Caffeine

Photo by Slawek Lukjanow

So many of us love our daily cup of joe. Whether it's the ritual of enjoying a warm mug in the morning, or the physical jolt that we get from the caffeine itself, giving up coffee is usually a challenging task. 

I don't include caffeine in my programs because of its health risks. Here's why - and what your options are instead.

There are lots of good medical reasons to reduce or eliminate caffeine intake, especially while trying for a baby. Caffeine's link to infertility - even decaf! - has been well-documented in scientific literature. Caffeine is also associated with increased incidences of miscarriage, low birth weight, and delayed conception. In addition, caffeine's toll on your adrenal health is suspected to degrade your baby's adrenal health as well - and low adrenal function could mean poor metabolism, healing, and stress response.

So what's an addict to do? Well, my programs provide a strong foundation to explore a few options:

1. If you want to try to break the addiction, you may experience up to 3 days of headaches. Knowing that in advance (and planning for it) can make dealing with the withdrawal symptoms easier. Drink lots of filtered water, rest, and distract yourself if possible.
2. If you don't want to kick the habit cold turkey, I recommend weaning yourself down or replacing your coffee with a less-potent form of caffeine such as green tea. If you choose to do this, make sure to drink extra water, as caffeine is a diuertic. 
3. Try going to bed 30 minutes earlier than normal and see if that helps to mitigate the need for caffeine in the morning. 

Test yourself to see how little caffeine you really need to "make do." And, if you're simply drawn to the ritualistic aspect of having a warm drink in the mornings, an herbal tea or hot water with lemon might be an easy replacement. 

Whatever happens, don't beat yourself up. Do the best you can, try different things, and be proud of yourself! Even just making a small change like this can switch up your routine and give you some good insights about what works best for your body.

What's your favorite non-caffeinated healthy beverage? Share your tips on our Facebook page.

Detoxing for Fertility

Have you heard about my upcoming Fertility Prep Program, Priming the Bump? It's a 14-day guided
cleanse to help couples boost their fertility naturally and give their babies the best odds of being born smart & healthy.

My latest post for Can Can Cleanse explains why detoxing before conception is so crucial. Take a peek below! And if you or your friends would like to hear more about Priming the Bump, head on over to the website to discover one secret tactic you can use TONIGHT to increase your odds of conceiving.

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Flowers are blooming, baseball's in full swing, and June is busting out all over.  A fresh feeling of newness and rebirth is palpable, and babies seem to be on everyone's mind. It's easy to see where June gets its name (from the Latin iuniores, or "young ones").

For those couples feeling the spring fever to conceive their own baby, it’s also a great time to start detoxing. Eliminating toxins now helps boost fertility while keeping dangerous compounds from affecting fetal development.

When you’re preparing to conceive, some of the most important toxins to avoid & eliminate are heavy metals and xenoestrogens.

Heavy metals like mercury and lead can contribute to low sperm counts, low progesterone, breast cancers, and severe birth defects and developmental problems. Mercury is most commonly found in silver dental amalgams and large fish. Lead can be found in everything from old paint to lipstick to soil.

Xenoestrogens are chemicals that the body mistakes for estrogen. In women, estrogen must be in balance with progesterone, so too many xenoestrogens can cause a progesterone deficiency. Excess estrogen is also associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). That said, xenoestrogens don’t only affect women. They can also damage the DNA of men’s sperm, leading to infertility, miscarriage, birth defects, or cancer. In addition, xenoestrogens can make babies more likely to suffer from behavioral problems or obesity later in life. Some common xenoestrogens are pthalates (found in PVC, personal care products, cleaning agents, and contaminated food), parabens (preservatives found in personal care products & contaminated food), BPA (found in soft plastics and the lining of most canned foods), food coloring, birth control pills, PCBs (industrial chemicals most often found in large contaminated fish) and DDT (pesticide found in contaminated food).

Phytoestrogens occur naturally in foods. Still, they too can raise estrogen to fertility-blocking levels. The most common phytoestrogen is soy, and many natural fertility experts recommend that couples avoid it. Perhaps an even more compelling argument for eliminating soy is that over 91% of soy is now genetically modified - and GM soy & corn have been found to decrease fertility in animal studies.

Cleansing gives the body’s detox systems a break from everyday demands, allowing detox organs like the liver to focus on safely excreting toxins like heavy metals and xenoestrogens. After detoxifying, couples can prevent further exposure by eating organic foods, choosing smaller fish, and selecting safer consumer products.

So as you spring forward towards parenthood, consider taking baby steps: start with a cleanse. Then you can get to the fun part.

Preventing Low Birth Weight

Photo by Zureks

A new study confirms that DHA (an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil) increases birth weight and gestation duration (the total time that your baby's in your belly).

While that might sound like a few more weeks of torture for you, it's actually of crucial importance for your baby. Premature and low birth weight babies are more likely to develop serious health problems later in life, like high blood pressure, diabetes & heart disease.

That said, getting enough DHA safely can be a challenge. While food sources are always the most bio-available source of nutrients, fish poses a problem. Large fish like tuna can have dangerous levels of mercury, so it's not advisable to eat them during pregnancy.

Smaller fish, like salmon, are safer. The NRDC has wonderful resources to help you find & select safe seafood & sushi while you're pregnant.

If you don't care for seafood, or if you're concerned about mercury, a good backup option is to take a supplement. I recommend OmegaGenics DHA 600 gelcaps, as the study used 600mg of DHA to get its results. This supplement is only available through a healthcare practitioner - you can purchase it through me here.

Read more about the DHA study here.