The short answer is... YES!!!
Friends, welcome back to the blog! We have some very exciting things happening and it is just the best that I get to share it here with YOU!
As a coach, I have long lived to see the day when some of my clients were able to conceive. I have dreamed of it and prayed for it for them. Then to hear the announcements start flowing through, to hear the sheer joy in their voices and to see the tears of glory streaming from their beautiful eyes - there is nothing better! Weight-loss is amazing, overcoming auto-immune conditions is fantastic! Breaking free of eating disorders and anxiety/depression is wonderful! Overcoming infertility and the harsh diagnosis that "it would be extremely difficult for you to become pregnant naturally, if at all" that seems to come from so many fertility specialists is really empowering!
Can I be honest? The biggest "miss" if I can call it that in the specialist community seems to be the emphasis on finding out what a person's "diet" consists of. If we only knew how inflammatory processed, pasteurized, homogenized foods are, perhaps we would begin to see a decline in inflammatory responses our bodies have. Inflammation in parts of your brain caused by ingesting certain inflammatory processed foods like seed oils, grains, high fructose corn syrup (which is illegal in Canada BTW!), and other sugars can have a dramatic impact on how your body responds. (P.S. This isn't an article bashing carbs, this is just what I have witnessed in my practice and over time.)
When the body is fed with these types of ingredients, it makes you wonder. Have you ever noticed how you cough or feel congested or have to clear your throat after using heavy cream in your coffee? Or perhaps you feel a bit asthmatic after eating some bread or crackers? What about the embarrassing or painful bloat and flatulence after ingesting certain cruciferous vegetables?
Friends, these are SIGNALS from YOUR body that is is struggling with whatever you just ingested. Our bodies are INTELLIGENT and they have been created with certain cues and ways to signal to you that they are not happy or not thriving. When we continuously ignore these signs (unaware or aware), we force our body to try and break things down which is just can't. This causes an inflammatory response that leads to things like leaky gut, GI upset, IBS, sleep disturbances, asthma, auto-immune etc. Obviously there are other factors that can/do contribute to this but we are focusing on how what we consume when it comes to food impacts our body.
How do you get to know the signals? How do you figure out what is causing the "symptoms" your body is experiencing?
First off, look at what is on your plate. Did it come from a can or a box? Did you read the ingredients on the can or the box? This is the first clue. It isn't to say that foods from boxes or cans are inherently "bad". Not at all! It is important to become aware of the clever way the food and drug admin is allowed to covertly include ingredients that may affect your overall longterm (and short term) health. When something says "natural flavouring", know that it is one of approximately 60,000 ingredients that have been deemed natural - even if they aren't.
Secondly, notice how you feel before, during and after eating. Some experience an immediate onset of symptoms. Some have an energy crash. Some feel moody. For myself, as soon as I eat store bought dairy I have a "reaction" which includes coughing, congestion and upset stomach. When I used to eat rice, I would experience a spastic esophagus and it would literally "choke" me and cause me to wretch. My husband has sadly had to witness this on numerous occasions. Bread or wheat products caused bloating, digestive distress and what I call a "wheat cough". Corn caused me to have difficulty breathing and would cause my eyes to swell and become puffy. These things sometimes last several minutes or several hours. NOT PLEASANT and certainly NOT CUTE! lol
Lastly, dare to remove certain foods from typical meals you would eat and just SEE how you feel. Try it and mark down what you notice. Maybe you didn't crash or cough or have gas for a change. This could be a clue. Experiment! :)
When I went keto/carnivore, all of that changed. I no longer have any of the symptoms I did previously unless I come in contact with these foods. The reaction is now slower but it still happens. For me, I don't have an energy crash after eating a carnivore meal like I did when I had other foods on my plate. It seems out of the norm but I have never been one to follow the herd.
BACK TO FERTILITY! Friends, if you are a woman who has lost her cycle, are struggling with painful or irregular menses, are having difficulty transitioning through menopause, let me just share the hope that I have seen the results not just with my clients but thousands of other women. For some women it takes as little as 2 months, and for others, depending on the woe (way of eating) they are coming from, 6-12 months to recover from ailments. Keto/low carb and carnivore are wonderful healing tools. Hearing my clients celebrate their first period in 10 years when they are 20-something years old, my friends in their early 30s who were told they couldn't conceive that they are pregnant and thriving... What bigger blessing could one seek?
I pray this post gives you hope and reminds you that a diagnosis does not mean you have to accept it. You can decide to take your health into your own hands, make small changes and overcome the negative aspects with ease.
There is a huge community of us and you are welcome to join!
Thanks for stopping by!
Warmly,
Richelle Lecourt
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