The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant [Paperback]

Jorge Chavarro (Author), Walter Willett (Author), Patrick Skerrett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071627103 | ISBN-13: 978-0071627108 | Publication Date: April 6, 2009 | Edition: 1

Get pregnant--naturally!

The Fertility Diet reveals startling new research from the landmark Nurses' Health Study, which shows that the food you eat can boost your fertility. The book prescribes ten simple changes in diet and activity that can increase your chances of getting pregnant.These changes include:

• Cutting back on red meat and trans fats
• Getting protein and iron from veggies and nuts
• Choosing whole-fat milk and even ice cream
• Drinking coffee, tea, and alcohol in moderation
• Losing weight (if needed) and exercising

The Nurses' Health Study exhaustively examined the effects of diet and other lifestyle changes on fertility among nearly 20,000 female nurses. Two of the study's lead researchers translate its groundbreaking findings into changes you can put into practice today, setting the stage for a healthy pregnancy and forming the foundation for an eating strategy that will serve you well for the rest of your life. The Fertility Diet also offers a week's worth of meal plans and delicious recipes that will make following the guildelines easy and tasty.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jorge Chavarro, M.D. earned both Masters and Doctoral degrees in Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health where he is currently a research fellow, studying the role of diet and lifestyle on reproductive function. He has won awards from the International Agency for Research in Cancer and the American Association for Cancer Research and has been featured in national print media including the New York Times.

Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H., is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, and Chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. A world-renowned nutritional researcher, he is one of the leaders of the famous Nurses' Health Study (The Nurses' Health Study, established in 1976 by Dr. Frank Speizer and the Nurses' Health Study II, established in 1989 by Dr. Walter Willett, are among the largest prospective investigations into the risk factors for major chronic diseases in women) and Health Professionals Follow-up Study.

Patrick J. Skerrett is co-author, with Walter Willett, of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy. He has also written books on prostate disease and alternative energy, as well as articles on science, technology, and medicine for Science, Popular Science, Technology Review, and other magazines. Mr. Skerrett is the editor of the Harvard Heart Letter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071627103
• ISBN-13: 978-0071627108
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Infertility

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it works., August 17, 2010

By 

M's Mom - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant (Paperback)

This book taught me that, contrary to what many of us have been led to believe, fats are not evil. We women of fertile years NEED fat. Not too much, of course, but having enough is essential to ensure our bodies are working properly. My husband and I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get pregnant for quite some time. I considered myself a healthy eater who led a healthy lifestyle. I had been a follower of a "clean" diet (See Tosca Reno's Eat-Clean Diet books--great for staying trim, and I still recommend them to people to teach them to avoid processed foods), and I exercised regularly, being a personal trainer as well. Reading this book opened my eyes to the need to incorporate more fats into my diet in order to boost my fertility. I ate ice cream, I drank milk that wasn't skim, and I followed other aspects of this "fertility diet" in the hopes I would prove the doctors (including the fertility specialists) wrong, that we COULD and WOULD get pregnant on our own.

I was almost at my wit's end. Since I had begun tweaking my diet as the book suggested, my period had returned so I thought I was having cycles again. However, the "experts" still said pregnancy was nearly impossible since there was such a ridiculously slim chance I could be ovulating. The last statistic I was given was that I had a slim 4-5% chance of getting pregnant without an egg donor only if I was on hormone replacement therapy, but zero chance without. Meanwhile, I skipped yet another cycle. I thought it simply meant they were right, that I was going through menopause at the age of 28. This time, however, I was pregnant! I had been on the fertility diet for about 2 months, and now, almost a year later, I have a very healthy, beautiful, 4-month old baby girl. Not only that, but my cycles have been fairly regular since having her. Before pregnancy, I could expect to get maybe 4 or 5 periods a year. I have high hopes that not only has this book helped us have a child when we thought the only way for us to be parents was through adoption or an egg donor, but that we can get pregnant again when the time is right.

Let me add that I had never begun taking fertility drugs of any sort. Each doctor I saw just ran tests and then sent me to yet another specialist. The last doctor who handed me the last statistic was only looking at test results from two and a half months prior to me seeing him and was waiting to run his own tests. He was so sure of his diagnosis of premature ovarian failure that he failed to run a pregnancy test to rule out that possibility! Had he run another test to check my hormone levels, I wonder what he would have found (other than the pregnancy).

If you are trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant, you MUST read this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful information for women trying to get pregnant, April 23, 2010

By 

Jeannette L. Ridgway - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant (Paperback)

This book was an easy read and provided important nutrition and lifestyle information for women trying to become pregnant. The information seemed well-proven and effective. I put into practice some of the ideas immediately and found them easy to follow. I would highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Information, December 21, 2010

By 

Maria T. Quintana (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant (Paperback)

I am really enjoying reading this book. It is shares a lot of great medical facts but it is very easy to read and understand. I am not pregnant yet but I am hoping that by following some of the food and lifestyle changes that this book recommends to be pregnant soon. I like that it has food lists and and tells why that type of food is good for you. Great book.