About the diet:
The Perfect Fertility Diet is based on foundations from the Mediterranean, Paleo, and Anti-Inflammatory Diets.
Food quality matters!
Remember that we’re trying to make a baby here!
Literally, your baby will be made only of things that you put into your mouth. Make smart choices! You can DO it!.
Food quality differs extraordinarily depending on what and where you buy! Whenever you can, wherever you can, go with organic, grass fed, and local (or some combo of those!)
On a budget?
• Start making the switch with your eggs & meats. I know this is most expensive, but it’s also most impactful! You can find organic eggs anywhere now, but pasture-raised is even better. Eggs from your neighbor, whose chickens eat bugs, are the best! The yellower the yolk, the more nutrient dense they are! With meats, eat better meat and less of it.
• Then swap up your veggies & fruits. For the Dirty Dozen fruits & veggies, ALWAYS buy organic. For the Clean Fifteen, don’t worry about it!
• The Dirty Dozen (+1) (produce with the highest pesticide loads) are (in order highest to lowest) Strawberries, Spinach, Nectarines, Apples, Peaches, Pears, Cherries, Grapes, Celery, Tomatoes, Sweet Bell Peppers, Potatoes, Hot Peppers
• The Clean Fifteen (lowest pesticides) are Sweet corn, Avocado, Pineapple, Cabbage, Onions, Frozen peas, Papaya, Asparagus, Mango, Eggplant, Honeydew melon, Kiwi, Cantaloupe, Cauliflower, and Grapefruit
What to Eat & Avoid
Fruits to eat: Citrus, pineapple, apples, apricots, avocado, banana, berries, cherries, grapes, kiwi, mango, melons, nectarines, papaya, pear, peach, plums, and all others! Eat Organic fresh, unsweetened dried, or frozen fruit
Fruits to avoid:
Sweetened or “from concentrate” fruit juices
Vegetables to eat: Arugula, asparagus, artichokes, bean sprouts,bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, corn, cucumber, cabbage, eggplant, endive, escarole, lettuce & other greens, kale, collard, green beans, jicama, mushrooms, okra, peas, radishes, squash, sweet potatoes, taro, tomato, turnip, yams, zucchini, did I forget any? 😉
Breads & Starches to eat: Rice (white, brown, sushi, or wild), potatoes,sweet potatoes, oats (gluten free), quinoa, millet, tapioca, cassava, buckwheat, amaranth
Breads & Starches to avoid: Gluten-containing grains (wheat, barley, spelt, kamut, rye)
Legumes to eat: Peas, all beans, lentils
Nuts & Seeds to eat: All nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, Brazil nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, others)
Meat, Fish, & Protein to eat: Salmon, halibut, sole, cod, snapper, chicken,eggs turkey, lamb, wild game, grass fed beef, plant-based protein, collagen protein (gelatin, collagen)
Meat, Fish, & Protein to avoid: Tuna, swordfish, conventional beef & pork, cold cut meats, bacon (I’m sorry!!), whey protein
Dairy to eat: Milk substitutes like almond milk, coconut milk, or rice milk & creamers (Must be carrageenan free!), grass fed butter or ghee
Dairy to avoid: Milk, cheese, cream, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream (use dairy as condiment only)
Fats to eat: Unrefined oils like olive oil, flaxseed, coconut, sesame, walnut, avocado or pumpkin seed oil, grass fed butter, animal lard (from grass-fed, organic!)
Fats to avoid: Margarine, vegetable oils (canola, peanut, etc), shortening,hydrogenated oils,mayonnaise (unless homemade with allowed ingredients)
Beverages to drink: Filtered/distilled/mineral water, seltzer, decaffeinated tea, green tea, herbal tea, pure fruit juices, kombucha, coffee/black tea (1c daily)
Beverages to avoid: Soda, soft drinks, alcohol, sweetened fruit juice
Sweeteners to eat: Stevia, blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, raw local honey, LoHan fruit, monk fruit, coconut sugar
Sweeteners to avoid: White or refined sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners (all)
Spices & Condiments to eat: Vinegars (rice, apple cider, balsamic), wasabi, mustard, horseradish, pesto (no cheese), soy sauce or coconut aminos and all spices
Spices & Condiments to avoid: Ketchup, relish, BBQ sauce, jelly/jams containing sugar
Recipes & Resources
Smoothie Recipes
Smoothies are a great way to deliver LOADS of nutrients into your diet. Smoothies can be a fantastic way to load your body with nutrients, have a super healthy meal, and get it blended and out the door quickly with the smoothie in hand, especially in the morning!
