[00:00:00] Welcome to the PCOS Fertility Health Podcast, where you will learn how to boost your chances of getting pregnant. You are in the right place if you have PCOS and you are struggling to get pregnant. You are tired of getting dismissive information like, just eat better and stay on birth control. And you want fertility answers.

[00:00:23] Join me, your host, Dr. Angela Potter to learn key steps to optimize fertility with PCOS. I am the creator of the PCOS Fertility Protocol and have also shared the stage with leaders from companies like Microsoft and Google. So get ready for another powerful episode about boosting fertility with PCOS.

[00:00:44] Let's dive in.

[00:00:49] Today you are going to get seven of my favorite breakfast ideas for enhancing fertility with PCOS. I hope you've [00:01:00] listened to the blood sugar balancing episode a few weeks back about the importance of blood sugar and PCOS. If not head on over and, um, listen to that one first. Okay. But before we get into these recipes for you and ideas for breakfast, I wanted to make sure that you've gotten your P.

[00:01:23] C. O. S. Fertility checklist. Okay. This is a free resource that I have for you and this is really important. It's 10 items that you need in place in order to. Improve your fertility with the top 3 items that I list on the checklist are ones that I am tracking with every person who is working with me on fertility.

[00:01:50] So those top 3 are going to be most important to. just have written down your tracking on your body [00:02:00] so that you know these important signs that are showing you are, are you ovulating or not? What is your PCOS type? So you want to get clarity on those. And then the, the rest of the seven are important.

[00:02:16] Pieces of a P. C. O. S. Fertility plan that you want to be sure that you have on board in order to help your fertility. So, if you're currently working with a doctor who is just saying, oh, you know, lose weight and everything's going to happen, or, you know, the only thing I can give you is and after that, you're going to have to try I.

[00:02:37] B. F. Then you need this checklist because you're going to see what you're missing out on and what you need to get in place in order to help improve your fertility. Okay? So you can get that at drangelapotter. com forward slash checklist. I will include that link in the show notes so that you can just hop right on over there and get access to that.[00:03:00]

[00:03:01] So today we are diving into some breakfast ideas. And why are we doing this? Well, number 1, I want to give you some just foundational good information that you can move forward with that helps you start implementing support for your body to help improve your fertility and food is the foundation of all good health and you might be wondering, well, Why are you qualified to be talking with me about what foods to be eating to support fertility?

[00:03:37] And that's a great question, because in most medical schools, nutrition is not included, or maybe it's just like. you know, a couple of hours in this whole big medical curriculum. So I am a functional medicine practitioner. So I have been well versed in nutrition [00:04:00] throughout my medical training and As well, I was a nutritionist before I even became a doctor and nutrition is my passion.

[00:04:11] It's where I first became really excited about health and in my nutrition program. So I did my undergraduate degree in nutrition in that program. Culinary arts was a part of that. It was wonderful. I, you know, we have this big, beautiful kitchen and we would go down there and cook recipes, develop recipes.

[00:04:36] And so that is really the foundation of my training as a doctor, because that's what catapulted me into wanting to know more about health and all of that. And right now I'm focused more on the clinical side. Of course, I'm talking about nutrition and recipes with everyone who's working with me. But if you're interested in more of the cooking [00:05:00] side of things, classes, let me know, because I'm developing these things based on what you need, what would really benefit you.

[00:05:11] So if that's something that you're interested in, let me know, because I can start putting some things together. So my background in nutrition and culinary arts is why we are talking here today about breakfast ideas. So. Blood sugar is super important to balance for PCOS and insulin resistance, which is blood sugar that's been imbalanced for a long period of time and leading to actual insulin issues could be a prediabetes picture.

[00:05:48] But when that's happening, that insulin is increased, that increases testosterone, which then shuts down ovulation. And so that's super important to [00:06:00] get your blood sugar and insulin dialed in when you're wanting to get pregnant with PCOS. Some people with PCOS might have... actual insulin resistance, uh, their, you know, hemoglobin A1c is elevated, things like that.

[00:06:16] And they know that this is an important part that is their PCOS type that they're focused on, which is why it's super important for others. Perhaps they don't have anything on lab work that's diagnosable, but still, you know, you get headaches. You get shaky, you get hangry, and blurry vision if you've gone too long without eating.

[00:06:40] And that's another important sign that blood sugar needs to be dialed in, in order to help improve your fertility. Because blood sugar is so important, that's really the focus of a a beneficial fertility food plan for PCOS. [00:07:00] Intermittent fasting is really popular right now. There, you know, there is benefits to it to support your mitochondria, which can help improve egg quality.

