Trouble Getting Pregnant? Improve Fertility with Butter & Ice Cream
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Having trouble getting pregnant? You might try eating more ice cream and butter. According to a new US study, eating full-fat dairy foods like butter and ice cream every day can improve fertility in women.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, followed 18,555 married, premenopausal women aged between 24 and 42, with no history of infertility, who were either trying to become pregnant or became pregnant over an 8 year period from 1991 to 1999.
The study showed that women who ate more than two portions a day of low fat dairy foods were 85 per cent more likely to be infertile due to ovulatory disorders than those who only ate it less than once a week.
Conversely they found that women who ate full-fat dairy foods, including ice cream, more than once per day had a 25 per cent reduced risk of infertility due to ovulatory disorders compared to those who ate full-fat dairy foods only once a week.
Good news on this Fat Tuesday! Think I’ll have extra butter on my toast and cream instead of milk in my coffee.
Photo credit: mahalie on Flickr
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24/02/2009 at 8:13 am Permalink
I am SO not surprised. I wonder if some of the problems women my age have getting pregnant is due to years of low fat diets, and dieting in general.
I put an inch of butter on everything and have 4 kids. And I’m a size 6, so there goes the fat makes you fat myth.
Carrie at NaturalMomsTalkRadio’s last blog post..Rub Your Minerals, Honey
24/02/2009 at 10:15 am Permalink
I haven’t had problems getting pregnant. Can I still eat butter and ice cream?
I’m with Carrie on this one…..lots of butter and REAL ice CREAM! Lard, cheese, etc. too. My four kids are slim as is my husband. I might be too if I weren’t so pregnant.
Thanks for the great info!
24/02/2009 at 10:56 am Permalink
But then….there are those of us who are allergic to most dairy…
Give and take….more good animals fats for me!
24/02/2009 at 11:05 am Permalink
Yes, Anna, I think any good saturated fats will do the trick. Eggs, duck fat, lard, beef tallow, chicken with the skin on, coconut oil, palm oil, etc.
As I always say, hormones are made out of cholesterol.
24/02/2009 at 6:53 pm Permalink
I lost a lot of weight (120 pounds). I was obese, but now I am too thin (I’m 5′ 10″ and weigh 125 pounds). I was so afraid of being overweight again that I have kept myself underweight “just in case.” Even though I’m only 37, my periods have stopped. I was eating a low fat diet, but have recently discovered Weston Price. I’ve taken the big step of beginning to drink raw milk and eat raw cheese and butter. It’s been a little scary since I had bought into the myths about saturated fats, etc. But, I really want to have a baby. I’m hoping that with my new diet my chances will improve.
Thank you for your blog. I’ve really enjoyed reading through the archives. This is my first comment.
Jen
Jen’s last blog post..Benefits of Pilates
25/02/2009 at 10:25 am Permalink
Does the ice cream need to be homemade or are there good brands out there that you recommend?
I love these studies that give me more reasons to eat ice cream regularly!
Thanks,
Rachael
25/02/2009 at 12:36 pm Permalink
It’s interesting that within the “low-fat” dairy group, those who ate the MOST were 85% more likely to be infertile:
Most low-fat yogurts have *powdered milk* to thicken them up. What’s so dangerous about this? Apparently the high heat required to powder the milk results in oxidized/damaged cholesterol. (p. 13, Nourishing Traditions) This can cause damage to the arterial cells and a buildup of plaque in the arteries amongst other things…
I just read about this the other night, and sure enough, my low-fat yogurt had powdered milk in it! So, I’m now buying whole-milk yogurt.
25/02/2009 at 12:51 pm Permalink
I love it, Carrie! I put an inch of butter on everything too! And I nag my husband to put butter and cream in his oatmeal.
25/02/2009 at 2:24 pm Permalink
Hi, Jen, and welcome!
25/02/2009 at 2:35 pm Permalink
Hi, Rachael,
I don’t really know of a good brand of ice cream. I wish I could find one!
Most ice cream makers add high fructose corn syrup and other junk. Plus, most ice cream is made from cows eating genetically modified corn and soy (also sprayed with pesticides). So you want to avoid that.
