Dr Nicole Avena: What to eat when you want to get pregnant

So You Want to Have A Baby

"If you have picked up this book, you are likely getting ready to embark on the magical journey of parenthood. Maybe you are just in the beginning stages of thinking about “trying,” or maybe you have been trying for a while and are willing to do anything at this point to get pregnant, and are turning to this book for some additional help to get you there. Either way, I can relate: I have been in both places."

~ Dr Nicole Avena

About Dr Nicole Avena

"I am a neuroscientist in the fields of addiction and nutrition. I have a special interest in understanding how the things we ingest affect the brain (including the developing brain), and my lab has been doing research on this topic for over 15 years. I also have a PhD in psychology this helps me better understand why we eat certain foods and how we can change eating habits for the better."

~ Dr Nicole Avena

Making a Baby 101

"You might be wondering, why do I have to worry about what I eat to get pregnant? It’s just sperm + egg = baby, right? While in theory this is true, science tells us that what you and your partner eat can, in fact, have an impact on how easy (or hard) it is for you to get pregnant. Also, it isn’t just the things we eat, but also the things that come in contact with our food, like packaging around food products, that can impact fertility."

~ Dr Nicole Avena

Look inside

"So you are probably wondering, if all of these things are bad for us and for a baby, why the heck are they allowed to be in our food supply? The answer is complicated. When the science is mixed, or when there aren’t a lot of studies out there to suggest something in not safe, we often assume something is safe. The concept of being innocent until proven guilty applies to food chemicals, additives, and ingredients, just like it does to suspected criminals! "

~ Dr Nicole Avena

What NOT to eat

"There are tons of new research studies linking ingredients in certain foods to infertility. For example, did you know that seemingly harmless food additives like artificial sweeteners can decrease oocyte (a fancy term for an immature egg cell) quality in women, and preclinical studies suggest monosodium glutamate (MSG) may negatively impact sperm counts in men? And it isn’t just food additives that we need to be concerned about."

~ Dr Nicole Avena

Why I wrote this book

"I wanted to write this book because I want to share what I learned and know, both as a scientist who studies nutrition and as a woman who has gone through the struggles, frustrations, setbacks, and ultimate joy that can sometimes come when you want to get pregnant. Of all of the things I learned, one thing stands out: that you can control a lot more than you think, and your hormones and health are not completely out of your control."

~ Dr Nicole Avena

Dr Nicole Avena | What to Eat When You Want to Get Pregnant - A Science-Based Four-Week Program to Boost Your Fertility with Nutrition | Publisher ‏ : ‎ Citadel (March 30, 2021) | Language ‏ : ‎ English | Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages | ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0806540702 | ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0806540702

Content: Part I— What You Need to Know About Nutrition and Getting Pregnant Today, Chapter 1—So You Want to Have a Baby . . ., Chapter 2—The Importance of Diet for a Healthy Pregnancy, Chapter 3—Key Nutrients for Fertility, Part II— The Four-Week Fertility Boosting Nutrition Plan, Chapter 4—The Psychology of Eating Behaviors, Chapter 5—20 Foods You Should Eat to Boost Your Fertility, Chapter 6—20 Foods You Should Avoid (Or Limit) When You Want to Get Pregnant, Chapter 7—Implementing The Plan: A Guide for You and Your Partner, Chapter 8—Beyond Food: What You Need to Know About Toxins, References, Appendix, Acknowledgments, Index

Citadel First Edition 978-0806540702