Simon created theFood for Fertility program and
have co-authored a book comingout, like I said, in 2024, april
(03:39):
9th.
Dr Thayer is also a plant-basedchef and is currently studying
behavioral science at the LondonSchool of Economics, learning
new skills to advance health andhappiness.
These two are an amazing,dynamic duo.
Oh, my goodness, this podcast,this episode, is full of
invaluable information and Icannot wait for you to listen to
(04:02):
it.
Please join me in welcoming tothe show Judy and Angela.
Judy, angela, thank you so muchfor coming on the show.
I'm so excited to talk to youboth today.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Thanks, Ashley.
We're excited to be here.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Yes, thank you.
We love food and plants, sowe're so excited to be here.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Perfect combination Good.
So I would love to start withkind of just a simple Perfect
combination Good.
So I would love to start withkind of just a simple, simply
speaking question on howsignificant is the link between
nutrition and fertility.
If you both kind of want totouch on that, Angela, if you
want to go first, that'd begreat, Sure.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
I think it's there.
Sometimes people don't reallyrecognize it, but we know that
people who eat really well andget lots of nutrients from diets
and are in an optimum state ofhealth have better fertility.
And if their diet is lacking, Imean, you know, you see this in
the most dramatic cases, incases of starvation and things
(04:58):
when the hypothalamus can besuppressed in high stress, none
you know.
If you're not getting enoughcalories, if you're not meeting
your energy needs, yourreproduction is going to be
compromised on both egg andsperm.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, and to tail on to what Angela said, is because
we worked with our patients,with many men and women, over
time.
We get to see the difference.
We get to see them when theycome back a few weeks later,
whether they're in one of ourcooking classes or we're seeing
them one-on-one, and they'relike wow, I have that fiber and
(05:30):
I feel good, my cycle's gettingregulated.
So they start to see thebenefits even before they're
pregnant, which is reallywonderful, because who doesn't
want to feel better?
Speaker 1 (05:41):
Right, absolutely yes .
Feeling better is such a bigpart of this journey, I'm sure,
as you see in the patients andthe clients that you work with.
One thing I love about yourbook the subtitle says A Food
First Fertility Plan to Improveyour Odds and Shorten your Time
to Pregnancy.
I'm curious, what does Judy youcan start?
What does a food first approachto fertility sort of entail, or
(06:03):
how would you describe that?
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Great and the reason we came up with that chapter?
Because we had to talk aboutsupplements a little bit in the
book, because people are curiousand they want to know will they
make a difference?
But we really want to say wait,hold on.
Food needs to come first.
Supplements, supplement, right.
So we wanted food to come firstand that's where we, you know,
although everyone's needs can bea little bit different.
(06:25):
You know, we came up with theidea of the fertility plate,
similar to you know, usda has aplate.
But really what's unique aboutour plate?
Is we actually like?
I asked Angela, shouldn't wehave like a slice of bread?
She says, oh no, no, we'regoing to put wheat on here.
Because we want to show themwhere is that food coming.
And we want them, when theythink about grains, to think
(06:45):
about what works for them, butthe least processed, like, yeah,
go ahead.
And you know, try out farro andspelt and different grains that
we have a whole chapter on that.
That we really wanted them toget back to realizing what is
food that isn't, you know, ultraprocessed.
You know, without being toopreachy or anything, so we're
like.
You know, whenever people, youknow, without being too preachy
or anything.
So we're like you know,whenever people tell me like
(07:07):
they're taking a magnesiumsupplement, they don't even know
why they're taking them halfthe time they go oh, I heard
it's really good for you andit's a really important mineral.
And I'm like did you know?
Seeds, nuts and whole grains notonly have magnesium, they have
lots of minerals that you need.
So you're honestly doing abetter job if you can try to get
most of those micronutrientsfrom your diet because they come
(07:29):
along with so many otherbenefits.
That magnesium supplementdoesn't have any fiber right and
it might not be the right formthat you can absorb the best.
So we're really trying to showthat you know foods really do
have most of what you need andsupplement should supplement.
So that's kind of why we put alot of emphasis and we really
said we're going to be barebones when we talk about
(07:49):
supplements.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Yeah, I really appreciate that and, angela, I'm
curious kind of yourperspective on how maybe this
food first approach differs frommaybe conventional treatments
or approaches.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
Well, it certainly complements everything, right.
So I mean, a lot of people aregoing to get pregnant naturally
easily, with no problems at all.
And what happens what I see inthe fertility space is, as women
and men get older, certainthings don't work as well the
mitochondria don't work as wellwith cell division and so things
(08:24):
.