There are some organic brands of ice cream. Straus makes one:
http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/?title=ice%20cream
They do feed their cows grain. Although their feed is organic, it’s not good for cows to eat grain (a tiny bit is OK but not a lot — they should mostly eat grass).
Also they pasteurize their milk and they cook the eggs. So you lose a lot of the nutrients and get none of the enzymes. I like to make my homemade ice cream totally raw — I use raw, grass fed cream and raw pastured egg yolks.
I also don’t love that they use sugar. Sugar has no nutrients and it’s not good for us. I like to use maple syrup in my ice cream. It tastes just as good but it’s so much more healthy.
I feel that it’s SO worth it to make your own ice cream — the nutritional benefits are so much greater.
You can get an ice cream maker for under $50. It’s one of the best purchases I have ever made in my kitchen.
25/02/2009 at 2:41 pm Permalink
Hi, Naomi.
Good point you made! I *hate* low fat dairy. Hate it!
I only buy organic whole milk yogurt now. Best of all is if you can make your own from raw milk. I was making fil mjolk for a while. OMG it is so good. I have to get another culture (accidentally killed mine).
25/02/2009 at 3:28 pm Permalink
kirkland icecream from costco. is the best whole ice cream ive seen. It uses fresh cream, egg yolks, its super rich, thick and has good amount of vitamin a per serving too.
25/02/2009 at 3:36 pm Permalink
Joe -
Is it organic?
Because if not, it’s genetically modified.
26/02/2009 at 10:50 am Permalink
“Hormones are made out of cholesterol…”
Great quote, Anne Marie!
I know someone with PCOS who is finding great benefit by switching to authentic foods. She’s focusing on organic, grass-fed and pastured foods, and she has stopped microwaving any and all plastic. (I’m trying to get her to stop microwaving, period, but at least she’s taking in fewer endocrine disrupters…)
Best,
Holly
Holly’s last blog post..Hair Teas, Chef Michael Schwartz interview, and Best Breakfasts!
26/02/2009 at 5:43 pm Permalink
There is nothing like good, fresh ice cream. In the late spring when the grasses are green (probably early spring for those of you who don’t live under 400 inches of snow 7 months out of the year!) and the chickens are laying well, I love to make ice cream. It’s simple too: fresh cream, fresh milk, fresh egg yolks and raw honey. How can you go wrong?
Jenny’s last blog post..In Season Now: Fennel
26/02/2009 at 8:15 pm Permalink
But if you’re lactose intolerant, dairy can do more harm than good. Even raw dairy doesn’t do my body good. Other fats can do the trick though.
Carla’s last blog post..Eco Fashion: What is it?
19/07/2009 at 7:18 am Permalink
Carla just read the comment about other foods can do you good if allergic to dairy. What works for you?
21/02/2010 at 12:49 pm Permalink
I’m not trying to get pregnant, nor am I even a woman, but I have been putting chicken fat on my toast lately, and it is AWESOME!
Zeke´s last blog ..Eat Natto Now!
03/03/2010 at 10:41 pm Permalink
Ice cream is my weakness. I’ve always eaten ice cream and put butter with everything I make. However it wasn’t that easy for me to conceive my first child. I had to look at other alternatives to help me get pregnant. I have two lovely children now and during both pregnancies I craved and ate condensed milk straight out of the can all the time (eagle brand).
Jamie´s last blog ..Tips on Improving Cervical Mucus to Help You Get Pregnant
04/03/2010 at 1:25 am Permalink
Jamie – Congrats on your healthy children!
I can’t recommend Eagle Brand condensed milk, however. Better to consume grass-fed raw milk and/or natural cream or butter.
08/03/2010 at 4:18 am Permalink
How interesting. I love diary yet you hear so many conflicting stories about it. So full fat is the way to go. I wonder if it is the chemicals in the low fat options that impact fertility.
Anne´s last blog ..Need Help Getting Pregnant?
08/03/2010 at 12:01 pm Permalink
Anne,
From what I have read, it’s the fat that we need for fertility. Babies need fat to develop. Their brains are made primarily of fat.