So join me as we chat about diet, lifestyle, and fertility. 


Absolutely. My name is Becca Romero. I am I own the online nutrition practice, Little Life Nutrition, and I help women who want to get pregnant or may be struggling to get pregnant improve their lifestyle and their diet to help improve their fertility. And I also focus a lot on helping women understand their menstrual cycles for fertility. 


wanted to get pregnant or were pregnant and wanted to improve their nutrition. And I just, I loved that topic so much and found myself wanting to do more and more research about it. So I eventually decided to focus specifically on fertility and really become an expert in that area so I can really help women who want to get pregnant. 


Achieve their dream of becoming a mom and it's just something that's extremely rewarding. And so that's how I got into it. I love that so much. And I'm really excited to talk about the blood sugar control part of it. And I'm going to tell you why. So let me back. Sure. When I was 40, I got pregnant with baby what, was going to be baby number seven. 


But Here's where the interesting part. So I lost that baby and then had two more losses and then I at that point I was seeing my midwife and then she sent me to a Specialist and I went to the specialist and they're like you know because at that point I'm 41 and they're like Or I was almost 41 I think And they were like you really probably need to have medication because you're older. 


I have six kids. I did not want another kid at all. And. Before I had the loss. I really did at that point, but I was like, Oh, forget it. So I had done this diet back, so that was 2013, 2014, I had done this diet back in 2012 where I had just gotten really healthy. I have a lot of digestive issues, a lot. 


And so I did it with a nutritionist and it's all, it's high protein but low fat, very much about blood sugar control and getting your your system working right with all of that, insulin and all that, even though, I'm not diabetic or anything. And so I was like, forget this. Why am I doing this? 


So I really would love to chat with you about that because I think a lot of times what happens with them and who are having fertility issues is that they go straight to. medications and all these different procedures and all of these things. Not that I, not that, because I think it's, thank God we have that, but I would love to hear your what is your process if you have someone that comes to you? 


It's not like this all or nothing thing. You are so right that blood sugar is having a blood sugar balancing diet can really help to improve your fertility. And it sounds like you have, that, that story, that personal story. And so I think it, it starts with really just like this basic understanding of blood sugar and what does that mean really? 


And that kind of comes, it's about understanding. Different types of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in the types of foods that affect your blood sugar. And so those three things that I just mentioned are known as our macronutrients and we'll see those if we look, if you were to look at the back of a nutrition label or a label on the back of a product you buy at the grocery store, you'll see those like amounts. 


And I do want to preface this by saying that. Carbohydrates are not bad. There are certain carbohydrates that are better for you than others. But when it comes to blood sugar, we do need to understand carbohydrates and carbohydrates tend to be those foods that are really like those craveable foods, right? 


We're talking about desserts and sweets and crackers. All the yummy things. Yeah. Crackers, cookies, all the yummy things. Yeah. And, those are the things that we can, we crave, maybe more than chicken and broccoli or something along those lines. It all comes down to understanding how we can structure our diet to, to help to support that blood sugar and how, and being mindful around carbohydrate consumption. 


But anyway, once you get to your goal weight, then you go to the next level and they teach you how to combine. Carbs and proteins and fats and it's not like you can't eat anything But it is the healthy things, the healthy fats, the healthy carbs. Now, I am Notoriously, like my issue notoriously is not eating. 


So I think part of, I think a part of why that diet was so good for me is I'm very type A and if I have structure, I will eat. But if I have to think about it or put a lot of planning into it, I'm like, eh, forget it. So I love that you're talking about it's not, a lot of think if, and myself included, I tend to go into the no carb camp. 


So I love that you're saying that because there's some really amazing ways that you can eat when you're eating healthy. I learned that a lot in iodoprotein to really think outside of the box with vegetables and fruits. that was good for me. I learned a lot, but I'm not going to sit here and try to say that I am good at. 