You know, anything you can doto strengthen the functioning of
our cells, our sperm or eggs,the implantation into the
endometrium, so things likeantioxidants, which you can get
from food or you can get fromsupplements.
The food is where it's at, in asense, that we have seen time
(08:44):
and time again that food worksbetter than supplements.
And sometimes, oh, you know, Iprobably need to take some
antioxidants, but the data isn'tnearly as strong, it's harder.
You know you cannot really seethe same data from studying
supplement intake and vitaminintake as you do from eating
(09:05):
real whole foods.
And especially, you know westart with like fruits and
vegetables, so where most of theantioxidants are in the
vegetables, and just emphasizingthat we know that most people
aren't getting enough.
And so starting there seemsjust like an easy ask, like just
add more vegetables, just addmaybe another serving of fruits,
(09:27):
trying to get those naturalantioxidants which we know are
going to work better tostrengthen the action of the
mitochondria that can help thosecell divisions.
So processes which is reallyimportant both for initial
conception but then maintainingthe pregnancy and reducing
miscarriage risk.
Oh yeah, wow.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
So really, instead of people having them shift their
diets overnight or completely,it's sort of like this gradual
approach like okay, what can weadd to sort of just make this
diet overall more well-roundedand to support your journey as
you're going through this.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Yeah, and I like to share, if it's okay.
I've worked with some couplesover the past year that they're
very honest.
They're Pacific Northwesttechies, they work a lot, they
work hard, play hard, andthey're like you know what, we
don't cook.
We just don't cook.
And they would say, okay, thisis where I eat.
What should we do?
We're trying to get pregnant,we might have to do IVF, in
vitro fertilization and so Iworked with them.
(10:22):
I didn't judge them, and then wereally figured out at each
place that they would eat orpick up what vegetables or whole
grains, what could they add towhat they were eating.
And, you know, I heard from thema few months later hey, we
didn't have to do the IVF, I gotpregnant, you know, with the
lifestyle changes, you know withadding, you know, more
plant-based foods to my diet.
And then they came back and sawme when they were pregnant, you
(10:45):
know, and said, hey, help meout so I can keep this up during
pregnancy.
And, as you know, ashley, as adietician, like more than half
the women are not eatingadequate fruits and vegetables
going into pregnancy.
Right, and we have data nowthat shows, at the time of
conception, what you're eatingcan help reduce risk of adverse
(11:07):
outcomes of pregnancy.
So less gestational diabetes,less preeclampsia, hypertension,
preterm deliveries diabetes,less preeclampsia, hypertension,
preterm deliveries.
So we try to say this isn'thelpful just for getting
pregnant, reducing miscarriageloss and having the healthy
pregnancy.
And then, of course, thoseintergenerational benefits that
your baby gets because you'vebeen providing them with all the
(11:28):
nutrients they need.
So it kind of feels really goodwhat you're passing on for the
next generation.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Absolutely.
We love hearing success stories, client success stories on this
show too, we do so any more youwant to throw in.
So I know you have lots of them.
There were some great ones inthe book too, and if we want to
touch on those, we definitelycan, because those were just so
fun to read and I think it justenergizes people to want to just
kind of keep going on thisjourney as well, want to, you
know, just kind of keep going onthis journey as well.
(11:54):
I'm kind of curious too whatare maybe some common
misconceptions that you seeabout food and fertility when
you're working with clients?
Is there anything that you know, something that you just kind
of see pop up pretty often?
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, probably the mostcommon is, you know, people who
are trying to go low carb orthey're really focused on
protein and they might not knowthe best plant sources of
protein.
So I find that that's.
You know.
We're always trying to talkabout lentils and beans and tofu
(12:27):
and tempeh and edamame andgreat sources, and then we're
talking about how whole grainsare so different from processed
grains, and you don't.
I'm fine if people don't wantto eat processed grains, I mean,
believe me, but I really don'twant people to cut out whole
grains because whole grainsoffer so many benefits and those
(12:50):
are all carbs, and fruits andvegetables are all carbs and
beans and lentils have carbs.
So I mean all these things havecarbohydrates, and to go low
carbohydrate on a diet ispassing up.
The main fuel source your bodyand brain needs is glucose,
right, you don't want to berunning on ketones if you're
trying to get pregnant.
You don't want to be doingintermittent fasting if you're
(13:11):
trying to be pregnant.
So I mean, to me those are kindof.
