Summary: Thanks for joining us for episode 47 of The Ancestral RD podcast. If you want to keep up with our podcasts, subscribe in iTunes and never miss an episode! Remember, please send us your question if you'd like us to answer it on the show! Today we are interviewing Ayla Withee whose expertise and passion for nutrition changes the way issues with fertility are thought about and addressed. Ayla Withee, MS, RDN, LDN, CLT is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, and Certified Leap Therapist, and owner of a successful private practice, Boston Functional Nutrition. She has trained for years with experts in the field of functional medicine and embraces a whole body approach to addressing the root causes of health issues. Her specialties include women's health, gastrointestinal disorders, and nutrigenomics. Often sought after for her passion and expertise for various media and speaking opportunities, Ayla has consulted with a wide range of organizations and health professionals from Fortune 500 companies to Olympic Athletes. She is also a preceptor for several dietetic internship programs. You can find Ayla blogging about real food at EatSimply.org, subscribe to her and cohost Diana Rodgers podcast Real Food Radio, or learn more about her practice at BostonFunctionalNutrition.com. Diet and lifestyle can make all the difference in fertility. But with the array of prenatal vitamins on the shelves and nutrition advice in the media, it can be overwhelming to know how to sift through it all. Because it's not just women's fertility that is affected by nutrition, both women and men should tune in to hear Ayla share valuable insight into what you need to know if you have fertility concerns or are just beginning to think about pregnancy. Here are some of the question we discussed with Ayla: How did you end up getting into the whole world of functional nutrition, and how did you end up with fertility as one of your focuses? For women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant and having trouble, the extent of the nutrition aspect of that is focused on them to lose weight. How much of a role do you think weight loss really plays when compared to other factors? In what ways does a stressful lifestyle, or just being under emotional stress, have an impact on someone’s fertility? When we’re talking about stress relief and lowering the stress hormones, do you have any favorite types of mind-body activities? What are your thoughts on the prenatal vitamins that are pretty typical to take? Or do you have any recommendations that you like any better? You recommend antioxidants for women as well as their male partners. Why are antioxidants important, especially in this sort of scenario? If you had to describe the ideal diet to enhance fertility for both men and women, what would that look like? Is there anything that we shouldn’t be eating, or restricting a little bit? Or is there anything that’s especially important to stay away from during this time? Are there any particular things that you like to recommend to promote good gut health? Or for example if someone has some sort of digestive issue, is there a protocol that you tend to put people through to alleviate some of those symptoms? Do you ever deal more specifically with women who have genetic mutations such as MTHFR? If somebody needs a more active version of B12, but they’re having a problem with the methylcobalamin, do you have any alternatives? Is there a better version that they do well with? Is there testing that you typically recommend for your clients if you end up getting them six or more months ahead of pregnancy? What is kind of the screening process that you go through? Is there a biggest misconception you think that people have about fertility and prepping for fertility? Links Discussed: Boston Functional Nutrition EatSimply.org Ayla's blog post on how to choose the right prenatal suppplements
