Impress your friends and loved ones with health cake.
Super easy, quick to make AND pretty. It’s nutrient dense, high in fibre, good fats, antioxidants, protein and energy as well as gluten, dairy and soy free and fine for vegans too. Small pieces are satisfying so it is a good idea for afternoon treat compared with a chocolate bar – but if you need something like to get though your afternoon or crave something sweet after dinner, you should probably come have an appointment with one of us to help you sort out your blood sugar balance!
My favourite part is how the thick layer of chocolate on the top cracks when you cut it. Such a satisfying sound.
Ingredients
· 2 cups walnut halves (soaked for 4 hours or overnight, rinsed and dried)
· ½ cup shredded coconut
· 1/3 cup rolled oats
· ¼ cup chia seeds (white or black)
· 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1 tablespoon raw cocao powder
· pinch chilli
· pinch sea salt flakes
· 18 medjool dates, fresh, pits removed
· 100g good quality dark chocolate, at least 75% and fair trade or organic
· Raw cacao powder, sifted over to serve
(Organic ingredients where possible make it taste even better of course) Instructions
1. Process the walnuts, coconut, oats, chia seeds, cinnamon, cocoa, chilli and salt in a food processor until all the ingredients are chopped (not too finely) and mixed.
2. With the blades spinning, add the dates a few pieces at a time, until all the dates are added and mixture is starting to come together. Stop the processer and spoon down the sides a couple of times to mix well.
3. Press the mixture evenly into a 20cm cake tin, lined with baking paper (no need to grease) pressing and smoothing the surface down firmly with the back of a metal spoon.
4. Melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water and poor gently onto the top of the cake to cover completely to the sides
5. Cover and refrigerate until required.
6. To serve, dust with more cacao and cut into thin wedges
Notes
This recipe can also be turned into a slice or balls and rolled in cacao or coconut or dipped in the chocolate. If you are gifting the cake, it is nice to make a few balls to keep for yourself too.
Throw in what ever interesting ingredients you have – try other nuts like cashews or macadamias or seeds like sunflower or pipitas, nut butter, tahini, dry goji berries or other dry fruit, puffed quinoa or amaranth, matcha, bee pollen, maple syrup. You can experiment with different interesting tastes every time. Bit of this, bit of that, taste, taste, yum, yum.
It will keep in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Let us know if you make one – we would love to hear about your variations.
Charmaine Dennis is a naturopath, fertility and health expert, mentor, writer, mother, and businesswoman. She is the founding director of Fertile Ground Health Group, co-creator of the Be Fertile relaxation CD series and co-author ofThe Breakfast Project, among other health inspired projects. Her greatest gift and inspiration is making health, wellbeing, and passionate living accessible, inspiring and achievable for everyone. Charmaine’s naturopathic career has followed a special interest in working with couples with infertility requiring IVF support since 1999. She has assisted many in realising their dreams to conceive healthy, beautiful babies in collaboration with GPs and fertility specialists, acupuncturists and other health modalities.
Petra Joly, author of The Fertility Food Map recipe book talks about her passion for educating and motivating others to eat better to optimise their fertility, plus a bonus recipe from the book for you to try. Enjoy!
“ONE MUST FIRST PREPARE THE SOIL BEFORE PLANTING THE SEED”
(Petra proverb)
I am Petra Joly and I am the principal Acupuncturist and owner of Newtown Natural Fertility & IVF Support Centre in Newtown. From my very first day at College 16 years ago now, I knew fertility & gynaecology was the specialised field of health I would work in. My dream was to create a space for couples to share their hopes, fears and desires to create a family. Why was that? Because I always had this underlying fear that I wouldn’t be able to conceive myself, and I may need someone to support me one day. I had no clinical reason to suspect I would have difficulty, but the fear was there just the same and became my driving force to create my business.
