In this week’s article I thought I’d share some of my very favourite super foods for you to start enjoying if you are not already.

Coconut

Coconut has to be my favourite super food. It is so versatile and it tastes absolutely delicious!

I have a rule not to put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t eat. So when it comes to moisturisers the only thing I allow my skin to eat is coconut oil. It is so incredibly soothing and healing for the skin I couldn’t think of a better choice. It’s beautiful on the face and full body alike and its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties also make it perfect for helping to treat skin conditions such as acne, ringworm, eczema and psoriasis.

According to research over the last four decades coconut oil has been shown to be beneficial for a healthy heart and has been shown to decrease LDL cholesterol levels  and it seems to aid in weight loss.

Although coconut oil has gained some bad press in the past because it contains saturated fats it is important to understand that the predominant type of fatty acids present in coconuts are medium chain. These fatty acids are processed differently by the digestive system to other types of fats. They are used mostly in energy production thus not contributing to arterial fatty deposits — one of the biggest causes of heart disease.

Easy ways to enjoy coconut

• You can simply buy young fresh coconut and drink its water followed by eating its delicious flesh
• You can use coconut flakes, flesh and/or water in your smoothies instead of milk
• Coconut cream and water can be used to make porridge

Chillies

Chillies pack a mighty punch in nutrition terms. They have a strong concentration of vitamin C , around two to three times greater than citrus fruit, and are high in fibre, minerals like potassium and some of the B vitamins. Chilli consumption for its health benefits is certainly a case of the more, the better!

Red chillies, a more mature stage of ripeness than green, offer plenty of beta-carotene, a prominent antioxidant and precursor to vitamin A. Dried chillies have less vitamin C than fresh or bottled, but are still rich in beta-carotene, other related carotenoids and minerals.

Chillies are known to raise the metabolic rate, one of the reasons why a curry often warms you up. This has been promoted as an advantage to dieters, as a body with a ‘super-speed engine’ burns fuel faster. In any case, chilli and chilli sauces can certainly pep up an otherwise bland diet meal.

Chilli lovers swear that chillies stimulate the secretion of saliva and gastric juices and act as a digestive aid. If used in large enough quantities, they appear to have anti-bacterial qualities which are valued in hot climates where refrigeration is often absent. Ointments and lotions with capsaicin have also had success as an external remedy for nerve pain and itching. Capsaicin blocks substance P which is part of the body’s pain-and inflammation chemistry.

Easy ways to enjoy more chillies

• For an Asian meal, have fresh chopped chillies on the table so people can add as much or little as they like
• Pour sweet chilli sauce over a slab of ricotta or light cream cheese and serve as a dip with raw vegetables.

Eggs

Eggs are an incredible source of nutrition in a tiny package for a very modest 355 kilojoules (85 calories); it gives you every vitamin except vitamin C and a host of essential minerals. Worth mentioning are vitamin B12 (vegetarians often don’t get enough) and folate, a B vitamin which can help minimise birth defects.

In addition, eggs are a surprising source of two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin , natural compounds related to the beta-carotene of carrots and usually found only in vegetables and fruits. These two anti-oxidants are now under study for their role in preventing macular degeneration of the eye, a common cause of blindness in the elderly.

The Heart Foundation believes an egg a day poses no problem for cardiovascular health. Just don’t fry it in bacon fat or coddle it in cream.

Easy ways to enjoy eggs

• A poached egg with asparagus and chutney on toasted Turkish bread makes a delicious and easy light meal.
• Add boiled eggs to salads and rice dishes.
• Beat eggs with chopped green onions (shallots), chopped parsley, grated cheese and a little smoked salmon and cook for a quick omelette breakfast or dinner.
• A raw egg cracked into a smoothie will boost the protein and make a well-rounded breakfast-on-the-run (not suitable for pregnant women).

Chia seeds

Chia seeds (pronounced chee-ah) are new on the food scene but have a long history. For centuries, the Chia plant (Salvia hispanica) has been growing in its natural habitat of Central and South America. It was a highly valued oilseed crop by the Mayans, Aztecs and Southwest Native Americans as a staple food because of its energy and sustenance properties. Chia seeds look like tiny sesame seeds and can be black, white or grey. They are sold in a packet, unprocessed. Producers say you can sprinkle them over or add them to just about anything — muesli, smoothies or yoghurt — without disturbing the flavour.