So going long periods of time without eating can cause low blood sugar and fatigue and low, like other low blood sugar symptoms. And then sometimes that can also lead to overeating later on if you've restricted for too long and then let's say, you're stressed and then you get to the end of the day and you're like, okay, now all I want to eat is like something sweet or you overeat because your hunger signals are altered because of the way that you're, or like where your blood sugar is at that moment. 


And you don't, no one's perfect. We're not going to be able to do it a hundred percent of the time, but having that knowledge is really powerful. Yeah. I think that is too, like knowing that there's a healthy balance and figuring out what that is for you. for you. And it's interesting, I ordered, I need to actually do it the right way, but I ordered this thing called Levels. 


I think I wore it for two weeks. So the funny thing was, is that I have always thought I knew what it felt like when my sugar went down and when my blood sugar went down. So I was wearing the levels and when I started feeling that I realized I was actually feeling it go up. Not high, but high for me. 


And I was like, wow, all these years I have said, oh my god, my blood sugar is dropping. And it was the opposite. I was real, as a nurse, I was really shocked. Absolutely. And that's what's so wonderful about having these tools that we can, we can get these tools and understand truly what's going on inside of our bodies. 


It's a blood sugar monitor that constantly monitors your, It monitors your blood sugar 24 7. You wear it for about 14 days and you can get the data directly to your phone and you can look at what your blood sugar is at any moment. And so that's really It's really wonderful that you can connect like those maybe like symptoms or feelings that you have to what's going on with your blood sugar and the way that you're eating and how that, and exercising and all that and how that impacts your body, your mood, your hunger levels, and your just overall health because our blood sugar is really connected to our health in many ways. 


Typically, they'll have higher levels of insulin and just have a harder time in general with carbohydrate, with carbohydrates affecting their blood sugar. And so it's a really great tool for a lot of people, but I would say very specifically with women for PC, with PCOS, it's a very wonderful tool to see like what types of meals work for them. 


And it's affecting my blood sugar. And when I eat this way. It affects me in a positive way, and I'm able to, over time, get those blood sugar levels to go down, get those insulin levels to go down, which insulin is something that, when insulin is high, that can affect your Your other hormones, your other fertility hormones. 


It's really powerful to have that information just on your phone. When you're going through any type of infertility issues, speaking for myself, when I was trying to get pregnant with Grayson, you feel so out of control. So that is a really Good point that this is something you can control because there's a lot of it. 


You can't it's a lot of things that are involved that you can't so I love that you said that like they have that they can have a sense of control with that because you can see okay, I can make this choice. Or I can make this choice, whichever that is. So for those of you guys listening, you may hear Tula. 


Absolutely. It's very individualized, so I work one on one with women, so it is really tailored to what is going on specifically with them and there are lots of different reasons why you might be struggling to get pregnant, but let's just say let's use that example of PCOS and blood sugar irregularities for somebody that may have PCOS or have blood sugar issues What we would do is just do a deep dive into their diet and lifestyle and try to uncover what might be it [00:19:00] Causing insulin levels to be high or what might be causing stressors or how we can implement a little bit more movement that fits into their lifestyle. 


And so I think a really common diagnosis that I'll see in the fertility space is unexplained infertility. And something that I do is help to explain that because I believe that isn't really true. an accurate diagnosis because there's always a reason why we're experiencing for fertility struggles. 


We just haven't, we maybe haven't uncovered that yet. And maybe that happens to be blood sugar. And that wasn't something that was uncovered in the first place. And we can work on that. And I do see that often that, when we do a little bit of a deeper dive and we look at blood sugar levels, or we look at nutrient levels. 


And so that being said, I've gotten to know a lot more and I get to hear a lot more of what is said to them by their providers and providers are not, do not provide individualized care. First off. That's not the norm. It's okay, everyone in this bracket, get this. Everyone in that, get that. And I'm not going to look at the person as a whole. 


Exactly. And it's but instead of saying, okay, let's get you to a, to a nutritionist, so let's have you meet with this specialist or that, they're like, Unexplained. Check. You're done. That's that. Live with it. I just, I feel like there's so many women, especially with PCOS. Now, my midwife was like, I got pregnant with most of my kids very young and had them like boom. 