The Basics:
The basic building blocks of a smoothie are:
• Protein powder (or other protein source, like whole hemp seeds or collagen)
• 1-2 cups of liquid
• Flavorful fruits (frozen are great and inexpensive)
• Ice (if fruit is fresh)
• A fat (this will even out the consistency of the smoothie, give it a nice texture and
mouthfeel, and add healthy fats to your diet)
Some basic ingredients to have on hand:
Fruits: Bananas, Melon, Apples, Pears, Frozen Berries, Cherries, Dried pitted dates, Pineapple, any others!
Veggies: Kale, Spinach, Mixed greens, Cucumber, Sweet potato, Steamed carrots
Fats avocado, Coconut oil, Coconut manna, almond butter, walnut butter, cashew butter
Liquids Water, fresh juices, coconut water, almond milk, hemp milk, coconut milk
Some Smoothie Favorites:
**These smoothies all taste best mixed up fresh! If you are going to make this at home and save it for a mid-morning snack a few hours later, I suggest you mix it without the powders. Mix the powders into the smoothie just before consuming, using a blender bottle with a little mixing ball in it.**
Take Me Away!
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz water
2 Tbsp coconut cream
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 frozen banana
Chai Love
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz almond milk
2 tbsp cashew butter
2 tbsp sweet potato
2-3 pitted dates
cinnamon, nutmeg,
cardamon, and pumpkin pie
spice to taste
Crazy Monkey
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz almond milk
2 Tbsp cashew butter
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 frozen banana
Green Monster
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz water
1 cup greens (kale, spinach)
1/2 avocado
1 frozen banana
Cocoa for Days
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz water
1 heaping Tbsp cocoa powder
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp cacao nibs
Matcha Chippie
1-2 scoops protein powder
2 tsp matcha powder
8 oz water
1 frozen banana
2 pitted dates
2 tsp cacao nibs
Sunny Start
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz water
1/2 cup pineapple
1/2 sweet potato/yam
2 pitted dates
1 tbsp hemp seeds or Flax oil
Berries to Boot!
1-2 scoops protein powder
8 oz almond milk
1 cup frozen berries
2 Tbsp coconut cream
Sample Menus:
Depending on your comfort level in the kitchen, you might feel ready to set off & create some awesome meals following the food guidelines we’ve covered. But I get that you might also be a bit intimidated or feeling like you “can’t eat ANYTHING”! (Trust me, you’ll be ok- you can eat a LOT!)
In order to make sure this PF Diet works for you, I want to give you all of the resources you could need to be successful. Read on to get some meal ideas that you can mix and match to build your own meal plan. If you need help with more specific meal plans, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Breakfast Ideas:
You might want to have your morning smoothie as your breakfast meal- the smoothie recipes are designed to offer enough calories to launch you into your productive & busy day. If that’s not enough for you, or you want to save your smoothie for a mid-morning snack (another great idea!), here are some additional breakfasts you can enjoy.
• Gluten Free (GF) Oatmeal topped with grass fed butter, mashed banana, chopped walnuts, and cinnamon. Add maple syrup to taste.
• Cold rice crispy cereal (with no additives!) with almond milk or coconut milk, topped with blueberries and diced organic strawberries
• Coconut Rice pudding: In a saucepan, add 1 cup cooked brown, wild, or white rice or quinoa to 1 cup canned coconut milk and cook until warmed through. Add a drizzle of maple syrup and top with diced organic peaches.
• 1-2 cups fruit salad
• Veggie & egg sauté: Chop any veggies on the list (this can be done in advance!) and toss in a pan with a pad of grass fed butter. Cook 4-5 minutes until softened. Add 2-3 eggs and scramble together. Add a sprinkle of cheese if desired, or top with salsa & avocado for a kick!
• Think outside of the breakfast box: leftovers make for a great breakfast! A bit of diced chicken or leftover salmon plus some steamed veggies can start your day off right too!
Lunch Ideas:
I find lunch is easiest with one of 3 options- a big salad topped with protein, soup (made ahead of time) or a grain and veggie bowl (steamed or sautéed veggies of your choice with a protein & grain side). These are all so easy, and allow you to use up what’s in your fridge!
Here are a few favorites:
• Baby kale greens with fennel, orange slices, and diced roasted butternut squash. Top with cooked shrimp & a dressing of 1/4 cup of olive or flax oil shaken with juice of one lemon and 2 tsp dijon mustard.
• Saute shredded cabbage, sliced onions, and sliced carrots in 1 tbsp olive oil or grass-fed butter. Cook on medium for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Serve alongside quinoa topped with leftover grass fed sirloin sprinkled with sea salt and pepper.
• Split pea soup: Cook 1/2 lb of green split peas in 4 quarts of water with 1 diced onion, 3 diced carrots, 3 diced celery stalks, and fresh garlic, salt and pepper to taste. To increase the heartiness, you can also add diced cassava or taro root, diced into small (1/2 in) pieces. Simmer for 40 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 lb of green split peas and cook another 40 minutes. Variation: For an even yummier version, add 1/2 lb diced lamb plus 1 pound of lamb bones to the cooking soup. When finished cooking, remove bones and serve.