When combined with water they form a thick gel if left for long enough (about 15 minutes)

Ways to use Chia seeds

• Sprinkle over cereal and muesli.
• Use them to coat rissoles, meatloaf or burgers — they add a pleasant crunch to the exterior just like poppy seeds
• Because of their neutral taste and light colour, white Chia seeds make an ideal part-replacement for white flour in home baking.
• Replace 2 tablespoons of the flour with white Chia seeds.
• Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of the seeds into one cup of water and add the gel to smoothies, juices, yoghurts and soups.

Blueberries

Blueberries are the nutrition powerhouses of the fruit world. They are not only low in kilojoules but also happen to taste absolutely delicious! They make the healthiest snack straight from the container or fabulous in smoothies, or healthy desserts.

According to researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Centre anthocyanins — the pigments that give the berries their blue-red colour — help blueberries rank as number one for antioxidant activity when compared to other fresh fruits and vegetables. These antioxidants also help to slow down the aging of the brain. In addition to boosting memory and brain function as we age it also protects the eyes from cataracts and glaucoma.

Easy ways to enjoy blueberries

• Eat a handful as a fruity snack or to finish a meal.
• Sprinkle over yoghurt or ice cream.
• Fresh or dried blueberries add a tangy colourful punch over breakfast cereals.
• Add fresh or frozen blueberries to a blender with 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons of Chia seeds, ½ cup coconut flakes, and a raw egg and make a delicious smoothie.

Lipids are present in all living cells, but the proportion varies from tissue to tissue. Triglycerides accumulate in certain areas, such as in the fatty tissue in the body, where they represent a form of energy storage. The more complex lipids occur closely linked with protein in the membranes of cells and are needed for their formation and the synthesis of hormone-like compounds which regulate many important functions in the body. More active tissues generally have a higher complex lipid content; for example, the brain, liver, kidney, lung, and blood contain the highest concentration of phospholipids, hence their importance in fertility and in the development of the embryo as well as brain function and overall health.

Dietary fats consisting largely of saturated fatty acids (especially long-chain fatty acids) tend to be solid at room temperature, while fats consisting largely of unsaturated fatty acids are liquid at room temperature. Butter and other animal fats are primarily saturated; olive and canola oils, mono-unsaturated; and fish, corn, safflower, soybean, and sunflower oils, polyunsaturated. Although plant oils tend to be unsaturated, there are notable exceptions, such as coconut oil, which comprises a beneficial type of highly saturated fatty acids.

Saturated fats tend to be more stable than unsaturated ones. The food industry takes advantage of this property during hydrogenation, in which hydrogen molecules are added to unsaturated fat to make it saturated and thus more stable, solid, and ‘spreadable’ (as in margarine, which, by the you should NEVER). The hydrogenation process changes the unsaturated fatty acids from a configuration known as cis to one known as trans. Trans fatty acids, which behave more like ‘bad’ saturated fatty acids, contributing to hormonal and reproductive imbalances and other undesirable health consequences.

Trans fats are thought to increase the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) in the bloodstream shown to clogs arteries and lead to increased risk of coronary heart disease. And although more research is required, trans fats consumption may lead to other serious health conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and liver dysfunction.

It’s really important to note that in order to decrease your consumption of trans fats (damaged fats) certain foods must be avoided or dramatically reduced. Below is a list of foods with appreciably high levels of trans fats, which are best avoided.

• Cakes
• Canned soups and stews
• Certain Cereals
• Chips
• Coffee whitener
• Commercial Granola
• Cookies
• Crackers
• Doughnuts
• Hydrogenated and partly hydrogenated anything
• Hydrogenated peanut butters
• Many Puddings
• Margarine (this is definitely a case where butter is better than margarine!)
• Mayonnaise
• Most dips and sauces
• Most salad dressings
• Most snack foods
• Muffins
• Pastries made with vegetable shortening
• Processed cheese
• Soft Candies
• Sweet Breads

So what fats should you eat?

For the purposes of a healthy diet and optimum wellbeing and fertility, the best fats to consume are the omega 3 fatty acids found in small, deep-ocean fish such as sardines, salmon, trout, blue-eyed cod, herring and the like.

For salad dressings the best oils to use include extra virgin, organic olive or walnut oils. Other choices include grape seed oil, avocado, macadamia, flaxseed and for optimum shelf life always be sure to store your oils in properly sealed, preferably dark bottles the fridge to avoid oxidation. In addition buy in small bottles so you use them quickly and avoid consuming rancid oils.