I have always understood that to want a child and create a family is one of life’s most basic of desires, one of the most innate and driving desires one will ever experience. It is something that many people tend to assume will happen for them, we can feel it is ‘right’ and ‘normal’. However, with the harsh reality of statistics being 1 in 3 couples, over the age of 35, in Australia and New Zealand are infertile, we must be doing something seriously wrong. I am a concerned and passionate health care practitioner, but also a concerned and passionate member of our community. If we can’t procreate, we don’t survive as a race. Which is exactly why I felt compelled to create this book: to aid you in some way towards creating a more fertile life for yourself and your children. Knowledge is power, something we can pass on to those we love.
I have been urged by many patients over the years to create an easy, affordable, balanced, delicious and nutritious eating plan. Well here it is. Information out there can be so varied and confusing. What I find some ‘nutrition plans’ lack is an explanation as to why that particular food is good for me. “If we don’t know why we are doing something, then we lose desire and motivation to do so”.
There is so much talk about quinoa, why? Because it is grain-free so less inflammatory and easier to digest, it is a complete protein (containing all 9 essential amino acids) which is a building block for cells and blood, it is packed with nutrients such as Iron, Lysine, Magnesium, Vit B2 and Manganese; which are all necessary for cell development and follicular (eggs in our ovaries) development and will help thicken the lining of our uterus for the embryo to attach to. Now that means something. It gives us clear reasons as to why quinoa is a great fertility food yes?
I am not the most qualified nutritionist, I am not a food scientist, I am certainly not a celebrity chef or celebrity personal trainer. I am however, a very passionate and caring health-care provider that wants to help couples be able to realise their dream of becoming parents. I am also an advocate for better nutrition across the board. We all have a responsibility to create a better world for these children we create. If I can impart any wisdom that will create healthier, more educated people, then my job is done and I am content.
Petra Joly, acupuncturist and owner of Newtown Natural Fertility & IVF Support Centre
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons honey, depending how sweet you want it
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 snapper fillets (or any mild-tasting fish)
DIRECTIONS
1. Whisk the vinegar, honey, oil, and garlic in a bowl. Arrane snapper in a baking dish. Pour marinade over the fish, coating it completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minsutes and up to 4hrs.
2. Preheat the grill (or BBQ) to medium. Line the bottowm and sides of a baking tray with foil. Sprinkle the foil with olive oil. Remove fish from marinade, reserving marinade, and pour the marinade into a heavy small saucepan.
3. Arrange the fillets atop the baking tray. Cook the fillets until they are just cooked through and caramelized on top, about 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile bring the marinade to a boil and simmer until it thickens slightly and becomes syrupy, whisking often, about 15 minutes. Spoon off any excess oil from the sauce, if desired.
5. Transfer the fillets to plates. Spoon the sauce over and around the fillets, and serve with basmati rice (or quinoa) and Asian greens and snowpeas.
Every year the Fertility Society of Australia (FSA) holds a scientific meeting attracting experts in reproductive health from around the world, to present research and discuss new technologies and treatments. This year’s 2017 Merck symposium delivered plenty of healthy debate with it’s provocative main question for the day – Are we selling truths or false truths?
I was fortunate enough to be there to hear the thought leaders in our field contemplate the difficult questions around fertility treatment. The symposium was a fabulous day of learning and challenging of outdated, ineffective or unjustified approaches. Speakers were asked to refute or defend a controversial statement – which made for some juicy discussion and debating. A very healthy approach to challenging the status quo!
Among many gems, great debating and interesting insights, my favourite for the day was UK researcher and Professor of Ob/Gyn Nick Macklon who was given the topic – “Technology offers more hope for fertility treatment than nutritional or lifestyle interventions”. It was the final session for the day and as you can hear from my agreeable murmurings in the video I took to share with you, I was rapt to hear this being presented to a large room full of fertility specialists, IVF nurses and counsellors.
See if any of this sounds familiar?!
