Trying to Conceive Over Christmas
Whilst Christmas and the New Year is all about family, festivities and PARTIES it may not feel such an easy time to maintain a fertility healthcare programme when you are trying to conceive.
With this in mind here are some naturopathic ideas; a few lovely mindful meditations and some delicious recipes to support your fertility journey during the Christmas period.
Trying to conceive over Christmas – 6 top tips
- Partying – It can be difficult to avoid alcohol during the Christmas period – especially when you are trying to conceive. When you are essentially “not drinking” don’t you find it a challenge with those never ending questions as to why you are not partaking in the merriment! My advice to you is to stay firm and think of the bigger picture – you are preparing your body to become the best that it can be to encourage conception and a healthy pregnancy.
- Maintain balance – My personal approach to fertility is that there is a time for play – whatever your chosen form of play is – a date with your partner, time with friends, a visit to a local comedy club or nurturing yourself by cooking a wonderful nutritious meal. It’s all about the 80% rule – so, if you do succumb to a glass of vino or any other form of alcohol don’t beat yourself up. Having said that I have included some recipe suggestions below to help clear the toxins easily!
- Emotional Balance – sometimes harder than the physical aspect. Use the #fertilityinspiration cards daily to maintain your fertility intentions. Remember life is about enjoyment so relax and remember to laugh.
- Step 4 – don’t go sugar mad! it’s hard with all those Christmas sweets and puddings liberally offered. Of course this is worse if you are also an “emotional eater”. My advice to you is to have a herbal tea, a piece of fruit or some nuts when possible instead. Take a breath and a moment to remind yourself why you are avoiding sugar – to make yourself the best you can to support a conception. I personally find going for a walk helps or sitting down with my partner and planning date nights throughout the year helps. When all else fails I listen to one of my meditations (more about this below)
- Don’t WORRY – if it all goes horribly wrong we can sort it out with a bespoke Fertility MOT consultation and personal health plan.
- Take time out – I invite you to listen to this balancing womb meditation daily or make time for some heart opening yoga – (it only takes about 20 minutes) or immerse yourself into this beautiful hour long yin yoga practice from my friend Fiona Hughes.
Trying to conceive over Christmas? Here’s some nutritional advice and some Christmas health juices for you.
a) To support conception it is important to begin each morning with a mug of hot water with the juice of quarter of an unwaxed lemon first thing! This helps stimulate your liver and clear residue and toxins! You can add ginger to it as well – I find grating the ginger works well. Whilst this is amazing for your liver and helps balance oestrogen it is not great for the enamel on your teeth so hold off cleaning your teeth for an hour and keep to only a few mugs daily.
b) Maintain hydration – think coconut water or plain water! Coconut water is high is electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium) which helps you hydrate quickly.
c) Don’t beat your self up. Life is for living and we all need to enjoy ourselves sometimes.
Remember: If you are using a nutri-bullet or smoothie maker you will need to add water to these recipes. If you are currently on an assisted conception cycle then these recipes may not be suitable for you so please speak with me or your personal practitioner before drinking them!
6 drinks to support you this Christmas
Liver Cleansing Juice – combine the juice of 2 carrots, a handful of watercress and a quarter of a red pepper. Add filtered water to fill glass. This juice is rich in antioxidants to protect the liver. It’s great first thing in the morning, as the peppery taste of the watercress will wake you up !
Potassium Drink – this helps restore pH balance – essential to help you conceive. It also eases fatigue and generally is a great tonic for everyone. Juice 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 4-6 leaves lettuce or winter greens, Handful spinach, kale or watercress, A few stalks fresh parsley or coriander.
Carrot, Apple and Kiwi Juice – another good breakfast or super snack food, full of antioxidants and beta-carotene. Serves 2. Simply gather 4 large washed and peeled organic carrots, 2 large washed but unpeeled organic apples. 2 organic kiwi fruit, peeled. Add the ingredients to juicer and enjoy.
Virgin Vegetable Cup – great “mock cocktail” – 225g ripe tomatoes, 1 medium carrot, 1 celery stalk, Handful of watercress, 125ml tomato juice, black pepper. Skin, halve and de-seed the tomatoes. Peel and finely chop the carrot and chop the celery. Add everything to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Serve cold. You can use a wide range of additional vegetables in this cup. Try added some sorrel or spinach leaves, cauliflower and/or broccoli florets and Swiss chard.
Justine’s Green Chai – 1-2 organic green tea bags, 3 mugs boiling water, Half a cinnamon stick or pinch dried cinnamon. 2-3 green cardommon pods, Pinch saffron, Pinch dried ginger or a little grated root ginger. Honey to taste. In a saucepan pour 3 mugs of water. Add cinnamon, cardamom pods, saffron and ginger plus green tea bag. Add a glug of honey (Manuka is best) and simmer. The end result is a fragrant tea which is a powerful antioxidant.
Immune Boosting Tea – 2.5cm grated root ginger, 2.5 cm sage – use leaves only, 2.5 cm thyme – use leaves only, Slice lemon, Dash of cayenne pepper. Add ingredients to hot water. Stand for about 5 minutes. Strain if you wish and sip slowly
So what else can you do? Enjoy some restorative fertility yoga, go for long walks in the countryside, have fun and remember this – Christmas only falls over 1 cycle!
Why don’t you
join my winter cleanse – we begin January 9th for 7 days
Sign up to my NEW wisewoman Goddess course – begins February 2023 for 10 months
Listen to these 5 fertility meditations
Support yourself using these fertility adaptogens
Consider these Fertility Superfoods
Continue with this mindful uterus gratitude exercise to help you remain focused through Christmas
Download my FREE The Creation Fertility Guide to Dumping The Addictions
Download 10 Simple Steps to Fertility
And most of all have a very Merry Christmas
Let me know if I can help you further – perhaps you would like to start the New Year with a personalised programme. Call me on 07747 133170
Justine Evans ND – Hormone Alchemist is the founder of Creation Fertility and it’s products. She connects life with natural cycles and seasons, integrating Western science with nutritional therapy, traditional medicine and yogic philosophy. A Registered Naturopath, Nutritional therapist, Reiki Master/ Teacher, and well women yoga therapist Justine connects with Goddess energy and runs a private hormone health and fertility clinic in Surrey, London and Stroud, Gloucestershire