For cooking, the best fats to use are butter or ghee and/or coconut oil — these already saturated fats do not become trans whilst cooking and in the case of coconut oil the already saturated fat found there is a healthy type of oil, which will not become damaged and carcinogenic when heated — unlike most other oils.

Avoid other types of vegetable oils in your cooking including corn seed and canola as the processing suffered by these oils as well as their fatty acid profiles (which favour omega 6 fats) are already consumed in far too much excess in the modern western diet.

Finally, good fats are essential for general health. Choose wisely, store safely, consume fresh (by buying in small quantities) and your health will greatly prosper!

It’s easy to come up with excuses and justifications for how things haven’t yet turned out according to plan. The truth is, what have you been leaving for later that needs to be done NOW if you are to create the amazingly positive change you want in your life?

NOW is the time.

Whilst staying in the question: “What will you make it?” with a fresh start upon us and this guiding theme what new choices will you embrace and make a part of you?

Now is the time for NO MORE EXCUSES
Now is the time to LOVE MORE
Now is the time to get FIT
Now is the time for MAKING TIME
Now is the time to plant
Now is the time to IDENTIFY your goals
Now is the time to identify the SEASON you are in
Now is the time for GRATITUDE
Now is the time for shorts and singlets
Now is the time to make a lasting CONTRIBUTION
Now is the time for limiting treats, sugars, carbohydrates and calories
Now is the time for HERBAL TEA
Now is the time to TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY!
Now is the time cold showers
Now is the time to eat more vegetables
Now is the time to stop smoking
Now is the time to be LIFE GIVING in every area of life
Now is the time for shade, sunglasses and hats
Now is the time to REPLACE alcoholic beverages
Now is the time for homemade fruit sorbet
Now is the time to QUIT!
Now is the time to STRENGTHEN your resolve
Now is the time to learn to cook healthier meals
Now is the time for NO REGRETS
Now is the time to love yourself
Now is the time to hear your calling
Now is the time for BETTER NUTRITION
Now is the time for getting GROUNDED
Now is the time to be PROACTIVE about health
Now is the time to be an encourager
Now is the time for CHANGE
Now is the time to learn
Now is the time to FINISH
Now is the time to change your normal “holiday mentality”
Now is the time for cricket
Now is the time to DO!
Now is the time for strong BOUNDARIES
Now is the time to be 100% honest with you
Now is the time to be CENTERED
Now is the time to WORK towards real results
Now is the time for cold watermelon
Now is the time for better perspective
Now is the time for going for your purpose
Now is the time to stare REALITY square in the face
Now is the time for FAMILY
Now is the time to be PRESENT
Now is the time for practical proven strategies
Now is the time for BREAKING your self-imposed limitations
Now is the time to take a deep breath, FEEL YOUR POWER and GO when ready!

Make the difference, the contribution, the change you know you can. Live a fuller, deeper, happier life. NOW IS THE TIME!

Get started with one of your most important daily choices: Your nutrition. Enjoy these delicious summer treats!

Mango Sorbet

Makes: 4 servings.
180 ml water
Zest of 1 orange
3 mangoes, cubed
Juice of 1 orange
4 mint sprigs, for garnish

Method of preparation
Combine the water and orange zest in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Remove orange zest from sauce and discard. In a blender, process the mango cubes and orange juice until smooth. Add mango puree to saucepan and mix well to combine. Strain mixture and chill. When cold, pour into freezer container and freeze until firm around the edges. Spoon the semi-frozen mixture back into  the blender and process again until smooth. Return the mixture to freezer.

Remove sorbet from freezer approximately 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften slightly.
Serve decorated with mint sprigs.

Pineapple with Vanilla Yoghurt

Makes: 4 servings.
600 g pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
2 cinnamon sticks
3 cloves
Stevia – Natural Sugar substitute (equivalent to 2 tsp raw brown sugar)
120 ml water
100 g vanilla sheep or goat’s yoghurt (or plain and add vanilla essence to taste)
Mint leaves, for garnish

Method of preparation
Preheat oven to 220 °C.
In an oven-safe baking dish with lid, add the pineapple, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar and water. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 15 minutes until golden and juices have caramelised.

Serve with shredded mint leaves and vanilla yoghurt.

Note: In order to optimize your fertility, a dairy free diet is recommended. However a small amount of sheep’s or goat’s milk and/or yogurt is acceptable about once per week. Enjoy!

Excerpted from Eat Your Way To Parenthood: The Diet Secrets of Highly Fertile Couples Revealed (GoKo Publishing 2008) by Gabriela Rosa. Available from www.naturalfertilitybreakthrough.com.