Sometimes people come in havingseen stuff online or through
social media that somebody mightmight have done and it might
have worked for them, but itgenerally isn't following the
best principles we know forhealth and nutrition and and
those are some of the biggestmyths I've seen- yeah, and I
think to add to Angela is sooften I have to spend the first
(13:36):
10 minutes listening to someonesaying, well, I've already cut
out gluten, dairy grains.
Speaker 3 (13:42):
They have this whole soy.
Soy is evil.
And I listen and acknowledgeand they're not pregnant.
And I said, well, would you beinterested in hearing the
current research?
Because you know you never wantto make anyone feel bad because
they did it with goodintentions.
But they're so relieved they'relike, oh my gosh, I can eat
grains.
I'm like, absolutely, and whatcan I have?
(14:03):
And that soy myth just won't die, you know, and so we really
talk about, you know, all thebenefits.
Especially we see a lot ofwomen with polycystic ovarian
syndrome, pcos, and we have somuch data that it actually
improves all their biomarkers.
It improves their lipids andtheir blood sugars, you know.
So really working with a lot ofthose myths that are out there
(14:26):
and they're just stressingpeople out, they're really
stressing people out and Ialways like to share the
Ferdinut study for men, wherethey did actually a randomized
controlled trial and all theytold these guys to do was eat 60
grams of nuts a day.
I think it was 12 to 14 weeks.
They checked their semenparameters, their sperm
(14:48):
parameters before and afterwards, and they all improved and I'm
sure it was from all theselenium, magnesium, zinc, all
those nutrients, monounsaturatedfats, all that good stuff they
got from nuts.
So a lot of times we just seethe women and we barely get to
scratch the surface on theirpartners a lot if they have male
partners, and so I'm alwayslike okay, I want you to have a
(15:08):
handful of seeds and nuts everyday and make sure your partner
who's ever sharing sperm shouldbe doing the same thing.
That's an easy thing that theycan do.
So when I see people hear that,they're like oh, okay, that's
not so hard, I like nuts, Icould do that right.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
Absolutely yes, nuts are delicious and they're like
you said.
They're packed with nutrientstoo, which is a benefit.
I'm curious too for someone whocomes to you and they are vegan
or plant-based or very, veryplant forward how do you
approach to make sure that theyare eating a well-rounded
plant-based diet?
And not just that, but I knowthat you do touch on supplements
in the book as well.
You know, just kind of likefilling in the gaps if needed.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Sure, and I do see a lot of folks that are really
vegan by choice or for religiousreasons.
Quite often they follow a veganpractice, so I never assume
anything 're taking a supplement, if we can review that.
And I ask if they've had anylab work, because some people
(16:14):
have had a recent lab work andsome of the things that we look
at is we look at if they havehad a B12 level drawn, you know,
maybe within that last year.
Or have they had a history everof a B12 deficiency?
Because that is one that wewant to make sure it's a little
more challenging, you know,unless they're eating a lot of
tempeh to make sure they'regetting enough, you know B12.
(16:34):
So talk, or maybe nutritionalyeast, so talking to them about
having adequate B12, which is inreally most prenatals and there
are vegan prenatals availableright.
And then the other nutrientthat maybe, if you really were
very careful, is choline,C-H-O-L-I-N-E.
(16:54):
And choline is a tricky onebecause even for non-vegetarians
, 90% of women are low incholine going into their
pregnancy and it's kind of asupplement that I've been told.
It's kind of bulky, so it'shard to put much of it into a
prenatal unless you're takinglike eight, which most people
don't want and it's found inplant sources, but it's more
(17:15):
concentrated in animal sources.
So what I do is I talk to themabout what are some of the plant
sources.
I actually work in my officesuite with a vegan doctor.
We had a whole discussion onthis because she's like what I
didn't know about this cholinething and I did show her how
much they have.
But honestly, just to be safe,if someone's trying to conceive,
(17:36):
I would recommend a vegansource, a choline supplement and
we mentioned that in the bookthe B12 and choline and then all
the other supplements that wewould recommend for any woman
trying to get pregnant.
You know, iron, iodine andfolic acid.
Those are really the biggies.
And if they live somewherewhere there isn't a lot of sun,
like where we live in thePacific Northwest, vitamin D
(18:00):
does play an important role withhelping, you know, with
fertility.
We may recommend a vegan, whichare readily available vegan
vitamin D source.
But again, we would recommendthat to everyone.
Angela, can you think of anyother ones that you might want
to add in?
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, I mean.
The only other one I'd add isfor omega-3s.
Depending on how much they'regetting from nuts and ALA.
