Superfoods for Fertility Blog Series: Maca
October 5, 2016
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If you suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), you likely know that diet is the most important factor for improving symptoms, regulating your menstrual cycle, and increasing your fertility.
Since PCOS is linked to insulin resistance, it’s important for women with PCOS to avoid all foods that contain sugar OR that turn into sugar in the body, both of which disrupt blood sugar and exacerbate insulin resistance. This includes cereals, breads, bagels, desserts, pastas, candy, soda, crackers, tortillas – all that white, processed, refined stuff. Instead it’s critical to eat REAL, WHOLE foods, with minimal ingredient lists (or none at all!). This is where smoothies can come in really handy!
Many women struggle with keeping their sweet tooth in check, but for women with PCOS, it’s important to be EXTRA diligent about keeping sugar out of your diet because your risk of developing diabetes is much higher. Thankfully, with PCOS smoothie recipes, you can feel like you’re getting a treat, but without all the excess refined sugar. AND, including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your meals also improves your insulin response.
Another bonus of smoothies is that you can pack a lot of superfood goodness into them! To make them both PCOS and fertility-friendly, we have to make sure that we’re choosing low sugar fruit and balancing our carbs, fats, and proteins.
That’s where these delicious PCOS Fertility Smoothie Recipes come in handy :).
½ cup frozen pineapple
½ of a frozen banana
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (or homemade nut milk)
¼ cup filtered water
Blend all ingredients and add additional coconut milk until desired consistency is reached.
¼ ruby red grapefruit (skinned and seeded)
¼ cup frozen strawberries
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (or homemade nut milk)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cashew butter
raw honey
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder
filtered water to create desired consistency
Blend until smooth and delicious!
1-2 handfuls of spinach
1 ripe banana
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (or homemade nut milk)
½ cup filtered water
½ tablespoon chia seeds
1 heaping tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons of nut butter (almond or cashew)
Add a few ice cubes if you like your smoothies extra cold
Blend all ingredients until well incorporated and enjoy!
½ cup frozen tart cherries
½ of an avocado
1 small handful of spinach
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca powder
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (or homemade nut milk)
½ cup filtered water
Blend until smooth and enjoy.
1-2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein powder
1 handful of spinach
½ cup frozen blackberries
½ cup frozen tart cherries
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk (or homemade nut milk)
½ cup filtered water
2 teaspoons grated nutmeg
Blend until desired consistency is reached, adding more almond milk as needed.
These PCOS-friendly smoothies are a great daily meal. Any time you can include food with a minimal ingredient list (and names of foods you can actually pronounce!), it can help increase your fertility and support your body. The best part? You can make more than one fertility smoothie and have additional servings ready for the next few days!
Smoothies that balance carbs, fats, fibers, greens, and proteins and use low-sugar fruits are best. See the list of ideal ingredients further down. Use natural sweeteners, but keep it to a small amount! Fruit, raw honey, and maple syrup are great examples.
Once you get pregnant or have your baby, you don’t have to stop making your favorite smoothies! Keep this healthy option in your diet, so you and your baby reap additional benefits. The superfoods in them can support your baby’s neurological development and keep you healthy.
If you want to enjoy drinking them, finding the right consistency is key! To make it thicker, creamy, and delicious, I suggest adding a healthy fat: half an avocado, full-fat coconut milk, or ¼ cup of almonds or cashews. If the smoothie is too thick, add water until you get the consistency you enjoy.
Pregnancy foods to avoid are those with toxins. If you can, it’s best to buy organic, but for some foods, it’s more important than others. Read more about that here, where I talk specifically about the ““dirty dozen” and “clean fifteen.””
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Yes! Feel free to mix and match the ingredients below to come up with your own delicious smoothie recipe!
berries
tart cherries
peach
apricot
pineapple
pear
kiwi
cranberries
grapefruit
apples
strawberries
orange
nectarine
cantaloupe
honeydew
acai berries
cucumber
spinach
kale
celery
collard greens
swiss chard
spirulina
chlorella
wheatgrass
avocado
full fat, organic coconut milk
coconut oil
soaked cashews
soaked almonds
nut milk
hemp hearts
flax seeds
chia seeds
sesame seeds
nut butter
clean protein powder
cinnamon
raw cacao powder
pure vanilla extract
fresh spearmint
maca powder
royal jelly
bee pollen
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Sarah Jane Sandy is a certified nutrition therapist, and a fertility and women’s health expert. She has helped hundreds of women increase their fertility naturally and go on to have healthy full-term pregnancies. She has been working with women and couples trying to get pregnant for over 16 years and over 90% of the women who work with her get pregnant and have healthy babies.
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