Check out these facts:

• The minerals and nutrients contained in juice can help with removal of toxic waste and enhance the immune system.
• Minerals such as calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, boron, zinc, iron and selenium help with the elimination of toxins, all found in high amounts in fresh organic vegetables.
• Organic sulphur compounds help to destroy poisonous chemicals and cleanse the bloodstream and liver.
• Polyphenols (the plant molecules which give fruits and vegetables their colour) including the carotonoids  and flavonoids serve as potent antioxidants.
• Vitamin C and E help with reducing oxidative stress.

An obvious and important benefit of home made fresh juice is that there is no added sugar. This already puts fresh juicing ahead of the game. The reason that added sugar is so detrimental to your health is that it is heavily refined and absorbed instantly into your blood stream. Refined sugar plays havoc with our blood sugar hormones, and very quickly starts to affect your moods, and energy levels.

By controlling what you put into your juice you know how fresh it is. When you use organic vegetables and fruits you can be assured there are absolutely no pesticides, preservatives, artificial colours, heavy metals, or moulds. This allows you to get the purest product for your body.

There are many juicers available today and the quality varies enormously. There are two main classes of juicers: centrifugal or masticating. The first are the loud, cheaper versions, that spin very fast—these types damage nutrients and don’t extract the best out of the vegetables. The second type of juicer, as the name suggests, ‘chews’ the vegetables (or slowly crushes them) liberating all the goodness into your glass.

What to look for in quality juicers:

• Low RPM rating — about 110RPM is ideal
• A powerful motor;
• Quiet operation
• A range of juicing abilities (i.e. juicing vegetables and herbs etc)
• Easy to operate
• Easy to clean

Ideally when you make your own juices you want to include higher quantities of veggies and only 1 piece of fruit per glass/person. Fruits without their fibre become ‘simple sugars’ and impact severely on blood sugar levels (as mentioned earlier). Even if the fruit is low in the glycaemic index, when juiced, the carbohydrates become incredibly concentrated (think of how many oranges you have to juice to get one glass of orange juice!).

Now let’s get some healthy combinations happening. Remember the more brightly coloured the better!

Getting Started

Start with easily digestible juices such as celery, fennel (anise) and cucumber. Although these are not as nutritionally dense as other vegetables, they can be a good starting platform to acclimatise your taste buds and you can build on them later.

Your dark green leafy vegetables are full of wonderful phyto-nutrients, which enable and improve digestion and liver function. Once you start feeling at ease with the idea of adding new vegetables you can start introducing these: Endive, escarole, green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce and spinach. Then, try: Cabbage, chinese cabbage and bok choy. Cabbage is one of the most healing remedies for repairing gastric ulcers. The cabagge family is great to help to balance hormones and it is particularly helpful in oestrogen dominant conditions. Women with thyroid dysfunction should avoid it due to its potentially goitrogenic effects.

Start Innovating

When you are ready you can start adding herbs and spices to your mix as well. They have wonderful healing properties too! Try parsley, coriander, ginger, turmeric root, garlic (great for the cardiovascular and immune systems)

Bitter vegetables are great for further improving digestion and liver function, which in turn help with hormonal balance and general health. Include one of two bitter vegetable leaves: Kale, collard greens, dandelion greens, mustard greens (however these vegetables should be used only if you don’t have any suspicion of having thyroid problems or low body basal temperature in your fertility charts) — anything extra bitter.

Be aware when buying your leafy vegetables for juicing, that you buy from shops that sell the leaves still attached to the main stalk. Vegetables quickly lose their nutritional value when processed.

Create Balanced Meal

To do this you will need to add in a raw fat and protein source and by doing so it will mean you can have your juice as a meal.

Recommended sources of good fat, which aid in improving fertility include: raw organic sheep’s or goat’s cream/yogurt, fresh raw biodynamic eggs, coconut butter, freshly ground flax seeds or pumpkin seeds (use a coffee grinder).

Another reason why adding oil (fat) to your vegetable juice may be helpful is that fat can help you better absorb the vitamin K (and other fat soluble vitamins A,D,E) from your vegetable juice. Vitamin K is very important for gluing the calcium into your bones, which is particularly important during pregnancy. Additionally, new research suggests that vitamin K significantly reduces calcification in the arteries.

Give juicing a try! It’s delicious and super nutritious for your fertility! Enjoy!

