Why exactly alcohol affects your fertility

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In the spirit of feb fast, I want to talk more about alcohol and its effects on the body. Moderate alcohol consumption (more than two drinks per week) can reduce fertility by up to 50%.

To date, scientists have not been able to conclude as to how much alcohol is too much when it comes to affecting fertility. We know that alcohol and other drugs substantially affect normal body function. This means it poses a problem when it comes to the reproductive organs as well. The reason science hasn't been able to give us the answer as to how much is ok is because no two people are the same. Body weight, type, gender, age and metabolism all come into play when we talk the effects of alcohol - we see this purely by observation. One person may consume five drinks in 2.5 hours and not be over the driving limit of 0.05 - if that were me personally I would be snoring in a corner somewhere..

Why does alcohol affects your fertility?

Alcohol causes havoc with male hormones and alters the way testosterone is produced and released. Alcoholic beverages contain estrogen like compounds - these “fake” hormones set our real ones out of kilter. No wonder alcohol can mess up fertility! This can result in lower sperm count and poor motility - two vital elements necessary for conception. Alcohol also substantially lowers zinc absorption - this is bad news for semen. Lower zinc = less sperm = reduced chances.

It has a similar effect on women zapping hormones and affecting ovulation and menstruation - again due to these estrogen mimicking properties. (Gill, 2000; Eggert et al., 2004).

How much are we talking?

The guidelines set out by most fertility specialists are no more than two glasses per week. Some will say one glass, others will cross it off the list all together. Anything more than this is considered 'moderate' consumption. Moderate consumption has been proven to half your fertility potential.

What other effects?

There is still more. Moderate to high alcohol consumption has been linked with higher rates of miscarriage. This is again because of its affect on hormones which are necessary to support a pregnancy. Progesterone is very important in the later stage of the cycle with Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) hormone - the two set about supporting the pregnancy. Without these, the pregnancy can not continue.

In clinical practice, I maintain there isn't one factor in sub-fertility. So many little pieces fit together to make up the puzzle for each couple. However, smoking and alcohol are two things we know that reduce health and fertility substantially. That said, I know that it is easy to become consumed by the daunting task of trying to conceive a baby. It can be very stressful. Adding a glass of wine to your table on a Saturday night may a help rather than a hinderance! On the positive side - a glass of wine with food is packed with far more nutritional benefits including anti-oxidients, than a glass of softdrink.

End of Summer Body Cleanse - 4 days left to jump onboard.

Many of you have registered your interest to participate in the End of Summer Body Cleanse. The response has been wonderful - and now we are getting to the business end of the month.

If you haven't received an email from me, it is because I can't access your information from when you replied to the initial Cleansing post. You will need to email me directly at natalie@thepagodatree.com.au so I can email you the relevant information and organise your cleansing shake.

The cleanse starts this coming Monday the 21st of February and goes for 1 week in total. In this time we are aiming to get your body to function as alkaline as possible (a state free from toxic build up) - encouraged by the shake, consumption of alkaline forming foods and a pro-biotic. I will post recipes for you and support you along the way.

So if an email didn't arrive yesterday - please email me and we can get things started. Of course you can start the cleanse at any time, it would be ideal however, if we do this together to ensure you are supported. Initially it can be daunting - but with my help we will have you on the road to better health and increased fertility by March!

Running for a cause - running for you!

I've spoken about exercise and fertility many times before and established the importance of getting the balance right. You can read more here. But today I have something else to share. How's this? Holistic Personal Fitness Training Services Melbourne. It's a tongue twister for a big load of personal training services with a difference. It's Hummingbird Health & Wellbeing.

Brooke from Hummingbird Health & Wellbeing contacted me last week. She was inspired by the post on Giving without expectation of reward - and so, in the spirit of community she

has invited team Pagoda Tree to participate in one of her running groups.

It's set to start 8am the 19th of February for girls to get together to do long runs - a free social session on a Saturday morning. Brooke says "the idea is to really encourage and motivate each other & encourage community spirit." I'm loving this.

Brook also has a group running on a Wednesday morning. This is a paid group which you are also more than welcome to join. You don't have to be running as part of Run for the Kids, although should you decide to join us there is still time!

Be sure to take a look at Hummingbirds services or drop Brooke an email with any questions you may have. Some supported training might just be the key to finding your balance. Remember, weight affects fertility so keeping it in check is a must for a happy and healthy woman (and man - nobody is exempt here).