The ALA conversion to DHA isn'tas much as maybe you'd like,
and so a lot of people mightwant to take a DHA EPA
supplement and you can get thatfrom algae.
So a lot of people think it'sfish based and you can only get
(18:37):
it from fish, but it's becausefish eat algae, so you can get
vegan sources of you know,specifically DHA is the one we
want more of, so we I usuallyrecommend a DHA vegan supplement
if somebody's yeah's trying toget pregnant through pregnancy.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, thanks for adding that one, because you do
get some from nuts.
But, like you said, theconversion and just to make sure
, I'm really big about talkingabout endocrine disruptors, like
really checking in with people,like just how they handle their
food, are they microwavingtheir leftovers in a plastic
container?
And I can talk to them like,hey, let's use glass, let's use
(19:17):
ceramic, let's reduce ourexposure to bisphenol A.
I don't want to, you know,scare people when it comes to
talking about.
So we talk about the ones thatyou can easily reduce your risk
from, and BPA.
We said, okay, if you can cookyour beans from scratch, great,
if you already have some canned,rinse them off.
Like trying to be very practical, and then, with phthalates,
being able to say, look at yourcleaning products and go really
(19:40):
simple, stay away from theperfumed and the scented ones.
And then if you can give themidea how they can actually use
baking soda and vinegar and alot of things that are much less
toxic and dangerous.
So those endocrine disruptorshave a short half-life.
So I love being able to askthem a few questions and, hey,
this is going to be helpful andthey feel like they've done
something.
Yes, it's wonderful and I'mgoing to turn it over to Angela
(20:01):
because she loves boosters anddisruptors.
Speaker 2 (20:05):
I do For boosters.
One of the other ones we talkabout is stress, right, which?
Does stress contribute toinfertility?
Does infertility contribute tostress?
Yeah, I think, with all of thetechnology and things we have
today cycle tracking people justexperience these huge ups and
(20:26):
downs, these highs and lowsevery month if you get your
period and you're not pregnant.
And how you deal with thatstress, not to mention just day
to day stress, is so important.
And the way you know our gut isa neuro is it has all of these
neuroendocrine, the gut, mind,brain connection, right.
(20:46):
So these things, all feedbackto to each other, and so more
stress can actually change theway we eat.
You can crave comfort foodswhen you're stressed, so you
might go, you know, eatdifferently.
But so I think recognizingstress is present for most
people.
And then what outlets do youhave that make you feel good?
(21:09):
So it might be moving more.
It might be going for a walk innature.
I think nature's great, beingoutside for some certain period
of time every day, if you can.
And then some people likejournaling or just 10 minutes of
meditation a great meditationpractice, mindful being mindful
is really helpful.
So any of those practicemindful, being mindful is really
(21:33):
helpful.
So any of those I think can bereally helpful.
They're hard to measure, likethe direct impact on on
fertility, but I think it isjust key to living is to to have
some of those good, healthyoutlets to to help you manage
stress.
And then for disruptors, I thinkthe one I would bring up is
alcohol, which is so common inour society, and a lot of people
(21:56):
who don't drink much but drinka little bit don't really think
it's affecting fertility perhaps, but it could be.
And so there is data, especiallyfor people who are in the IVF
field or where they've studiedthis in fertility clinics.
We're drinking alcohol, youknow, the month before an IVF
(22:16):
cycle even, or during the IVFcycle, or the patient or the
partner, either one.
It can all decrease successrates and embryo quality, and so
if somebody asked, well, I willalways say the safest answer is
to abstain completely fromalcohol if you're trying to
conceive, just because alcoholdoesn't really have any
(22:41):
nutritional benefit.
It is frequently used in socialsituations, and so I think now
too, there is more of anemphasis on not drinking alcohol
.
There's like a new market,right.
So a lot of people areexploring non-alcoholic drinks
and being out with friends, andso I think that also is helping
(23:01):
us, because it's becoming moresocially acceptable to not drink
alcohol when you're out withfriends, and I think that we
should embrace that trend, Iagree.
Speaker 1 (23:11):
I think a lot of people listening will agree as
well that we're like we, we likethese non-alcoholic bars
popping up, you know, and itjust being more socially
acceptable.
So I'm glad that you broughtthat up because I do think it's
really important.
So I'm curious, each of you, ifyou have sort of just like one
small piece of advice, which I?
This book is packed with adviceand I will say it's attainable
(23:33):
advice.
I feel like it's things thatpeople can actually do, versus
like it being militant or likeyou have to like check all these
boxes.
So I really appreciated thatabout the book.