You don’t have to worry about missing spontaneity when you have a plan—believe it or not, our brains relish the security of knowing what our next meal will be and that it is just around the corner. It’s a welcome change from the eating habits of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who were constantly under physiological stress from not knowing when, or what, the next meal was going to be. Even though life has changed significantly since then, our bodies still respond in very much the same way to something they perceive as being a stressful situation, and starvation is stressful, even when we know it’s very unlikely to happen. Stress of any type, even hypothetical, will affect your fertility, so our aim is to avoid it.

You can still socialise and go to your favourite restaurants, you just need to plan for it—after all, we should eat 90% for the body and 10% for the soul, so we just need to make sure that the 10% is actually 10% and does not unwittingly become 90%. So, this whole idea of planning and organising ahead of time will simply keep you on track with the certainty that you are (truly—not just in your imagination) doing the best for your health when it comes to what you eat.

It’s difficult to accurately remember (try it now, I dare you!) what you had for breakfast, lunch and dinner three days ago, let alone a week ago. So it is no surprise that even though we believe we are eating well because we did so yesterday, it’s only when we actually track our progress by writing things down that we suddenly realise, “Oops! Things are not quite as I thought…”  So, this is a great habit to get into. Besides, a little discipline and organisation in this department is only going to help you down the track with a growing family.

Another important benefit of planning your meals is that you and your family will be much less likely to fall prey to all the fast food marketing in the media. Research shows that when you have a set eating plan you are less likely to be influenced by, or even pay attention to, commercials. A very interesting and entertaining read on the food and eating traps we unknowingly set for ourselves is Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think by Brian Wansink.

Keep in mind that any change in routine will take a little getting used to, so don’t despair if your wonderful plan does not flow smoothly to start with. Give yourself a good few weeks (at least six) to adapt to your new way of life before deciding that you are ‘just not cut out for this’. It may, indeed, turn out that this approach is not for you. I’m the first to admit it is not for everyone, but have seen enough patients to know that it works really well for around 90% of people.

Choose Nine Recipes You Really Like

So, let’s begin! Pick a day of the week when you have a spare 30 minutes to completely focus on your task in one sitting. There are four steps: 1) Choose your recipes; 2) Make your shopping list; 3) Plot your recipe/meal choices for the week on your ‘food map blueprint’ (either on a piece of paper or computer spreadsheet) and finally; 4) Stick your plan on your fridge and follow it.

Starting with step number one, you need to consider your partner/family’s food preferences and decide what kind of meals you would like to have in the week ahead. It is always a good idea to choose your recipes based on the seasons. Choose nine recipes you really like. You may want to divide them into three breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners but if you generally take leftovers for lunch and like to have a different dinner every night, that’s OK too—just pick what suits you and your family. As long as you are eating at least nine different meals in the week, you will have enough variety. When most patients first come to see me, they are eating the same breakfast and lunch (often leftovers) every day, and maybe three or four different dinners. So, nine different meals a week is a great way to add more variety. Variety reduces your chances of developing food allergies, because the body starts to see food compounds as foreign threats when they are constantly present in large quantities within the system. Eating a variety of foods also means you are exposed to a greater variety of nutrients and beneficial food compounds, all of which are essential for your general health and fertility.

Once you’ve chosen your nine meals for the week you can make a comprehensive shopping list—just remember to buy only what’s on your list. Be deaf to the ‘taste buds in your brain’, which will fool you into getting junk food if you let them, and go shopping with a full stomach! But wait, don’t go yet…

Create Your Weekly Food Map Blueprint

Now you are ready to do what it takes to guarantee your success. Creating your very own weekly food map is a vital step. Skipping it will pretty much negate all you’ve done so far, because you will not be stepping out of that loose and ineffective structure we’ve been talking about. Take action to complete this step and you will see how much easier life will become. You will have so much more time on your hands, because you are not going to waste hours thinking about what you are going to cook when you get home and what you will have to do (such as picking up groceries) between the time you leave work and the time when you sit down for dinner.

You’ve chosen your nine recipes, so now it is a matter of plotting them on your food schedule. This is where 80% of the benefit comes from. Get a sheet of A4 paper (or a spreadsheet on your computer) and create a table like the one below. Filling in the blanks should be easy once you’ve chosen your recipes. Place it on your fridge and you are ready to go shopping and make it happen!

Weekly Food Map Blueprint

*Download a printable copy and some extra helpful tools from www.NaturalFertilityBreakthrough.com — FREE Resources.

