Before Baby Arrives: The Fertility and Pregnancy Nutrition Conversation Every Woman Should Hear - Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE – Episode 108 of the Life Possible Podcast

What if the nutrition choices women (and men) make before and during pregnancy don't just influence the health of the mother—but help shape the metabolic health of the next generation?In this episode of The Life Possible Podcast, Dr. John Barnes sits down with Lily Nichols, RDN, CDE, Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, researcher, and bestselling author of Real Food for Pregnancy, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes, and co-author of Real Food for Fertility.Lily has become one of the leading voices challenging conventional thinking around prenatal nutrition. Her work combines an extensive review of the scientific literature with a real-food, nutrient-dense approach to supporting women throughout the reproductive journey.This is an especially personal episode for Dr. Barnes as his daughter has just completed her “low-carb pregnancy” using Lily’s resources and enters her postpartum breastfeeding stage looking for guidance during this next important stage of motherhood!Together, John and Lily explore the powerful connection between nutrition, metabolic health, fertility, pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and postpartum recovery—and why the standard nutrition advice given to women may deserve a much closer look.Which of the macronutrients have been over-blown in importance in the traditional guidelines for pregnancy nutrition, and which ones take on extra special importance for fertility, during and after pregnancy? This conversation isn't about following another restrictive “diet.” It's about asking much more important questions:What approach to nutrition does a woman’s physiology actually require to thrive during one of the most nutritionally demanding periods of her life? And what is the best approach to nutrition to grow the healthiest baby possible?And perhaps even more importantly - could improving metabolic health in women before, during, and after pregnancy help change the trajectory of health for the next generation?If you, or someone you know, are planning on getting pregnant, having trouble getting pregnant, or currently pregnant, this show has some really valuable information you are going to want to hear!