Let’s Talk Breakfast (When Trying to Conceive)
I know, you're probably rolling your eyes at me and thinking “mornings are hectic and busy and I just don't have time to cook.”
Or maybe you're like “But I'm not even hungry in the morning” or “But I workout first thing in the morning”...
Well just a little insight into my response… (psst. you're not going to like it)
YOU HAVE TO PRIORITIZE BREAKFAST!
It is so important to support your hormones, metabolism and overall function of your body.
Here’s why breakfast is ACTUALLY the * most * important meal of the day!
When we sleep, our liver has roughly 7-10ish hours of glycogen (stored glucose) to use to perform detoxing and so many other functions including keeping blood sugar steady. When this is used up we have to make glucose! This requires a stress response in the body where cortisol and adrenaline are released. The pancreas then makes glucagon which begins breaking down our own tissues for energy.
This process called gluconeogenesis is a survival feature for our body to keep us alive. Living in this state day after day though is going to trash your metabolism and thyroid in addition to causing adrenal fatigue.
Growing another human requires your body to feel safe and nourished. When our body is constantly wondering if and when it will get its next meal this is the opposite of that!
“When we run on stress hormones it may feel good in the moment but its depleting progesterone & thyroid hormone while increasing estrogen. This can cause luteal phase defect, stop ovulation and impact your cycle big time.”
BUT WHAT ABOUT INTERMITTENT FASTING?
Listen, I'm going to tell you this. Whoever recommended intermittent fasting to you or whoever promoted it and made you want to try it does not have the SLIGHTEST idea about human physiology and you should probably unfollow them.
No, really.
Fasting for cycling women is a huge NO NO! And before you say “but isn't there studies that show intermittent fasting has benefits”.. the truth is NO for women with menstrual cycles! The studies that are always touted with I.F. were conducted on men and post menopausal women AKA people who are not experiencing ebbs and flows with their hormones throughout the month.
Whether you want to call if intermittent fasting or you simply skip breakfast, it's all the same. You are not replenishing glucose in your body from 10-16 hours.
The problem with this is that it stresses your adrenals, suppresses your thyroid and thyroid conversion of T4 to T3, causes insulin resistance, overburdens the liver and impacts your hormones big time.
So if you want healthy hormones, here is what you need to do:
Eat within 30 mins of waking to replenish glucose and get you out of that stressed state!
Eat a protein, carb and fat!
Then continue to eat every 3-4 hours to keep blood sugar steady!
Xo,
Meghan
P.S. - Want to learn your body's biological design and how to best support your metabolism in order to conceive naturally? Watch my free masterclass, here!