He said that “major technological advances in IVF medicine have been impressive over the past decade in particular, but have done little to impact on outcomes”. Percentages of take home babies per IVF cycle have changed little in the past decade, with very similar rates over time.
Prof. Macklon made the call to support much more of the kind of work we do in preconception health – to actually improve the quality of the gametes – the eggs and sperm, and therefore the resulting embryo. He went on to say that “marginal gains are important, and even if small, these will add up over time and are cumulative as you add in all of the different interventions”. The small benefits from lifestyle intervention that are “CHEAP, NOT TOO DEMANDING, SIMPLE and SAFE .. may be far better than spending a lot of money on technology which would need to have huge impacts to justify it’s costs”.
Furthering his argument, and with joy to my heart, he said “we’re not just focusing on getting the woman pregnant, we need to focus on producing lovely healthy babies too. It’s becoming more and more evident that periconception phase is where it all happens – where pregnancy complications have their origins, where preeclampsia starts, where probably PCOS, obesity, and heart disease starts. Lifestyle change is not just for the patient, its for the health of her offspring, and possibly her offsprings, offspring. Many studies now are demonstrating this intergenerational effect of preconception behaviours”.
With a sigh of relief from me as he refuted the topic at hand, Professor Macklon made a strong call to support lifestyle and dietary interventions in IVF. “We need to risk assess – for both medical complications or lifestyle problems (and) we need to optimise health and fertility as part of the IVF cycle. The cycle starts well before we start gonadotropins, and hopefully we can focus on not just selling a positive pregnancy test but the healthy child we all want”.
It is always a bit of a thrill to hear this kind of presentation at a medical conference, and to see how far science and medicine has come in support of the work naturopaths have been doing for so many decades now. This is where the bridges can be forged between complementary medicine and medical science and is so supportive of the collaborative values that FGHG holds so strongly.
Preconception and preventative health care is what naturopaths do best. Chipping away over all the years, it seems that fertility specialists are now recognising the importance of this work more fully. Finally we can make some real impact to public education around preconception care, supported by the medical approach, scientific research and some of the worlds best IVF specialists.
The work required by us as a profession and as a patient group is to help our medical fertility colleagues understand the scope of what we are actually doing with patients and why you come to see us. It’s not crystal balls and herbal “potions”, astrology, tears from a Tibetan yak or “fish slapping” (seriously while many are supportive and even refer directly to us, many others still have no idea what we do and make a whole bunch of unfounded assumptions!). It’s not because you are “crazy” or “desperate” but because you know it makes sense that what you do in your life, what you choose to eat, how nutritionally replete you are, how stressed you are and how every other thing to do with your health (think thyroid function, blood sugar imbalance, lack of sleep etc etc) may impact on your outcomes. You want to know that you are doing everything possible to achieve a healthy pregnancy and baby and that all of the boxes for best outcomes have been explored and ticked!
We will keep writing letters, educating and researching. You can help by making sure you tell your Drs about the improvements you have made in your diet and lifestyle due to the work you have done with us to help them understand the value – giving up smoking, alcohol, moving towards a healthy weight, exercising, getting the timing right for sex in your natural cycles, reducing exposure to harmful chemicals around the home and at work, stress management… and every other way you feel more healthy as you are working with us towards trying to conceive.
Nutritional supplements and herbal medicine may be a part of what you require to optimise your health and outcomes, but addressing the causes for the imbalances we treat are the key to a healthy life and conception. Finding the healthiest diet and lifestyle for you are such an important part of our approach and will always inform the basis of our work with people trying to conceive – naturally or with IVF.
The future is bright! 🌟
Charmaine Dennis (FGHG naturopath and director)
Charmaine Dennis is a naturopath, fertility and health expert, mentor, writer, mother, and businesswoman. She is the founding director of Fertile Ground Health Group, co- creator of the Be Fertile relaxation CD series and co-author ofThe Breakfast Project, among other health inspired projects. Her greatest gift and inspiration is making health, wellbeing, and passionate living accessible, inspiring and achievable for everyone.