[00:07:11] But for so many people, and particularly for those of us who already struggle with blood sugar rising and falling too high and too low, That intermittent fasting really does mess with the blood sugar even more. And so, I don't recommend that kind of a fertility food plan. It's more about focusing on the blood sugar.

[00:07:37] These recipes and these breakfast ideas I'm going to give you are focused exactly on that. So that you're eating something in the morning that helps increase your blood sugar levels because you most likely have not eaten since the night before. And so you have gone a good, you know, 10, 12, 15 hours without eating and so [00:08:00] getting your body.

[00:08:00] set up to have a good day forward of balanced blood sugar, because when you eat in the morning, that's setting you up for your whole day forward. If you, you know, are eating something really sugary in the morning, that's contributing to that blood sugar just spiking, insulin spiking. It's hard throughout the rest of the day to To kind of swing back from that to get your body back into balance.

[00:08:30] You need more food. You need more concentration on protein and sometimes even sugar to come back from a blood sugar crash. And so you want to be setting yourself up in the morning. Talking about blood sugar is also really important because. So much in the fertility world and PCOS, we are just inundated with signs of you gotta lose weight.

[00:08:59] [00:09:00] Like, maybe your doctor has even told you, well, you know, just lose weight and it'll take care of itself. Or, you know, you're obese and the only way to treat your PCOS is to eat 500 calories a day. Even outside of the fertility world, we just get crushed with all of these images and weight loss ads and all the things.

[00:09:23] And so when you're trying to get pregnant and that's the kind of messaging that you're getting, and so then you're focused on calorie counting, eating low amounts of calories and low fat items, things like that. That just sets you up for, honestly, not a successful food plan, because that increases stress, that increases food cravings, and so maybe you can eat that way for one day, and then, you know, you just, you can't do it, so the next day you're just eating so much, and [00:10:00] then have all those guilty feelings, and all of that.

[00:10:05] Really focusing on this blood sugar balancing on nourishment and supporting your body for fertility is what I am going to share with you and why I want to give you these tips so that you can move forward with something that is. delicious and supportive for you, not only enhancing your fertility, but also helping your mood throughout the day, helping sleep at night because blood sugar crashes are one of the number one causes of insomnia and, um, you know, backing up to mood, right?

[00:10:41] That imbalanced blood sugar levels impact our mood. And so when you're Your blood sugar has crashed that can lead to irritability and anger and things that can be managed with blood sugar and to help, you know, your skin and your hair and all of these other aspects of your [00:11:00] health, just for you to help feel better as you're improving your fertility.

[00:11:05] So with that, let's dive into these seven breakfast tips for you. So, uh, again, we are focused on blood sugar balancing. In the world of food, that means having a good amount of protein, whole grains, veggies, nutrient dense veggies, excuse me, healthy fats. Those are really the four things to have on hand in order to set you up for any meal.

[00:11:36] For balanced blood sugar. How do you do that at breakfast? Well, here are some tips. Okay. Number one would be boiled eggs, poached eggs with avocado toast. Eggs are wonderful for fertility, particularly the yolks. Okay. Yes. The yolks are where the calories are, but that's also where the nutrients are [00:12:00] that the, the whites hold the protein, which are great, but you want that combined with the nutrients, the carotenoids, the protein, um, all the proteins in the white, um, those nutrients in the yolk.

[00:12:16] The yolk contains all the necessary nutrients in order to create a baby chick. Now, of course, the egg you're eating has not been fertilized and is not creating a baby chick, but it holds all those nutrients. capable of. And so then you eating these really yummy, delicious eggs helps provide your body with fertility nutrients.

[00:12:41] So doing a quick poached egg in water and then having that with a side of toast, whole wheat toast, sourdough toast. If If you're having some digestive issues or if you want to be supporting gut health as well with some avocado, which is a good, [00:13:00] healthy fat. Alright, next one is oatmeal with, um, well, so oatmeal is a really wonderful whole grain, right?

[00:13:11] Oatmeal by itself, even though it is a whole grain. If you just had a plain bowl of oatmeal, oftentimes. 1st thing in the morning, that's going to lead to a blood sugar rise and crash that you just don't want. But there's an easy way to switch that up a yummy way to switch that up. And so, when I am having oatmeal, and I want to be sure that it's helping balance my blood sugar, then I'm adding some things into it, like a nut butter.

[00:13:40] Mix that in, uh, nut or seed butter, right? You could try some sunflower seed, uh, sun butter, right? From sunflower seeds and almond butter, peanut butter, or something like that. Add in a spoonful of yogurt. And that's good for protein, and that is good to [00:14:00] support your gut health, right? Populate your gut with all of that beneficial bacteria, as long as you are choosing a yogurt that has been fermented.