Dinner Ideas:
Dinner is a pretty easy equation: 1-2 veggies, a starch/grain, plus a protein. You can probably cook meals that will please your whole family while prepping for a healthy pregnancy, versus having to cook separate meals for yourself.
• Thai curry: Cook brown rice according to package directions. In a sauté pan with 1 tbsp coconut oil, sauté 1 sliced onion, diced eggplant, sliced carrots, and baby bok choy or another green of choice. Feel free to add a protein (chicken or shrimp are great!) Saute about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl or blender, mix 1 can of coconut milk, 2-3 Tbsp Thai curry paste, and 2 Tbsp maple syrup. Pour curry sauce over the veggies & protein. Saute for 2-3 minutes more. Serve over rice.
• Salmon sheet pan supper: Set your oven temp to 375 deg F. With a fork, poke holes in sweet potatoes. Lay on a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the pan and on the same pan, lay asparagus spears (trimmed and tossed in oil, salt, and pepper) and salmon. Top salmon fillets with salt, pepper, and herbs (dill, herbs de Provence, or just lemon and garlic work nicely). Roast salmon & asparagus (with sweet potatoes) for 15-20 minutes, until flesh pulls apart easily with a fork.
• Grilled grass fed sirloin with parsnip spears: Peel and cut parsnips into “fry” shape. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay on a sheet pan and roast for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Turn and roast until done. On the grill, grill a grass fed sirloin steak, about 5 minutes per side. Do not overcook or develop a char! Serve with a large mixed green salad.
Snack Ideas:
For snacks, I recommend that you have on hand lots of prepped fresh and easy options.
Some favorites of mine are:
• Nuts- walnuts, Brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, whatever you love
• Fresh fruit- have on hand some “treat” fruits like watermelon, pomegranates, cherries, mango or berries. Also, any easy fruit- mandarins, pears, apples, etc.
• Fresh veggies with avo dip: Slice fresh veggies for dipping and have those ready to go: celery, carrots, cucumbers, jicama, green beans, snap peas and radishes are some favorites at my house. Puree or mash avocado and add to it salt, pepper, and lemon or lime to taste. Use this as a dip.
• Smoothies
• Apple slices with almond butter
• Rice cake topped with nut butter
Resources:
Thanks to bloggers and the HUGE influx in interest in healthy living, there are SO many great resources out there where you can find ingredients, ideas, and recipes. Here are a few of my favorites:
www.PerfectFertility.com
Of course, she was my mentor!
www.elenaspantry.com
One of my faaaaavorite blogs for recipes. Elana is a genius when it comes to paleo cooking and has some really delicious foods that you wouldn’t imagine could be allergen free! If you’re feeling daring and want to try baking with new foods, or just need some dinner ideas, I’d bookmark her page.
www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes
Their advanced search allows you to search and sort recipes that meet your needs (ieGluten Free, Dairy Free, Paleo (the three I’d recommend you choose)) There arethousands of nice ideas here, and the site is very easy to navigate.
www.pccmarkets.com/healthy-eating/recipes/
What can I say, it’s the Seattlite in me… I love my PCC! The PCC is a local food co-op, and their recipe section of their website has lots of fantastic recipes that I go to again and again. You can filter “by diet” (dairy free, gluten free) for easy searching. Be sure not to miss the Emerald City Salad, which has been a favorite in my family for, oh, a decade now! It’s an awesome winter salad, it’s hearty enough for an entire meal, and it keeps for days in the fridge (it actually gets better after a day or two!). Check, check,and check!
When it comes to sourcing food, I always recommend you start local. Here are a few resources to find local food near you, and if you can’t, to access these online.
www.localharvest.org
www.eatwild.org
www.sustainabletable.org
All three of these websites list local food growers and suppliers, connect you with farmer’s markets and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) groups.
www.uswellnessmeats.com
www.farmergirlmeats.com
www.vitalchoice.com
These are great resources for grass fed and farm-raised meats, and the last one (Vital Choice) is my faaaaavorite place to get seafood. (so, if you fall pregnant in my care, and you want to do something nice as a thank you… salmon! Just sayin’! 😉
In Closing...
I hope you’ve found this guide helpful! Please do keep in touch- I love to hear from you on Facebook, Instagram, or by email at [email protected] especially if you’re sharing cute baby pics- SUCCESS! 🙂
All the love to you in your journey! To learn about my fertility offerings, click here to schedule an initial visit. And to learn more about natural fertility treatment, read here.
Dr. Cope
Content from Dr. Jacklyn Chasse & Dr. Cope