Paraphrased from Prof Macklon’s conclusion and the final say from the whole day of presentations: (see video)
“We shouldn’t forget the less sexy side of our work…. if we are really going to improve gamete and endometrial quality…. we’ve got to go back to the patient to see what we can to make them to grow a better egg, grow better sperm or allow a better culture medium for that embryo to implant. There is increasing evidence now that there are interventions that can genuinely impact on these elements, so let’s start looking at them.
RCTs are beginning to show that even short nutritional interventions may be of benefit so we need to look at that.
If we can just apply this marginal gains approach then over time we will see significant impact. on IVF outcomes”
We field a lot of questions about super foods (fertility foods) at FGHG with lots of people wondering if they will be the miracle missing ingredient for their fertility challenges. We thought it would be great to get one of our naturopaths to talk about what superfoods are really the best fertility foods. And we were surprised by the outcome of our discussion – though of course on reflection, it makes complete sense! It seems that while some foods are indeed more super than others, there is no such thing as a miracle food. Getting the basics right, day to day, is the most important step and there are some ‘superfood’ basics that are still commonly over looked by many people.
You’ll see a great example of this at any big shopping centre when trying to find something decent to eat (not an easy task!). You’ll see fast food retailers offering things like “superfood” kebabs which might include acai, goji, quinoa and other additions (probably in trace amounts – a token gesture). Notice this same retailer also sells chips and soft drinks, fatty meat, fried foods and kebabs! This feels like such gimmicky and cynical marketing and certainly not the way that superfoods are best utilized. It gives superfoods a bad name and as well as an undeserved reputation!
There is a lot of talk about superfoods and all the amazing things they have to offer for just about every conceivable human ailment and worry. From Cacao to Gubinge, Maca to Goji and Acai the promises include increased fertility, cures for cancer, recovery from all sorts of disease, anxiety and woe. Certainly these foods have so much to offer and definitely can be considered to be powerful, nutrient dense foods with super qualities.
However, they fall short of being miracle foods. No amount of goji berries is going to make up for the 2 or 3 coffees or cokes you might drink in a day or if you gorge on junk food week after week. If you haven’t got the basics covered, superfoods are not your miracle cure-all for a modern-day poor lifestyle.
While super foods can be fantastic, they are often sold in packed and highly processed ways – packaged, refined, dehydrated, powdered so their nutrient content and/or vitality can be affected to some extent – not to mention the cost! If your super foods come in a chocolate bar with a whole lot of sugar – forget it! It is much better to eat whole live food, preferably locally grown or even better straight from your garden!
Superfoods are a useful and highly beneficial addition to your already amazing diet. But of course, as always, there is no quick fix and no way around eating the basic superfoods every meal, every day for ultimate health! Every meal matters! Without this basis the other stuff is little more than a gimmick.
Here are our Naturopath Tina Jenkins top tips for the daily essential top super and fertility foods for fertility and health!
Green leafy vegetables! This bunch of vegies pack a punch full of fibre, folic acid, Vitamins C and K. Due to their folic acid content they are essential for women who are trying to conceive as well those already pregnant. However, they are equally as important for healthy sperm as folic acid helps in the turnover of DNA (our genetic material). Green vegies include silverbeet, spinach, various types of lettuce, parsley, bok choy, kai lan, choy sum, kale etc. They are wonderful to throw into a soup or stirfry or to make into a green smoothie.
NB: Raw greens such as Kale are best avoided by those with thyroid problems, however, if they are fine if cooked.
Salmon – The king/queen of the sea! Salmon is one of the richest sources of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids. It’s a wonderful source of protein, selenium and B vitamins, especially B12. If you cook it well and eat the bones then you will also give your calcium levels a boost! Most of the salmon in Australia is farmed but the best source is Huon Tasmanian salmon. Go to http://www.huonaqua.com.au/locator/ to find your nearest stockist.