[00:14:10] Some yogurts are fermented into the yogurt, and then they are, um, like, Pasteurized at that point, or the bacteria isn't there anymore. So make sure that your yogurt contains good bacteria. So you've got your nut butter in there a little bit of yogurt. Um, it's some good spices cinnamon in there, which cinnamon is beneficial to help balance blood sugar.

[00:14:33] So that is an added bonus. Maybe a little nutmeg, something like that. and those warming spices. Sometimes I'll even add a little bit of chili powder. I mean, just the tiniest pinch, right? But just, but to add that heat and maybe some raisins in there and, um, or nuts, right? If you don't want to do nut butter, some crushed up nuts and mix that all up.

[00:14:59] So [00:15:00] you've got your protein and you've got your whole grain together for just this really lovely nourishing. Warming breakfast to set your day up. All right, idea number three, three, is a frittata. So an egg dish that is usually cooked in a, you know, like a 12 inch pan. And A bunch of eggs in there and that's a good way to get those veggies.

[00:15:29] So I like to put, you know, get some onions going and put greens in there. Sometimes I'll sauté up some squash and. Just saute that all together. You could add a meat. If you like bacon or sausage, something like that, you can add that in and then pour in some eggs. I do like to make sure that there are greens in there.

[00:15:54] So spinach, kale, chard, mushrooms, Mixed in with the eggs, and then [00:16:00] that gets baked. That's something that's really great to cook on, say, a Sunday or even a Monday morning, and then have in the fridge, just cut up in slices throughout the week. So then all you have to do is heat it up. You could eat it with a side of brown rice.

[00:16:17] A side of oatmeal, a side of whole wheat toast or sourdough toast, and that is just really yummy and delicious. It's a good amount of calories, healthy fats to set you up. Okay, uh, breakfast idea number four is an oatmeal crisp with fruits. And so this is where you basically make some oatmeal and you can add in.

[00:16:46] The spices, a little bit of cinnamon. I like to add in a good amount of either butter or coconut milk for this. You cook up the oatmeal and then you chop up like an apple or a pear. Those [00:17:00] go really nicely with these, particularly right now when I'm doing this. It's the fall, so it's apple and pear season.

[00:17:07] Chop those up. You might put a little maple syrup with those. Layer the chopped fruits in the bottom of a baking dish and then put the oatmeal on top. And then the, I do like to pre cook it. I have tried recipes where the oatmeal is not cooked, more of a breakfast crisp. And it just, the oatmeal stays a little crunchy.

[00:17:33] So cook up your oatmeal first, put it over the fruits and then bake it in an oven for, you know, 20 minutes or so. And then you've got this lovely breakfast crisp. Again, something nice, you could make, you know, a big nine by 13 pan of that and then have that throughout the week and it's ready to go just to heat up.

[00:17:56] I do recommend having a warm breakfast in the [00:18:00] morning, particularly when you're trying to get pregnant. I have a whole. Episode about that, about the importance of warming foods to support your digestion, particularly if you live in an area where it's already cold out. I want to mention something else about oatmeal, and that is, you know, there's a wide variety of types of oats available.

[00:18:23] So you could get quick oats. You could get rolled oats, which. The cooking time is really the difference there. You could get steel cut oats, which again, cooking time take into consideration. Steel cut oats are the longest cooking, but because steel cut oats are the longest, I. Like those the best because now hear me out.

[00:18:48] Don't don't think well because you have two hours to get breakfast ready in the morning. No. So what we do in my house is the night before we [00:19:00] boil water and then add the steel cut oats into the boiling water and let it boil for like. You know, 30 to 60 seconds and then put a lid over it and turn the heat off and just leave it there on the stove the next morning.

[00:19:14] Those oats are cooked and just add a little bit of water, heat it up and you've got a nice batch of steel cut oats to add to your peanut butter and. Yogurt and cinnamon and cayenne and to make that warm, yummy blood sugar balancing breakfast. All right, so breakfast idea number five is egg cups. A lot of these breakfast ideas, I want to be sure that you have.

[00:19:45] One's that are good when you're busy, and maybe you don't have any time in the morning, but to just grab something and rush out the door. Of course, granola bars tend to be super easy for that. And so these egg [00:20:00] cups are a really good alternative because granola bars tend to be high in sugar, the grains that they're you that you.

