Healthy fats are the cornerstones of a balanced diet.  In fact, your hormones are stored in your fat and there is evidence that shows having either too much or too little may just impact your fertility.  Women who do not eat enough healthy fat sources often lack the necessary body fat to sustain a regular cycle and sometimes lose their periods completely.

It’s also important to recognize that all fats are not created equally.  Avoiding unhealthy fats was shown to protect fertility in the Harvard Medical Nurses Study that concluded the equivalent amount of trans fats “in two tablespoons of stick margarine, one medium order of fast-food French fries, or one doughnut” could negatively impacts one’s reproductive function.  Once you become pregnant, healthy fats are essential to your baby’s development in utero.   To get healthy fats in your diet each day include the following:

Cooking oils:

Organic, unrefined oils for cooking: extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil and high oleic sunflower oil.

Oils for drizzling:

Omega and GLA (Gamma Linolenic Acid) oils have countless health benefits. Drizzle the following oils on breakfast cereals and steamed vegetables: Usana-brand Optomega, flax oil, evening primrose oil, borage oil, black currant oil, pumpkin seed oil and chia seed oil.

Food sources:

Omega 3 fatty acids: salmon, sardines, mackerel, flax seeds, chia seed, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and dark leafy greens.10

Monounsaturated fats: almonds, coconut, olives, walnuts, sunflower seeds and avocados.