And then Lo and behold, there I was at 42 having Grayson. So yeah, so I think there's just so much power in that. And there's a lot of women I found out afterwards. I didn't realize there was a connection when I got pregnant with him. But I found that out afterwards, after I had him and after I was done breastfeeding, I ended up doing the diet again, but I did it like a generic version of it with a group online. 


And that was her path to fertility when she was having infertility. So I just feel like there's so many different ways you can explore and learn. And there are things within your control. Cause I know 100 percent when you're going through that, you feel so out of control and you feel like your body is betraying you and you just. 


Because when we look at your records, we see how many pregnant, pregnancies you've had, how many living children you have. And we would have, we have tons of women come in who've had tons and tons of pregnancies and no living children. And prior to experiencing that, I would say it. I was, I wouldn't say I was callous, but I definitely didn't understand. 


So these women that you're working with are tender and raw and absolutely, yeah, and I can't tell you how many times I've had I've had women say I've never had somebody ask me these questions before, and there's, you need that time to be able to understand what's going on and, like, how many losses they've had and all of that, and They're deep dive into their history. 


And so to have. A provider that's gonna really be there for you and listen to you and help you through those like stresses that come along with the experience. It can be really powerful to have, to feel heard when it comes to your fertility journey. Yeah. Cause it's a tough journey. 


I remember I actually had to do a ton of research myself and I brought it to my OB and my midwife. And I was like, Can you do this? And can you do that? And can, and I remember the day that I, they did all these outside the box labs for me and I ended up finding out, I also had the MI call it the MFR. 


I have no idea what happened to it, but they took 40 tubes at once. Yeah, it was. And I know those of you listening who have experienced infertility, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It was so much blood. It's just a really tough experience. And if you are not someone who knows how to advocate for yourself, it can be even harder, which I don't really have that problem. 


And I just taught this last night and my fearless birth experience. So I get so fired up about this topic, but. Because in general, we've been taught that doctors are all knowing these gods who know everything. And if they're saying it, it must be but the truth of the matter, especially when it comes to women's health and pregnancy and birth is that they're taught to deal with the sick side. 


Like what is happening? And ask some questions and add some holistic crap to their treatment plans. Because it's all, Truthfully, the way we eat is so unhealthy, the things we add into our body are so processed and so unhealthy, that of course that lends to the infertility issues, like of course it does. 


Absolutely. Yes. And I would, I think that's such an important conversation and I would To advocate for yourself, right? And I know you talk a lot about that and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself. And I would challenge anybody who's been given that diagnosis of unexplained infertility to not accept that and. 


They're very good at doing surgeries and birthing babies and all those wonderful things. But they might not, they might be overlooking the nutrition piece, the lifestyle piece. And that can be hard to, like we were talking about earlier, it can be hard to make those changes. But it can be worth it. Yeah I agree. 


I know you said one on one, but how does that how does that work? Yeah, absolutely. So I offer one on one counseling. So I offer packages where we work together one on one for a minimum of four months, because that is the amount of time that it takes to help make a positive impact on your egg quality and see those changes through with your nutrition and lifestyle that can, when you make those changes, it takes that amount of time to, to make that positive impact to really see. 


And we do a deep dive on your diet, lifestyle, your medical history, all that. And we'll uncover those things that are. making it challenging for you to get pregnant. And so that's what I offer as far as packages go. And my website is littlelifenutrition. com and I have a free free Fertility nutrition guide on my website that you can download there. 


You drop off. So we love that you are doing what you're doing. It's so important. It's so impactful. And that's really what matters because it is life changing. For these mamas. I hope you're, I hope you're keeping like a little like booklet or something of your mamas who have had success. 


That's really awesome. That's a great idea. Yeah. Yeah. I definitely do something along those lines. But thank you so much for having me. And this was a really great conversation. And when you start having your babies, you'll have to come back and hang out with me. Absolutely. I would love that. Thank you guys for listening. Have a wonderful day, Becca. 


We'll see you again next Friday. Bye for now.