On this episode on the podcast, we are taking another deep dive into the importance of nutrition for fertility and pregnancy. While women often shoulder the responsibility of all things related to preconception and birth, my guest today, Ayla Barmmer, MS, RDN, LDN says that nutrition in men during this time is just as critical.

For over 15 years, Ayla has been advancing the health and empowerment of thousands of clients, patients, peers, and mentees, at the intersection of nutritional science, functional medicine, and evidence-based holistic solutions.

Ayla and I have a special connection in that as I was completing my dietetic internship, she was one of my preceptors. And I continue to be impressed with all that she has accomplished in her career as a registered dietitian.

Ayla owns and operates Boston Functional Nutrition, an integrative and functional nutrition multi-clinician practice that specializes in women’s health and infertility. She is also the founder of FullWell, a fertility wellness brand, widely endorsed by a diversity of health practitioners for its quality and education.

And that’s not all! Ayla founded the Women’s Health Nutrition Practice Group and co-founded the Women’s Health Nutrition Academy with recent podcast guest, Lily Nichols, RD.

Despite her very busy professional life, she has taken time out to chat about all things “real-food” as it relates to pregnancy and fertility. Her passion truly shows as we cover:

- Why preconception nutrition is so important

- The importance of men’s fertility health in preconception

- How oxidative stress impacts men’s fertility health

- Why Ayla started making supplements and how they are different from other supplements on the market

- Important nutrients to look out for during preconception and pregnancy

- The difference in nutrient forms

Even if this isn’t the phase of life you are in or simply not interested in becoming pregnant, this episode still has important takeaways for anyone who uses supplements. Plus, fertility is a sign of health so it’s important to have it even if you don’t use it.

Resources:

FullWell Supplements

Sustainable Dish Episode 179: Ty Beal, PhD

Alya’s blog post about iron

Sustainable Dish Episode 178: Lily Nichols, RD

Sacred Cow

Nordic Naturals

New Chapter Wholemega

Urban Moonshine Calm Tummy Bitters

Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols, RD

Connect with Ayla:

Website: Full Well Fertility and Boston Functional Nutrition

Instagram: @fullwellfertility and @aylabarmmer_rd

LinkedIn: Ayla Barmmer, MS, RD, LDN

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Episode Credits:

Thank you to all who’ve made this show possible. Our hosts are Diana Rodgers and James Connelly. Our producer is Emily Soape. And of course, we are grateful for our sponsors, Patreon supporters, and listeners.

This episode is sponsored by Levels, a continuous glucose monitor that gives you individualized insight into your metabolism. This is a tool I personally use and recommend to people I work with. It’s helped me figure out what foods spike my blood sugar and which ones keep me level. I can also see how certain tricks like walks after a meal affect my body. Right now Levels has a waiting list of over 150,000 but they are allowing my listeners to skip the line if you go to sustainabledish.com/levels and sign up. Try it out to see how food you eat affects your metabolism. This is a must-have tool for anyone interested in personalizing their nutrition.

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Ayla Barmmer, RD on nutrition for fertility and pregnancy