Five minutes with Charlotte Grand Interview For nutritional therapist and ION graduate Charlotte Grand, the journey to motherhood wasn't easy. She tells us how her own struggles led to the creation of the The Fertility Kitchen, a resource to support other women wanting to optimise their fertility, and why she wrote her new book, The Fertility Kitchen: The essential guide to supporting your fertility. What’s the story behind The Fertility Kitchen? “I founded The Fertility Kitchen following my personal fertility struggles, during which I discovered there was a lack of practical advice on diet and lifestyle. I decided to do my own research and transform this into real food and everyday eating, by creating recipes to optimise fertility. I transformed my diet and lifestyle, and retrained in nutrition. “When I began working with fertility clients, I realised that other women were also dissatisfied by the lack of fertility nutrition and lifestyle advice available. I thought about how I could draw on my personal and professional experience to educate and inspire others and create a community for women on their path to motherhood. I had a lightbulb moment, and The Fertility Kitchen was born. “Through my business, I provide the guidance and inspiration women need to advocate for themselves and am committed to bringing my message to as many women navigating infertility as possible via my website, social media, TFAB [Trying For A Baby] wellness online membership, Optimise IVF course, and soon my book, The Fertility Kitchen: The essential guide to supporting your fertility. “My fertility journey guided me on a path to better health and led me to my calling. I have found purpose and can now give back by inspiring other women to take control of their fertility and hopefully make their journey that little bit easier.” How does nutrition impact fertility? “I believe that food is the most powerful ingredient for creating optimal fertility. I’m often asked, ‘do you really need a fertility diet?’ and my answer is yes absolutely! Food provides the building blocks for new cells, so a preconception diet quite literally lays the foundations of your future child’s health. “Everything your body does requires nutrients, which you get from food. Diet has a huge impact on all body systems that affect fertility, including your hormones, immune system, detoxification, blood-sugar regulation and digestion. Building a baby is a nutrient-intense process and a key focus of my business is providing the evidence-based health and nutrition information, delicious recipes and practical, down-to-earth advice that will help women to build the nutrient-dense diet that they need to be able to do this.” Is there a common root cause to the fertility problems you come across in clinic? “No, we are all different and I’m passionate about unravelling my clients’ health stories to get to the heart of their fertility issues. I help them transform their health using nutrition and lifestyle changes. I do the same in my book, I don’t offer a one-size-fits-all approach - instead I share how to create a personalised nutrition and lifestyle plan. “The book is split into three pillars: Fertility, Food and Life. Fertility covers six foundations for optimal health and fertility (gut health, blood-sugar balance, liver detoxification, thyroid health, egg quality and your partner’s sperm quality), and explains how to identify any issues in these areas and support them through the Food and Life pillars.” What lifestyle advice would you give to those struggling to conceive? “Firstly, to recognise that the foundation of optimal health and fertility is lifestyle, and that self-care isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. There is a saying: ‘mother yourself before you mother another’ - I believe it’s vital to embrace this concept to optimise your fertility. How can you expect to grow and nourish a baby if you don’t nourish yourself? “For me, lifestyle encompasses stress, sleep, movement, environment and mindset. I would encourage someone struggling to conceive to determine which areas they need to bring into balance as it will be different for everyone. It could be stress reduction, sleep optimisation, moving more, minimising exposure to environmental toxins, or working on mindset. In my book, I outline the impact that lifestyle can have on fertility and offer strategies to achieve balance across all aspects of life.” What was your favourite thing about studying at ION? “I was drawn to ION because the course combines the latest theoretical knowledge from the science of nutrition with extensive clinical training. From a practical viewpoint, as a mother of young children, I appreciated the flexibility of learning routes offered by ION and opted to study online.” Why did you decide to write a book? “When navigating infertility, I was dissatisfied with the lack of fertility nutrition and lifestyle advice available. I wanted a fertility nutrition cookbook that not only explained what nutrients were vital for fertility, but also how that translated into real food and everyday eating. I wanted a beautiful, vibrant cookbook full of delicious recipes that made eating for my fertility a breeze, not a boring text-driven paperback! The Fertility Kitchen is the guide that I needed on my journey, and I hope that it helps others on theirs.” What’s next for The Fertility Kitchen? “Up next is The Fertility Kitchen podcast which I’m planning to launch in September 2022. The mission of the podcast is to educate and inspire and encourage open, honest conversation around fertility. After that I’ll be focusing on The Fertility Kitchen lifestyle app so that I can provide more value to my community, build a stronger brand and scale my business. I want to share The Fertility Kitchen philosophy with a wider audience and offer a holistic approach to fertility, all in one place. I’m also working on my next cookbook!” The Fertility Kitchen: The essential guide to supporting your fertility by Charlotte Brand is due for publication on 23 June 2022 (Quercus Publishing). For more information or to work with Charlotte, visit TheFertilityKitchen.co.uk or follow her @TheFertilityKitchen. Interested in finding out more about nutritional therapy? Find out about some of the different aspects of working as a nutritional therapist. Download our eBook "Why become a Nutritional Therapist" Find out about a career in nutritional therapy Manage Cookie Preferences