Interview: The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook with Cindy Bailey
Cindy Bailey shares her fertility diet from her book The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook and her own experience trying to conceive both naturally and with IVF. Drawing on her own experience with an infertility diagnosis, Cindy designed The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook with simplicity and efficacy in mind to help people get pregnant faster. She talks about how nutrition can optimize fertility and shares her insight into the art of letting go and the power of belief.
Cindy and I met at Pacific Fertility Center in 2008 in San Francisco and we reconnected recently in Santa Cruz where we both live years later. In her book you will find simple and delicious recipes to support fertility, based on her own fertility experience and nutrition research along the way. What really stands out in this interview to me is Cindy's heartfelt share about her own path to moving forward with a donor egg. She conceived both naturally and with the support of a donor egg via IVF. Her children are teens now and Cindy talks about her relationship with them, addressing some of the concerns people often have about children who do not share their DNA. Such an important conversation! Purchase The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook with a 15% discount to celebrate the book’s 15th anniversary at fertilekitchen.com. Cindy also has a coaching practice and can be contacted at cindy@fertilekitchen.com.
Time Stamps
00:20 Intro to the Fertile Kitchen Cookbook
Reflections 15 years later and Cindy’s own fertility journey.
02:58 Cindy’s simple and effective fertility program
How Cindy conceived of the nutrition and lifestyle program she lays out in the Fertile Kitchen Cookbook.
7:45 Navigating the effort and stress of optimizing fertility
How long should someone stick to this diet?
9:23 Relevance today and belief mindset
Cindy describes how so much of this diet remains relevant today, expands on the importance of stress reduction, sleep, and exercise, and mentions how mindset and belief can impact health and fertility.
12:00 The art of letting go
How we can navigate and balance the power of belief and the need for surrender along the fertility journey. Once you’ve done all you can, let go. This may be the hardest part.
15:45 Cindy’s second fertility journey with donor eggs
With a return to the fertility diet, introduction of acupuncture, failed IVF cycle, miscarriage, Cindy decided to use donor eggs to conceive her daughter.
19:04 Donor eggs, being ready+ open
Cindy describes how at peace she was, and continues to be, with her decision to use a donor egg.
21:29 Core principles of the Fertile Kitchen
What’s on Cindy’s “yes” and “no” lists, and the reasoning behind these eliminations and additions.
25:20 Adding vs. restricting and diet culture
The Fertile Kitchen Cookbook is all about proper and adequate nourishment, not about “dieting,” losing weight, or restricting.
27:00 Where to find the Fertile Kitchen, and discount code!
Cindy is offering a 50% discount on her book via the Fertile Kitchen website.
27:45 Cindy’s offerings
Hear about Cindy’s offerings as a fertility coach and how to get in touch with her.
29:40 Cindy’s recent health journey
Cindy’s experience using a self-directed neuroplasticity program to self-heal from chronic illness.