The fabulous thing about this task is that you will be able to keep the chart forever as one of your healthy week examples. If you repeat the process three more times, you will have a full month’s healthy eating blueprint, including shopping lists, recipes and everything you need to follow a super healthy eating regime without any fuss. All you have to do is keep rotating your weeks and you can have a whole year without being bored! If you enjoy changing your meals with the seasons, repeat the process for each major season and you are well and truly set for life!

Also known as; Bitter Gourd

Bitter melon is a great food for you to introduce into your diet this season. It is immune enhancing, great for blood sugar regulation, and has known anti-cancer properties (due to the alpha eleostearic acid inside the seeds).

This fruit (traditionally used as a vegetable like tomatoes) is easy to incorporate into your spring diet. When you’re next in the supermarket look out for this lime green, warty skinned, shorter version of a cucumber and grab a couple. Use them in your next stir-fry, salad, or to stuff with your favourite fillings.

Traditionally, this unusual looking fruit has been used in Africa and Asia for many ailments including; fever, diarrhoea, painful periods, and topically for burns and other skin complaints.

Now it is being studied in much more detail and some amazing discoveries have been made about its health properties. The most significant research shows how it can help people with diabetes, insulin resistance, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), and even sugar cravings. Managing these conditions alone can dramatically boost your natural fertility.

Bitter melon has a high content of ‘lectins’, which are sugar binding proteins. These compounds lower glucose in the blood (similar to insulin) which acts on brain tissue to suppress the appetite.

So by including bitter melon in your evening meal, you may be less likely to eat that chocolate sitting in the cupboard!

Bitter melon is regularly used to treat diabetes. In the Philippines it is a primary form of treatment in hospitals. In Australia its full potential is being discovered, and is now also available as a supplement in health food shops.

As for its immune enhancing properties, this bitter tasting fruit is traditionally used to treat parasites and viruses. For example, a well known remedy in Africa to prevent Malaria is a side dish of boiled and stir fried bitter melon with garlic and onion.

Also, USA, Japan, and the Philippines are all conducting studies on the anti-viral effects of bitter melon and some promising evidence has come out for these studies. For example, bitter melon is showing huge potential helping with HIV/AIDS, which affects an estimated 33.4 million people worldwide.

So by this stage you might be thinking ‘how do I use this amazing fruit?’ Well let’s start with the basics.

When buying bitter melon make sure it is brightly coloured, firm, with no soft spots or discoloured patches but don’t be put off by its lumpy exterior. Once you get it home you can keep it in the ‘vege crisper’ of your fridge (for no longer than 5 days).

To prepare it for a meal, wash thoroughly, cut in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Chop or slice as desired then sprinkle some salt on the fruit in a sieve and leave it for up to 10 minutes to draw out some of the bitter juices. The longer it’s left the less bitter it will be. After standing rinse well and pat dry before cooking.

Here are some delicious recipes to get you started. Enjoy!

So bitter melon is now in season, try it out and you may find that ‘a little bit of bitter makes your body better’!

Also, just a little explanation: A functional food is classified as one which provides health benefits over and beyond its basic nutrients — and this one does it all including being delicious!

Fertility Boost and Protection!

The condition of the egg and sperm and therefore overall fertility is dependent on very important, basic building blocks of health. Fatty acids represent one of these vital pillars. The medium chain fatty acids found in coconuts become therefore a perfect ally in boosting one’s natural fertility. These fats have been shown in clinical research to act as protectors and repairers of sex cell DNA against environmental toxins and the damage they can cause. This protection has been shown to include (and is not limited to) the negative effects of benzo (a) pyrene, a highly toxic substance found predominantly in cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes and coal tar (which is found in some shampoos and cosmetics!); dimethylnitrosamine, a carcinogenic, liver toxin predominantly found in unfiltered water, cured meats, fish, beer and tobacco smoke; methyl metanesulfonate, a chemotherapeutic agent that has been shown to also be a carcinogen and reproductive toxin leading to sperm abnormalities and female infertility; and finally tetracycline, a common broad spectrum antibiotic linked to lowered fertility index.

The coconut fatty acids have also been shown to improve thyroid function, balance blood sugar levels and enhance healthy weight loss, which are vital factors for optimum fertility and a healthy pregnancy. Coconut oil also improves breast milk quality!

