Breast milk is the ideal food for babies.¹ It not only provides nourishment but it is also designed to provide immune system support and protection.^{1(121), 2} The interesting thing about breast milk is that its composition is always transforming and changing because the mother’s food intake is always changing. This not only provides optimal nutrition for the needs of the infant, but it also introduces the infant to many different flavors which helps to mold their future eating habits.¹⁽¹²¹⁾

The first initial form of breast milk is a fluid that is called colostrum.²⁽¹⁶⁴⁾ It is thick and sometimes yellow, and is produced in the first several days of birth. Colostrum is higher in protein and lower in carbohydrate and fat than mature breast milk which is produced a couple of weeks after the birth. Colostrum is very important as it inoculates the infant with secretory immunoglobulin A and lactoferrin proteins as well as other proteins that are found in breast milk. Infants only need a small amount of approximately 1.5-2 tsp per feeding for several days of this special first milk. What is noticeable about the composite of colostrum is that it has 151 mcg of Vitamin A as retinol versus only 75 mcg found in mature milk. It is also higher in the electrolytes -sodium, potassium and chloride. A mother’s breast milk is designed to provide immunological protection to the infant via mononuclear cells. These mononuclear cells are highest in colostrum but they are also present in mature milk.²⁽¹⁶⁵⁾

Hundreds of nutrient components consisting of

Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) and Advanced Lipoxidation End Products (ALEs) are pathogenic glycotoxins and lipotoxins which can cause oxidative damage and inflammation leading to the progression of chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, cancer, heart disease and kidney disease.

Many foods and cooking methods can increase your exposure to AGEs and ALEs. They are formed through a non-enzymatic reaction that occurs between reducing sugars and proteins, fats or nucleic acids.

Your diet and the methods which you prepare your foods can increase your exposure to AGEs and ALEs. Here are some diet and cooking tips which can

Researchers have identified a trend in declining male reproductive health.¹ This includes an increased incidence of cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (opening of the urethra located on the underside of the penis), testicular cancer and a reduction in the quality of sperm. Exposure to environmental chemicals, which can disrupt the endocrine system, are thought to be the cause. In fact, there are large population research studies which note a higher incidence of hypospadias and cryptorchidism in association with parental exposure to pesticides and environmental chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system. Cryptorchidism and hypospadias are the most common urogenital congenital birth defects. Research also correlates lower penile length in boys with cryptorchidism and hypospadias.

Xenobiotics are chemicals which are man-made.² They can enter the body through the skin, gastrointestinal tract and lungs. These exogenous man-made environmental chemical toxins are linked to disease when the body can’t adequately detoxify them. Each person has a unique

Dreaming of growing your family but having difficulty conceiving? Reproduction is complex and involves the interrelationship of genetic, biological, environmental and behavioral processes. Infertility is diagnosed as the inability to become pregnant after one year of unprotected sex.

If you are struggling to conceive, there can be many causes some of which are diet and lifestyle related. Nutrition is an important treatment intervention for infertility because it can address proper body fat, help incorporate necessary antioxidants which protect egg and sperm from damage, and provide necessary vitamins and minerals which are needed for proper metabolic and hormone function.

A clinical nutritionist can provide patients with preconception and fertility counseling based on a