[00:20:07] that are used are typically, uh, high processed if they're adding like a cereal grain in there, like a dry cereal. And so, you know, if, if you've got to rely on granola bars, that's fine. But if you're able to add in something else that's really easy, but extra nourishing, these are some ideas. So these egg cups, similar to a frittata, but what you do is you can start by cooking on the stove, right?

[00:20:39] Get some onions in there, maybe some squash, definitely greens, again, you know, spinach, kale, chard, those dark leafy greens. Get those in the pan and then get your muffin tin out oil, your muffin tin, butter, coconut oil, things like that. And then put [00:21:00] your veggies in there. Put your eggs in. You could put a little bit of cheese on top and then pop those in the oven.

[00:21:08] Again, you then have, you know, most muffin tins, depending on the size of the muffins, are going to have 12 in that pan. So if you pop those in the oven, And then cook them. You have breakfast for the next week ready for you. And again, they can just be put in a little baggie or Tupperware, whatever, in your fridge so that you can just grab it and go.

[00:21:34] So then another story. Super simple breakfast idea is just a piece of toast with either a nut butter or a seed butter or avocado. And these are great, you know, choose a whole grain bread, potentially a sourdough bread, again, to help with digestion. And having the nut butter or the avocado, and if you're having [00:22:00] avocado, add a hard boiled egg on top of that or on the side.

[00:22:05] You can have a hard boiled egg on the side of a piece of toast with the nut butter. Because I don't know how delicious the egg would be on the nut butter, but if that's what you like, cool. And so again, it's about having, you know, a little bit of whole grains with you, protein, healthy fats. And so hard boiled eggs are great to have in the fridge.

[00:22:28] Again, you could cook up a pot of a dozen eggs or six eggs and keep those in the fridge. You can even peel. Every 1 of them, right? So you've cooked them, you've peeled them and they're in the fridge. So then in those early mornings, you were just putting a piece of toast in the toaster, adding some avocado, grabbing your egg and there you have just this wonderful, warm, nourishing breakfast and then breakfast idea.

[00:22:59] Number [00:23:00] 7. Is to have an egg in whatever way, you know, maybe poached scrambles or your hard boiled eggs that you hard boiled the other day and having that over roasted sweet potatoes or making like a sweet potato hash brown and I love sweet potatoes, particularly here in the fall, but they just have that sweetness to them.

[00:23:26] They are rich in carotenoids and antioxidants, and so if you just have some roasted sweet potato cooked up, I like to cube mine, put a little olive oil, put some nice salt on it and bake it in the oven for. About 45 minutes to an hour at 400, and then they get nice and crispy, but I would have done that say on the weekend or on one day where I had some extra time.

[00:23:54] And then I kept those sweet potatoes in the fridge. So then just pop them out, warm them up, [00:24:00] have an egg in whatever way that you like, have 2 or 3 eggs, honestly, like. Also, when I say an egg, I'm not meaning like, okay, but we want to follow those calories, like make sure you're only eating one egg. No, like if you find that your blood sugar has dipped really low at night and you really need a bigger breakfast.

[00:24:20] Some of us need bigger breakfast, then go ahead and have two or three eggs and that's just providing your body with more nourishment. So have some eggs cooked up in the way that you like. Scrambled can be really fast and easy or have them hard boiled or poach an egg and have it with the nourishing yummy sweet potatoes and or you can make like a sweet potato hash brown.

[00:24:45] I did recently see a recipe where you make hash browns in a waffle maker. So I haven't tried that yet, but I love that idea. And when I try it, I will report back to you. So these [00:25:00] seven breakfast ideas are all focused on helping keep your blood sugar balanced first thing in the morning to set you up for a day where your mood is balanced.

[00:25:12] Your energy stays up throughout the day. You're setting yourself up for good sleep at night. And most importantly, you are keeping your blood sugar balanced, set up for a balanced day to help improve your hormone levels, to help improve ovulation for your fertility. So I hope you jotted down these notes.

[00:25:35] Let me know when you try these breakfasts, how you like them. Uh, and if there's a favorite breakfast that you have that really sets up your blood sugar and is delicious, let me know. I would love to curate a list of recipes. So, thank you so much for being here this week. You are amazing. If nobody has told you this today, you are an absolute light in [00:26:00] this world and you have incredible gifts to share.

[00:26:03] And I am confident that you can create a life that opens up the best chance that you can have in order to get pregnant. I'll see you next week.

[00:26:14] Thank you so much for being here. It is such an honor to be on this platform with you and to have you in this community. So thank you. As we wrap things up today, I want to share the legal language with you. This podcast is for informational purposes only. It should not replace the medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment given to you by your doctor.