But if you both have sort of apiece of advice that you would
give for a listener who maybe isjust kind of starting to make
this connection between theirdiet and their fertility journey
.
Speaker 2 (23:53):
So I think the key to success and building a
sustainable habit, healthylifestyle, is don't try to do
everything all at once, likethat just seems to me.
I've seen more people who getdespondent and depressed when
things don't all just fall intoplace immediately, and that's
(24:13):
why we really emphasize cooking,cooking, learning to cook at
home or learning other methodsLike what are shortcuts, cause
it seems to be a timeEverybody's time is so valuable.
So what little steps can youtake on a regular basis every
week to add, to enhance andbenefit your health and
fertility?
(24:34):
So that's, that's like my nicetake home.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
I would add to support when people read the
book.
We want them to feel like, okay, some of this, what resonates
with me?
Kind of I hope they read thatsome of the things you're doing
are really positive, like, yay,I got this down, now I'm going
to try beans.
But ask for support.
If you're single, maybe youwant to cook with a friend
sometime, or a family member ora partner.
(25:00):
Don't feel like you have tomake all the changes.
I have one couple.
I love this.
They do a cooking date nightnow.
They plan on the weekend andthen, instead of, like you know,
often it's the female who's theone who's cooking, they cook it
like a date night and they go,darn it.
We're going to make thisfertility thing fun.
You know we're going to make itwith like candles and a yummy
meal and make it really specialbecause we don't know the day
(25:24):
that we're going to get pregnantand we have to go on with our
life.
So I think asking friends orfamily for support I know you
know, with our book coming out,you know my friends are.
You know many of them arebecoming grandparents, so
they're almost like, hey, well,if my kid brings it up that you
know I have friends that arebuying them for their kids and
I'm like, okay, make sure youknow they want your support.
(25:46):
But if they want your support,how cool is that?
You know adding more recipes orincluding things at family
gatherings that are going to bereally nourishing, instead of
just saying, oh, it's going tobe heavy appetizers and heavy
sweets.
You know really saying, hey,where's the plant food?
You know, where's all that goodstuff?
If you want grandchildren,let's feed them right.
(26:06):
So that's kind of where mygeneration is at, absolutely.
Speaker 2 (26:11):
Right, and I think you know food should be fun and
that's the other thing I thinkwe want people to.
It's not drudgery, it's not wedon't know.
I mean we want people to, youknow, enjoy food and have joy in
food and cooking and sharing ameal with friends or someone
special and experimenting withnew flavors and spices and just
(26:34):
taking that time to be curiousand creative in the kitchen.
I think is a great thing tolook forward to and it gets
people excited.
Speaker 1 (26:42):
So the book comes out tomorrow, april 9, which is so
exciting.
I know that you can pre orderit right now, but if people do
end up catching this episodeafter April 8, where is the best
place for them to grab yourbook?
Speaker 3 (26:54):
All the biggies and many of the small independent
ones.
So absolutely pre-order.
It'll come right to your door,you'll be cooking out of it
before you know it and we'reexcited for you to share your
stories and we really hope yourlisteners enjoy.
I think we have what 11, 10, 11stories of women have gone
through our Food for Fertilityprogram on their journeys and
(27:18):
they still make me cry some ofthem because it's just some of
them have three kids now.
So it's really, really excitingto see where they've been and
how a way that food has played arole for them.
Speaker 1 (27:28):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I know, I know so manylisteners can agree that just
food plays such an importantrole in so many things.
So I love that we're talkingabout fertility, because we
haven't talked about that on thepodcast yet.
Oh good, great.
And I like too because you alsoinclude like a blueprint, sort
of like a six-week guide, whichis kind of nice as well for
someone who's really justgetting started.
(27:48):
So there's a lot of informationin here.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
But if people want to go above and beyond and connect
with both of y'all, where isthe best place for them to do
that?
You can follow me at FertileNutrition on Instagram, and I
have a website,mindbodynutritioncom, too.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
Yes, and mine's Angela Thayer MD, on Instagram
or same name for my website.
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Wonderful, wonderful, well.
Again, thank you both forcoming on and just sharing just
this invaluable information whenit comes to people's fertility
journeys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, ashley, you're welcome.
Thank you, again, sharing justthis invaluable information when
it comes to people's fertilityjourneys.
Thank you so much.
Thanks, ashley, you're welcome.
Thank you again.
Thank you so much for listeningto the Plant-Centered and
Thriving Podcast today.
If you found this episodeinspiring, please share it with
(28:37):
a friend or post it on socialmedia and tag me so I can
personally say thank you.
Until next time, keep thriving.
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com