We all know the standard view on fertility/pregnancy: alcohol never, water always. But that gets so boring when you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you know? And what about all those teas and smoothies and juices that claim they will get you pregnant faster than your man can? What about those?
Here’s a little secret, and what this whole blog post boils down to: your decision to drink this/not that should be rooted in nourishment. What fortifies your body best? What is beneficial to your health? Does it contain unnecessary (or even harmful) add-ins?
I’m going to go over the best drinks you can/should consume while you wait for those two pink lines, and some common recommendations that you should actually avoid.
The Short List:
The YES! Drinks
Organic green tea
Organic mint tea
Black coffee with organic milk
Warm lemon water
Moderate amounts of fresh-squeezed orange juice
Homemade smoothies
Bone broth
The No-No's
Fancy coffees
Flavored waters + sports drinks
Soft drinks, even diet
Cocktails
Store bought juices and smoothies
Energy drinks
The YES! Drinks
GO: Numi Organic Green Tea
Green tea is rich in antioxidants, which protect your body from the negative effects of aging, cancer, toxins, and so much more. It also contains nutrients that will help strengthen your teeth and bones, preventing osteoporosis. Keep in mind, though, green tea is caffeinated.
Alright, I know a lot of people aren’t huge fans of green tea, and I get it! Growing up, my dad drank cheap green tea from our local Japanese grocery store. It smelled and tasted like boiled lawn clippings, and he didn’t even bother sweetening it. Green tea is something that you have to spruce up to the way you like it (so add plenty of raw and/or local honey!), AND you have to find a good brand/blend you enjoy.
Numi Organic is a fantastic brand with really great tasting blends. Plus, their tea bags are made of biodegradable hemp, instead of plastic. Did you know that the majority of your basic brand tea bags are made from plastic, and that they leech microplastics into your tea?? This is what I mean by finding products that are not only good to use, but good for you.
GO: Yogi Peppermint Tea
Mint does wonders on your digestive system, and helps with relaxing stiff muscles. Plus, it’s a delicious + nutritious way to stay cool in the summer when made into an iced tea. Mint tea also does not contain caffeine, so you can drink as much of it, whenever you want!
I really did not like the taste of peppermint up until this previous summer, so I didn’t really appreciate peppermint tea until I realized how good it is for you. Half my family is from the deep South, and I grew up on homemade sweet tea. Now, my husband and I love to make giant pitchers of honey(or monk fruit)-sweetened peppermint iced tea. It’s so refreshing and perfect for being in the heat all day.
Yogi is another brand that is USDA Organic and does not run the risk of leeching microplastics into your tea (and therefore, into your body, where they can literally passed into your baby !!!).
GO: Black Coffee or Coffee with Organic Milk
A little note here: Don’t drink coffee on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning. I know that goes against everything that diet-culture says, but consuming coffee in that way just wrecks your adrenals and puts added stress on your body. Your adrenal glands are responsible for the hormones that regulate your metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, response to stress and other essential functions. If you’re finding yourself really run down and fatigued throughout the day, try switching up your morning routine by eating a hearty breakfast before your cup of joe.
Moderate black coffee consumption (2-5 cups/day) is linked to lowered cases of a lot of terrible diseases, like dementia, diabetes, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and liver and endometrial cancers. However, if you have anxiety, feel antsy/jittery/shaky, or are prone to panic attacks, any kind of caffeinated drink probably isn’t the best for you. I cut out all caffeine three years ago, and my anxiety pretty much disappeared.
Milk is also something that has been completely demonized by diet-culture. And yes, I’m talking about cow’s milk. There are so many dairy milk alternatives, but if you don’t have a bad reaction towards it, then don’t fret about drinking it. The one thing you should definitely concern yourself with, however, is making certain that you are buying USDA Organic milk. That means it has this seal on the packaging:
From The Organic Center, based on research completed by professors at Emory University: “Organic cows are happier and healthier which leads to more nutritious milk and healthier babies and kids! By choosing organic milk, you can get the nutritional benefits of milk without exposing your family to chemical contaminants. Numerous studies have found that organic milk has a higher nutritional content, and even more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and more disease-fighting antioxidants than non-organic milk. Organic cows are raised in humane conditions and eat healthy diets, so that your glass of organic milk can be served without antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones or controversial pesticides.”
All of the things that go into your food/drink ultimately go into you, and then into your children, and then even into their children.
GO: Warm Lemon Water
Imagine getting all the benefits that coffee promises, without the jitters, anxiety, and potential for stomach issues. Enter: warm lemon water. Drinking this on an empty stomach in the morning will help with healthy weight, better digestion, clearer skin, more energy, and feeling lighter. It’s incredibly nourishing and rehydrating to your body after sleep; something coffee doesn’t do, because it’s a diuretic (AKA makes you pee/poop), which releases valuable hydration. Lemons, additionally, help cleanse your body from toxins and prevent calcium buildup in your arteries (a main cause of heart disease).