Blueberries – Packed full of antioxidants! Blueberries are low in fruit sugar and are thus considered a “low GI” fruit, great for women with PCOS or people trying to lose weight. They make a great snack on their own or can be added to some plain yoghurt for a more filling treat. They are a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese and Vitamin K. And they taste delicious!
Eggs – Free range, organic eggs are one of our best sources of protein, vitamin D, B12, zinc, phosphorus and selenium. Yes, they contain cholesterol, so speak to your naturopath if it is a problem for you however, as part of a healthy diet that is low in saturated fat and high in healthy fats, a little cholesterol is required in the diet. From a fertility point of view, we need cholesterol as this is what all of our hormones are made from (that includes both oestrogen and testosterone).
A boiled/poached egg is a great addition to a meal and it is also great made into a thin omelette “wrap” rolled up around a variety of fillings (e.g. asparagus, salmon etc).
LSA – ground up linseeds, sunflower seeds and almonds make up this wonderful mix of nutrients (especially magnesium and zinc) and fibre. Sprinkle it over yoghurt, fruit or cereals or pop it into a smoothie.
Yoghurt – a great source of “friendly bacteria” which is essential for optimal absorption of nutrients in the gut and has the added benefit of keeping your immune system strong. It’s also a great source of calcium. Choose organic, full-fat unflavoured yoghurt. A favourite snack of mine is yoghurt and blueberries topped with a tablespoon of “LSA” (available in the healthfood section of your supermarket).
Pumpkin seeds – These little seeds are often forgotten amongst some of their more well-known cousins, however, they are a great source of zinc. Zinc is especially important for both men and women trying to conceive as it is an essential nutrient for sperm health and also for a baby’s growth and development. Have pumpkin seeds raw and untoasted to receive optimal nutrients and add them to salads or have them as a snack.
Quinoa – Quinoa is the only grain (well it’s technically a seed) which is a complete protein i.e. it contains the 9 essential amino acids. It is a great source of fibre, is rich in essential fatty acids, iron, lysine (great if you suffer from cold sores), magnesium, B2 and manganese. Quinoa is also gluten free. Nutritionally it is superior to pasta and is a great accompaniment to a curry or stew/casserole. Quinoa can also be made into a porridge which is lovely topped with some of our other superfoods: blueberries, LSA and yoghurt!
Brown rice – A lovely nutritious grain that contains so many goodies: fibre, B vitamins, Magnesium, Zinc etc. It is far more filling than white rice which means you need to eat less to feel full. B vitamins and Magnesium are nutrients that are used up a lot during periods of stress (and trying to get pregnant can be a stressful time for many couples). Brown rice is also wonderful made up into a porridge or a congee (either with a water or stock base); either sweet (with cinnamon, stewed fruit etc) or savoury (with chicken stock, shitake or reishi mushrooms, green leafy vegies).
Rolled Oats – A great source of fibre, B vitamins, Selenium, Zinc and Magnesium. So many wonderful nutrients for fertility! They also have the added bonus of helping lower cholesterol as well as improving bowel function. Traditionally oats have a long history of use in herbal medicine where they are used for their nourishing action on the nervous system and to help restore energy.
Charmaine Dennis is a naturopath, fertility and health expert, mentor, writer, mother, and businesswoman. She is the founding director of Fertile Ground Health Group, co-creator of the Be Fertile relaxation CD series and co-author of The Breakfast Project, among other health inspired projects. Her greatest gift and inspiration is making health, wellbeing, and passionate living accessible, inspiring and achievable for everyone. Charmaine’s naturopathic career has followed a special interest in working with couples with infertility requiring IVF support since 1999. She has assisted many in realising their dreams to conceive healthy, beautiful babies in collaboration with GPs and fertility specialists, acupuncturists and other health modalities.