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Good Food Friday Treats :: it's a date

No kidding - not a date, date - but a date nonetheless. One of those juicy sweet squishy little numbers that I am oh so in love with at the moment. Of course, I want you to join me for a 'date' every week because you as a reader are very important to me, but for today we are talking about the fruit date.

Wiki tells me that the date palm is actually native to the middle east and (here is my fav part because it sounds oh so ancient) it was mentioned in the bible as the 'tree of life.' Date comes from the greek word, daktulos which means finger.

On my no refined sugar quest, dates have moved right back onto my menu. They have a wonderful sweetness, similar tasting to sugar and make a perfect substitute for sugar in many recipes. This Good Food Friday - I'm sharing the love.

Spiced Dates with Yoghurt

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of orange juice

1 cinnamon stick

3 cardamon pods bruised

500gm of pitted dates

500gm organic greek style yoghurt

1/4 cup of Slithered almonds

In a saucepan combine orange juice, cinnamon, cardamon and dates with 1/4 cup of water and bring to the boil, simmering for 5 - 7 minutes or until the it becomes thick. Remove and allow to cool.

Place date mixture into glasses, top with yoghurt, pour over left over date syrup and garnish with almonds. This one is good enough to serve at your next dinner party.

Top 10 - long, shiny hair SUPERFOODS

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Last week Bree at The Blog Stylist wrote that the the subject of hair is a hot topic right now. I have to agree. I love hair! I'm very particular about my hair and I am fortunate enough to have co-operative hair most of the time. Bree knows about these things. She was the beauty and website editor at Cosmo, during her career has tested and tried all kinds of products - many I'm sure were hair products. I have no doubt that to some degree most beauty products do something to the state of hair and skin, but I'm also here to tell you that you can slather, brush and comb products through your hair until the end of the day – but if you're not putting the right foods into your body - any result from product will only be short lived.

From a Chinese Medicine perspective – good hair is dependent on good blood flow to the scalp. This may not occur if a person is blood deficient or jing deficient (a term we use to describe our 'essence' or 'youth'). When we are deficient of these properties we can see poor quality hair, premature greying and dry, broken hair. So using foods that assist in supplementing this will work well - and probably iron our a few other creases along the way. What's more, this 'jing' that I speak off is also associated to our fertility - as we get older this diminishes and whilst for the purpose of this blog post it's all about hair, know that these same foods will also do wonders for a more fertile you.

With this all in mind - today I'm sharing my Top 10 shiny hair super foods.

1. Wild Salmon.

Salmon is hard to beat when it comes to a 'beauty superfood.' This is one food you can't go past for top condition hair. It's full of omega 3, fatty acids, high quality protein, B12 & iron. These essentials are great for a healthy scalp. Make sure your fish isn't farmed - farmed fish is nasty and substantially lacks nutrients. Fresh deep sea fish is always the best choice.

2. Dark Green Veg.

Full of anti oxidents, Vitamins C & A, dark green leafy veg is necessary to assist your hair follicles to produce sebum. It's said that sebum (hair oil) is the hair’s natural conditioner.

3. Oysters.

These decadent treats are a perfect package of nutrients and Zinc. Zinc is hair food.

4. Tomatoes.

They are in season and are oh-so-delicious at the moment. Tomatoes are packed of lycopene - a natural anti-aging anti-oxident. Cooking tomato actually heightens your body’s ability to absorb it.

5. Walnuts.

It is no secret that I love walnuts - a lot. Again - these are full of omega 3 essentials. They also contain Vitamin E - wonderful for healthy shiny hair.

6. Yoghurt.

Again – I am a huge fan. For me it must be greek yoghurt - they know how to make good yoghurt! High in calcium as well as a pro-biotics, yoghurt is good for strong healthy hair, nails and bones. For many of you who are lactose intolerant, yoghurt is something that can often be digested because of it's ability to work on the gut.

7. Eggs.

Eggs are high in protein and provide the body with essential vitamins including iron and zinc - both important for healthy, shiny hair as well as vitamin B & biotin.

8. Beans.

Again a veg that is high in protein and essential vitamins and mineral including zinc, iron and rare biotin – all important to assist in preventing split ends and dryness.