Warm/room temp water is another thing that we Americans typically fight against. Personally, I love it. I ask for no ice in my water when I dine out, and I keep my pH balancing water filter on my kitchen counter so that it’s always room temp. There are so many benefits to warm water, even by itself:
It’s more hydrating to your body
It acts as a nasal decongestant
It increases the body temperature, which triggers your metabolism to begin flushing out toxins
It helps in breaking down food molecules for better digestion and nutrient absorption, ultimately leading to healthy weight management
It may be weird for you to drink warm lemon water, but it’s worth it for all the benefits.
GO: Moderate Amounts of Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice Oranges are a fantastic source of Vitamin C, which is essential in immune support and fighting off a certain virus that you may or may not have heard of (it only shut down the world a few years ago). Additionally, orange juice is a potent antioxidant that can protect against a variety of diseases, reduce the risk of cancer, boost immunity, improve digestion, and help with skin tone. Here’s a little challenge for you: when you’re feeling rundown in the middle of the day, make yourself an adrenal cocktail. No, it’s not that kind of cocktail - it’s totally SFW (safe for work). It’s a drink with a mix of natural Vitamic C, potassium, and sodium in it. Thanks to Hazel and Cacao for this particular recipe:
½ cup orange juice, or grapefruit juice or lemon juice or lime juice or tart cherry juice
½ cup coconut water or aloe vera juice or ¼ tsp cream of tartar
large pinch of salt
optional: 1 TBSP hemp protein powder (milled hemp seeds) or protein powder of choice and 2 TBSP coconut cream
You want to be conscientious of the amount of juice you consume. Fruits contain a LOT of sugar. Too little sugar is bad for you, the wrong kind of sugar is bad for you, and too much sugar of any kind is bad for you. Moderate amounts of healthy sugar are where it’s at.
GO: Homemade Smoothies
I try to make a smoothie every morning, specifically to get in my protein needs. There are several great reasons for making smoothies at home, including that you can tailor them to your taste, and you can hide gross-but-healthy things that your nutritionist recommends inside them.
Here is my current smoothie recipe that I love to drink:
1 banana
Scoop of Naked Whey chocolate protein powder
1-2 tsp bee pollen
1/3 cup plain kefir or Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Kalona Supernatural milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
Just a touch of agave
Room temp pH balanced water from my filter
Occasionally a pasture-raised raw egg
NOTE: “Drinking your food” is a really easy way to lose track of how much food you’re really ingesting.
GO: Bone Broth Bone broth is the clear(ish) liquid that you get from meaty joints and bones in water, along with other add ins (vegetables and seasonings). It’s different from stock in that it cooks for longer. This is probably the most nutrient-dense liquid you can drink! It’s got incredible benefits, too: anti-ageing effects, great for gut health, supports your immune system, helps with joint health, benefits good sleep, reduces inflammation, and even help you maintain a healthy weight. It can be pretty expensive to buy bone broth at the store, especially considering how cheap it is to make. I usually make large batches of it in my Instant Pot, using beef bones purchased from my local meat shop. Here is the recipe I follow somewhat, from The Forked Spoon.
The No-No’s:
NO: Fancy coffees
I mean, c’mon, guys. We all know these are terrible. They’re filled with trash sugars and additives that quite literally killing you slowly.
Here are some of the bad things that can be found in Starbucks drinks BESIDES the sugar, courtesy of the Food Babe’s website:
Carrageenan – Linked to intestinal inflammation and cancers
Citric Acid – Typically derived from mold made with GMO corn (not from fruit). This appears 8 times in the ingredient list!
Mono and Diglycerides – A hidden form of trans fat, which is strongly linked to heart disease.
Natural and Artificial Flavors – This is not a single ingredient… each flavor may contain of up to 100 ingredients, including synthetic chemicals, solvents and preservatives such as BHA, propylene glycol, MSG, parabens, and more.
NO: Flavored waters + sports drinks You may think you’re doing yourself a favor because of the fantastic marketing these companies do. In fact, any benefits of these drinks are outweighed by all the additives, flavorings, colorings, and sweeteners they put in. Don’t trust the front label, because that’s just marketing. Always, always, always read the nutritional back label.
NO: Pop/Soda/Soft Drinks/Whatever Your Regional Term Is Yes, even diet, for the same reasons as above. Whatever they’re replacing the sugar/fat with is probably worse than it would be to have the sugar/fat.
NO: Cocktails Ugh, girl, I know it. I love a good cosmo. But a lot of the cocktails you can get in restaurants use artificial flavorings, colorings, syrups, and essences, instead of actual fruit.
NO: Store Bought Juices or Smoothies Juice is already incredibly high in sugar; it’s why kids love it. Store bought ones just add more, plus preservatives and other add ins. Same goes for smoothies.
NO: Energy Drinks Just no. They contain unhealthy amounts of caffeine, sugar, and additives, and are not going to give you any kind of “clean” energy. In fact, they’re going to have worse long-term effects. If you need energy, you need to start seriously looking into detoxifying, rebuilding, and fortifying your adrenals and metabolism through healthy, sustainable lifestyle and diet changes.
Ultimately, like I’ve mentioned throughout this post, what you drink plays a huge part in your health and nourishment. One frappe won’t kill you, but one every day may be holding you back. Be ingredient-conscious, find sustainable solutions that you enjoy, and do all things with balance + moderation.
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