Cannon Emma - Fertile nourish and balance your body ready for baby making

Throughout our day, however busy we are, there are tiny adjustments that can be made to live a more fertile life. These can be as simple as getting up 20 minutes earlier to stretch or meditate or to spend 20 minutes on a heartfelt project that always gets put to the bottom of the to do list. Or deciding to engage fully in making a delicious breakfast to start the day, instead of reaching for empty calories; or walking to work and taking in our surroundings; or being engaged and focused in what we are doing instead of what we could be doing or what we will be doing later. Be here now, I often remind my patients and myself! Be present; enjoy the moment for what it is. This is where happiness lies, not in something not yet achieved. We are all busy but small adjustments can bring great changes.

Living a fertile life means being honest about how you really want to spend your precious time. For you, this might be leaving work on time and not feeling guilty, or saying no when you mean no, instead of saying yes and not meaning it. It is about feeling joyful about food and making choices that will preserve and optimise your fertility, your health and your wellbeing for many years to come.

In the twenty-first century we are living longer and have higher expectations than ever before of what our bodies ought to be able to achieve. I have discovered that it doesnt matter what reason a new patient or couple has for coming to see me, my role is to help them be more balanced, whether it is in the body, the mind or in their lives (usually it is in a little of all three). It is encouraging to see so many people now actively involved in their own health and fertility. The conversation is really beginning to grow around this topic and people appear to be more able to talk openly about fertility. Concerns about not leaving it too late to conceive and also how diet or lifestyle might have an impact on fertility are all current topics of discussion. There is a real sea change in peoples awareness and an acceptance that how we live our lives does impact on our health and fertility.

Jing is the term used in Chinese medicine to describe our Essence, or constitutional health. Jing is a fundamental aspect of fertility and long life and it determines our individual reproductive capabilities. In many ways this book is based on ways to nourish and protect Jing so that you are able to remain in optimal fertility for as long as your individual constitution determines.

The health of the parents at the time of conception determines the health of the child. Some people are born with plentiful Jing inherited from their parents and others inherit less. Parents with good Jing tend to pass this on to their children, unless there is trauma in pregnancy or in birth. Good living can go some way to preserving and optimising Jing. So even those who are born with less Jing may be able to improve it by good lifestyle choices, whereas those with poor Jing and who make poor lifestyle choices may weaken their fertility for ever. Poor living, overworking, not recovering from illness and trauma and accidents can all deplete our Jing.

Our Jing is unique to us, so it is completely pointless comparing ourselves to others. So often patients will say to me, but so and so ran marathons right up until she had her baby and she was fine, or Victoria Beckham was stick thin when she conceived, or my husband wont give up drinking because his friend Harry drank like a fish and Mary still conceived even though she smoked 20 cigarettes a day. This sort of talk is completely futile as it is all a matter of individual reproductive capabilities not to mention the fact that Harry and Marys child may not have been particularly healthy!

While we are on the subject of Jing, our constitutional inheritance, it is a good time to think about your mum. Our biological mothers hold a great deal of important information for us regarding our own health. If you are lucky enough to have your mum around, make sure you have a chat with her. Find out if she had any gynaecological problems, what age she was when she had the menopause, whether she smoked when pregnant with you or if she had any major health issues around your birth or conception. It is all useful information when assessing your own potential powers of fertility.

In my house food is the first medicine. I use food to keep my family healthy and to manage minor health problems. When my children seem under the weather or are getting a cold and producing lots of phlegm I immediately make a chicken broth and send them to bed early. Then I simplify their diet by removing all phlegm-forming foods and including foods that eliminate phlegm. Neither of my children has ever needed antibiotics or any medication for that matter. Not that I wouldnt give it to them; I am very pragmatic about these things. But I have always managed to keep them well with food, rest and occasionally a little acupuncture. In fact when Lily, my eldest, went to university the nurse could not believe that she had never had need for medication! The most emotional part of dropping her off was visiting the university canteen where I shed a tear knowing that she would need to fend for herself nutritionally now and all I could do was hope that I had steered her in the right direction.

When I read other books I am amazed at how they are written as if we are all the same and we all need to eat the same foods in order to be healthy. Of course, there are some basic truths about what constitutes a healthy diet: more vegetables, less sugar, fewer refined foods, less meat, some fish and so on. But none of the health food books on the market considers the individual needs of the person. I believe that one mans meat is another mans poison. In other words, we all benefit from slightly different approaches. That doesnt mean that everyone should sit down with an entirely different meal, but small adjustments can be made to make a dish more or less beneficial to the individual. This book is divided into two parts. The first half of the book covers everything you need to know to engage with your unique body and maximise your fertility. The second half contains delicious, fertility-boosting recipes. Throughout the book you will learn how you can adjust the food you prepare to make it as nutritious and fertility enhancing as possible for you and for your partner.

There are many different ways to use this book depending on your needs. I have made it as close to the experience of coming to my clinic as possible; everyone is different and needs a personal approach. In this case YOU decide, under my guidance, what you need and what feels right. I really want you to develop self-awareness and go with your gut instinct. Be your own guru!