Skin and Hair Care

I have a rule not to put anything on my skin that I wouldn’t eat. So when it comes to moisturisers the only thing I allow my skin to eat is coconut oil. It is so incredibly soothing and healing for the skin I couldn’t think of a better choice. It’s beautiful on the face and full body alike and its antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties also make it perfect for helping to treat skin conditions such as acne, ringworm, eczema and psoriasis.

Now onto hair… if you suffer from dandruff this is a god-send. All you need to do is massage a couple of tablespoons of the oil into your scalp, place a handtowel on your pillow and leave it on overnight. Repeat as often as possible. For curly hair coconut oil is also great in place of chemical hair products — it’s remarkable for frizz control and it’s so nourishing for the hair.

Immune Function

Medium chain fatty acids in the form of lauric acid (comprises approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat) and are a predominant element of this super food. In the body, lauric acid can be transformed into a substance called monolaurin. This component has been shown to have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-protozoal activities. In humans and animals, monolaurin has been shown to be able to destroy lipid (fat) coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus and influenza as well as various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes, heliobacter pylori and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Finally, the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut have also been shown to enhance immunity against micro-organisms which promote infertility causing infections.

Cardiovascular Health

According to research over the last four decades coconut oil has been shown to be beneficial for a healthy heart.

Although coconut oil has gained some bad press in the past because it contains saturated fats it is important to understand that the predominant type of fatty acids present in coconuts are medium chain. These fatty acids are processed differently by the digestive system to other types of fats. They are used mostly in energy production thus not contributing to arterial fatty deposits — one of the biggest causes of heart disease.

In addition, coconut fat has been show to decrease LDL cholesterol levels and it seems to aid in weight loss.

With all these amazing benefits (and these are only some of them!) you may be wondering how you can get more of this remarkable functional food…

Some simple ways include adding the actual coconut flesh or oil/butter as an ingredient to smoothies or juices to make them a whole meal; simply eating them from a spoon or adding the coconut butter to any recipe that calls for the use of oil — e.g. sautéing and stir frying are easy winners. You can even use it in some pastry dough recipes in place of dairy butter. Be adventurous and experiment with it!

In the meantime here’s a great recipe to get you started with adding more coconuts to your diet and ensure excellent digestive function and improved overall health. Enjoy!

If you don’t want to wait, please click here to go directly to the page.

This is one of the most distressing causes of “infertility” or delayed conception for most women because it’s easy to feel out of control and unsure of what to do to regulate your body.

Quality and professionally prescribed herbal medicine treatments in combination with a fertility boosting diet and lifestyle are the most reliable ways to ensure excellent results, fast and naturally. Be sure to find a competent, qualified and professional herbalist or naturopath to help you with this. I do not recommend you simply go to a health food store and buy some preparation over the counter or worse (!) self-prescribe. You may be robbing yourself of the result you truly desire.

3 Easy Self-Care Ways To Regulate Ovulation

There is SO MUCH you can do — as far as your daily choices are concerned, to optimise your results. Some of the most important steps towards regular cycles and ovulation are dependent on what I’ve already mentioned above: Your diet, lifestyle and personal environment.

Ovulation UN-friendly Foods

No matter what you do, you want to avoid these foods. They are massive culprits in causing havoc with your fertility and do you no favours regarding your health and the development of a truly healthy baby.

1. Fried foods & Trans-fats: In women with polycystic ovarian syndrome, the damaged fats found in these foods have been shown to decrease fertility by up to 73%; however it does impact all women suffering from anovulation—so next time you feel a chip, biscuit or piece of cake is tempting you, ask yourself… “What do I want more? That or a healthy baby?”. Let the motto: Act pregnant now to get pregnant later guide you daily.
2. Sugary foods and soft drinks: One can of soft drinks contains about 5+ teaspoons of sugar; and don’t think sugar-free is any better in fact it’s worse (although I’ll have to save that story for another article)! The fact is sugar, in whatever form (i.e. if it’s sweet, it’s sugar) negatively impacts hormonal balance, which in turn discourages regular ovulation.
3. Gluten: This is something many people don’t consider and even more people don’t realise they are affected by until they remove it from their diet; AND this negative impact often happens even when gluten sensitivity tests come back completely normal. Even a minor sensitivity can be enough to cause infertility and recurrent miscarriage issues. My recommendation is to avoid it completely in the preconception period (ideally at least 120 days prior to conception attempts) and during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Shake it Real Good!

Yes, you guessed it! Exercise is essential for optimal hormonal balance, nutrient circulation, cellular oxygenation, stress reduction, blood sugar regulation, weight management and so much more. The good news is that in exercising your choice to move your body — daily (for at least 40 minutes each time) — you are choosing to take control of your fertility.