9. Brown Rice

Brown rice provides carbohydrates and is one of the best superfoods for your hair.

10. Water.

Where would our bodies be without water? We need water to be well hydrated which contributes to healthy, shiny hair. Hair which doesn't get oily quickly - oily hair can be a sign of toxic build up.

I get excited when I look at this list of foods because they are all super delicious, chocker block with nutrients foods - which will not only make your hair great but make all of your body ooze healthfulness!

Bottle feeding teeth debate

I had the happy experience to be on the Morning Show with Larry Edmur and Kylie Gillies on Monday morning.

The hot topic of bottle feeding babies was on the lips of many parents this week, after a study conducted by Westmed hospital in Sydney found that leaving bottles in a baby’s mouth for long periods of time can lead to significant tooth decay. Babies as young as 12 months are having their teeth removed due to decay.

See what I have to say here:

Since then I have been asked my stance on bottle feeding and breastfeeding.

I am an advocate of breastfeeding when this is possible. That said, if for whatever reason (and I realise there are so many) a woman is unable to breastfeed there are certainly things you can do to help support your baby. I recently wrote two blogs for the practical parenting website on these topics.

You (and your baby) are what you eat

It's all in the formula

As for the tooth decay? There are several things that can lead to tooth decay in small children. As Dr Richard Widmer mentioned in the segment, lactose (sugar) in milk is one contributing factor as are sugary drinks - including fruit juices.

Pharmaceuticals (including anti-biotics) can also lead to tooth erosion. It's a good idea to be mindful that if you or your child is taking medication, you can support the body with a good pro-biotic as well as other healing such as spinal care to maximise immunity and lessen side effects.

Supporting a formula fed baby with these things could also lessen infections.

Good Food Friday Treats :: Double Trouble!

This week - you're getting two! Two treats to add to your plate. I called out on facebook to ask what you wanted and you asked for both recipes I spoke of - with these recipes. So enjoy your weekend because I've got it covered when it comes to gourmet healthy eats.

chickpea & silverbeet curry

ingredients:

1 onion

1 garlic clove

1 small piece of ginger (2cm x 2cm)

coconut oil (this is my preference - it isn't carcinogenic like frying other oils can be)

2 tbs of curry paste - good quality, proper stuff without additives. It should be only made up of ground herbs and spices.

250ml cold water

1 can of organic chick peas, rinsed and drained

1 can of organic crushed tomatoes or passata

1 bunch of silverbeet chopped

basil to garnish

Chop onion, garlic and ginger in a food processor (or by hand if you don't have one)

Place a tablespoon of coconut oil in a fry pan, adding onion, garlic & ginger and cook for 5 minutes.

Add Curry paste and allow to simmer for a few minutes to allow the aromatic flavours to be released.

Add tomatoes, water and chick peas and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Add chopped silver beet and cook for a further few minutes until silver beet is wilted and cooked.

Place in serving dish and top with basil. Serve with flat bread and a dollop of yoghurt. Scrummo.

granola topped apple crumble

This recipe actually allows for extra granola to be made up and stored. Granola is wonderful for breakfast or as a desert with yoghurt. In my quest to avoid sugar - I have removed it from this recipe all together. If you don't want extra granola, then you would probably divide the recipe by 5 (it makes enough for approximately 4 cups left over)

Peel and slice 8 apples and place in a saucepan with enough water to come 2cm up the side. Stew apples - cooking for approximately 30 minutes or until tender. Keep liquid.

granola

Combine 5 cups of whole oats (I used the 5 grains mix that has rice and barley in it), 3 cups of chopped walnuts, 1 cup chopped mixed nuts, 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds & 1/2 cup almond meal.

In a separate bowl, place 1 cup of the stewed apple - mashed, 1 cup of the liquid left from the stewing process and 3 tbs of coconut oil (or similar).

Combine the two bowls - add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix well adding more liquid if necessary (stewed liquid).

Line two trays with baking paper and divide mixture between the two, then place into a 180 degree oven and bake for 40 - 50, stirring every 10 minutes until mixture is completely golden and begins to dry out and harden.

Remove from oven and mix through dried fruit of your choice. I chose to chop dates and add currants.

apple crumble

Place apples in a baking dish. Place the granola mixture on top of the apples and bake in the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with greek yoghurt.

Store the left over granola in an airtight container.