How to Optimise Diet and Lifestyle for Fertility

May 9, 2024

Lily Nichols is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, researcher, and author dedicated to evidence-based nutrition. With a deep respect for current scientific findings and ancestral wisdom, Lily's clinical proficiency and extensive experience in prenatal nutrition have established her as a renowned consultant and speaker. Her groundbreaking work in gestational diabetes has positively impacted tens of thousands of women and has significantly shaped international nutrition policies.

Today, Lily joins us to discuss her latest book, Real Food for Fertility, co-authored with Lisa Hendrickson-Jack. This comprehensive, heavily cited, practical guide explains how to optimise nutrition for preconception, providing invaluable insights for couples looking to enhance fertility, pregnancy, and beyond. Lily discusses some of the causes of infertility, nutritional considerations for conception, and the effects of alcohol and caffeine on fertility and pregnancy. Additionally, she highlights the significance of meal size and timing and the detrimental effects of environmental toxins when trying to conceive.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Lilly Nichols:

[00:00:23] Book: Real Food for Fertility: Prepare your body for pregnancy with preconception nutrition and fertility awareness by Lily Nichols and Lisa Hendrickson-Jack.

[00:00:29] Book: Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, by Lily Nichols.

[00:00:38] Book: Real Food for Pregnancy, by Lily Nichols.

[00:00:47] Becoming interested in writing about fertility.

[00:04:54] More than just nutrition.

[00:10:20] Infertility is a societal problem.

[00:11:46] Male vs female infertility factors.

[00:18:54] Evolutionary mismatch and causes of infertility; Study: Fathalla, Mahmoud F. "Impact of reproductive evolutionary mismatch on women's health and the need for action and research." International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics 144.2 (2019): 129-134.

[00:21:58] Nutrition for fertility.

[00:25:42] Protein targets.

[00:27:01] Fish: nutrition vs contaminants.

[00:30:33] Micronutrients for fertility.

[00:31:40] Antioxidant intake.

[00:33:29] Tracking macro/micronutrients; Cronometer.

[00:36:19] Vegetarian and vegan diets.

[00:39:57] Book: Sacred Cow, by Diana Rodgers and Robb Wolf; Podcast: Kale vs Cow: The Case for Better Meat.

[00:43:01] Alcohol and caffeine.

[00:49:12] Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).

[00:49:17] Ben Bikman; Podcast: Ketones, Insulin and the Physiology of Fat Cells.

[00:50:57] Blood sugar balance.

[00:51:56] Nutritional interventions for PCOS.

[00:53:30] Meal size and timing for PCOS; Study: Jakubowicz, Daniela, et al. "Effects of caloric intake timing on insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome." Clinical Science 125.9 (2013): 423-432.

[00:54:45] Hormone-disrupting chemicals and eliminating environmental toxins.

[00:55:54] Podcast with Jodi Flaws: Environmental Pollutants and the Gut Microbiome.

[00:57:42] Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA).

[01:01:08] Herman Pontzer podcast: How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy.

[01:02:16] Protein requirements for postpartum women; Study: Rasmussen, Betina, et al. "Protein requirements of healthy lactating women are higher than the current recommendations." Current Developments in Nutrition 4 (2020): nzaa049_046.

[01:02:59] Lily's website.

[01:03:08] Real Food for Fertility website (read the first chapter and get the reference list).

[01:03:23] @lilynicholsrdn on social media.

[01:03:44] Institute for Prenatal Nutrition Mentorship Program.