Daily exercise has been shown to get women suffering from anovulation to spontaneously ovulate. So what are you waiting for? Get out there, move, have fun with it. And remember, exercise does not have to be boring or emotionally painful. Embrace it. And choose activities you really enjoy like dancing, rock climbing, swimming in the ocean (although avoid chlorinated swimming pools—they are not great for your fertility), roller skating. You name it. Make it fun!

Protect your personal environment

This is one area most people completely neglect, unfortunately mostly because they don’t know what they don’t know. From the commercially available cleaning and pest control products we choose to bring into our homes to the soap, toothpaste and fragrances we use and wear—there are safe choices and there are fertility damaging choices.

And guess what? The average householder lives in a cocktail of toxic chemicals, which MUST be offloaded to ensure optimum fertility and regular ovulation. Education around these issues and being utterly minimalist in the products you use is essential to reduce the litany of endocrine disrupting offenders that can be found in the average household. All of which contribute to the unsatisfactory recurrence of anovulation in many cases.

Anovulation is a multi-factorial issue that must be addressed comprehensively and holistically for best results in the long term.

Soy will negatively impact on your health and particularly your fertility. This may come as a surprise to you after being exposed to millions of dollars worth of ‘soy, the super-food’ advertising over the last couple of decades. It’s been promoted as a diet staple for all, to be consumed in copious amounts, particularly by women; a low-cost, healthier alternative to meat; a non-allergenic substitute for dairy; and a product which should be used in all baby formulae because it is even better than breast milk! These are, of course, lies, yet they continue to be told and those who believe them will eventually end up paying a hefty price, with their health.

Originally used as a fertiliser in China, soy graduated to the food table much later than we are led to believe. The Chinese knew soy remained toxic after ordinary cooking but after the discovery of fermentation, they began using it as a preservative for protein-rich animal foods. In the West, we are told soy foods are safe because Asian cultures have been consuming them from ‘time immemorial’. This is simply not true. Tempeh, miso, soy sauce and other fermented foods did not appear in the Asian diet until approximately 860AD, and soy is not a staple in these cultures, as we have been led to believe. Scholarly papers reveal that in 1977, soy foods accounted for only 1.5% of calories in the Chinese diet, compared with 65% of calories from pork. The same sources report soy foods as minor sources of protein during pregnancy and lactation in China and Japan, with major food/protein sources being organ meats, poultry, fish and eggs.

Asian cultures consume very little old-fashioned soy foods—such as miso and tempeh (not tofu)—in their diet, and definitely no soy sausages, burgers, chicken-like soy patties, textured vegetable protein (TVP) or tofu cheesecake and ice cream.

The soy ‘miracle-food industry’ began when soy oil (a staple ingredient in many processed foods) manufacturers had to dispose of their by-products. Instead of dumping the left-over sludge, the manufacturers found a creative solution that maximised their profits. Fast forward 30 years and here we are with soy grossly impacting on our general and reproductive health and the health of our children. A very informative book by Dr Kaayla Daniel, The Whole Soy Story, based on her many years of research into the subject concisely documents the damaging health effects of soy. It is a must read!

Evidence is mounting about soy’s key role in today’s epidemic of infertility, menstrual problems and other reproductive disorders. It has been shown to negatively impact on thyroid function, which is essential for reproductive health, as well as to damage the reproductive development of babies and children fed soy-based formulae and milk. Studies on both animals and humans show that soy has a contraceptive effect and scientists have linked this to earlier findings that show an increased incidence of menstrual irregularities in vegetarian women. In girls, excess soy consumption has been linked to premature sexual development.

In men, the effect can be equally devastating, because soy exerts an oestrogenic effect on the body, which unbalances testosterone levels and impairs healthy sperm production. This leads to poor sperm parameters including low count, abnormal shape, and reduced swimming ability. In the long term, the increased oestrogen exposure may also lead to prostate problems and male reproductive cancers. In boys fed soy, or exposed to excessive amounts in the womb, a feminising effect is possible, including an increased risk of genital anomalies.

In addition, hundreds of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory, studies link soy to conditions such as malnutrition, digestive distress and allergies, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, birth defects, immune system breakdown and heart disease. With so much evidence, why risk it? The message is clear—read food labels and avoid soy.

Excerpted from Eat Your Way To Parenthood: The Secrets Of Highly Fertile Couples Revealed