Nutrition
Lent and Avoiding the Spiritual Diet
Written by Amanda Rohwedder. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2023. I always ask my clients to remove “diet” from their vocabulary and instead replace it with “lifestyle,” focusing on small, consistent changes over time. For what good is it to eat healthful for a small period of time in the course of a lifetime?…
Read MoreSurprising Opportunity to Witness
Written by Amanda Rohwedder. Originally published in Family Foundations in 2021. Food is a connector. God could have chosen anything to provide us nourishment and He chose food and the meal. After the experience of solitude during the pandemic, many of us longed to simply share a meal with family and friends . Now, with…
Read MoreHow Female Athletes Embrace their Cycles
In fact, fighting menstrual cycles — especially with hormonal contraceptives — can hurt athletic performance. Inadequate nutrition, sleep, and body fat negatively impact hormone levels, which in turn can create symptoms that disrupt training such as sluggishness, bloating, intolerable cramping or bleeding, and more. Medicating cycles away with artificial hormones can create further troubles, including poor bone density and increased risks of blood clots in otherwise healthy athletes.
Read MoreA Self-help Guide for PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects roughly 5 million people worldwide, making it one of the most common causes of infertility in women. September is dedicated to PCOS awareness, but we’re willing to bet there’s some stuff even you armchair experts didn’t know about its detection and treatment. Check out this helpful infographic, compiled from the newest edition of Marilyn Shannon’s Fertility, Cycles and Nutrition, available digitally and in print next month!
Read MoreThe Lowdown on Caffeine
An excerpt from Marilyn M. Shannon’s book, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition. **** Caffeine is a good slave but a bad master. When you use it only occasionally or in moderation, it provides a lift that many people enjoy. However, it affects the nervous system, and can cause anxiety and irritability. It can deprive you of a…
Read MoreHelpful Tips for Healthy Fasting
NFPers are no strangers to the idea of abstinence, fasting and self-control. Lent is a beautiful liturgical season in which the entire Church joins together in self-denial in a focused way, and we seasoned veterans can be something of an example for those to whom such practices are less familiar. And just as NFP worth…
Read MoreDitching the Pill …and Other Contraceptives
An excerpt from Marilyn M. Shannon’s book, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition. **** Congratulations on your decision to discontinue birth control pills or other hormonal contraceptives! You have taken a giant step toward better health. As hormone specialist Diana Schwarzbein, M.D., has written, you cannot achieve optimum hormonal balance while you are on the Pill, because hormones…
Read MoreShorter, Lighter and Pain-free Periods
Fun fact: A natural, healthy period should not be long, heavy or painful. You read that correctly: five days at most, only moderate flow, with no noticeable cramping. But when you think of having your period, what comes to mind? If you’re like most women who experience these negative symptoms (along with an array of…
Read MorePregnancy and Preeclampsia
An excerpt from Marilyn M. Shannon’s book, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition. **** You may have wondered why prenatal care includes blood pressure monitoring and urine checking more and more frequently as you approach your due date. These are done in order to detect early signs of a potentially serious problem, preeclampsia, or metabolic toxemia of late…
Read MoreCoping with Postpartum Thyroiditis
An excerpt from Marilyn M. Shannon’s book, Fertility, Cycles & Nutrition. **** At some point after giving birth, often before the baby is six months old, a small percentage of women experience thyroid problems. About one to four months after the birth, some new mothers (approximately 4 percent) develop an overactive thyroid gland. They may…
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