A Cup of Dahl + 3 Fertility Facts Worth Knowing

There is an evident chill and crispness in the air.  The days are noticeably drawing in and the need for some hearty and warming food is upon us.  It’s a nice change to say the least.

  I have been super busy over the last couple of weeks with extra shifts at work to contend with.  My work as a Fertility Nurse is never dull and I think it would be a fair call to  say it is the most complex area of nursing I have ever worked in.  Everyday I make a new discovery about the female and male reproductive systems and everyday I learn something about human nature.  Talking openly about human reproduction is not something everyone is comfortable with which contributes to a lack of understanding and knowledge when it comes the cycle of reproduction.   With that said I thought I would share some basic fertility facts that tend to surprise women whenever we meet.

1. A woman has two ovaries, each the size of an almond

2. A woman is born with all the eggs she will ever have 

3.  Female fertility starts to decline at the age of 27 

And one more thing - the ovaries are super sensitive to everything going on in the body so treat them with care and nourish them with beautiful food that they can do great things with.  A good starting point might be with a cup of dahl.............

Dahl

Serves 4 – 6

1 brown onion, sliced thinly

3 tsp turmeric,

1 tsp garam masala

knob of ginger 2.5cm x 2.5cm thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely crushed

1 cup red lentils

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 – 2.5 cups water or vegetable stock (see note below)

1 carrot roughly diced

½ red capsicum

¼ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

¼ cup coconut milk

1 tsp sea salt

Black pepper to season

1 Tbs roughly chopped coriander (add as much as you like)

Heat a dollop of coconut oil in a medium size saucepan placed over medium heat

Add the brown onion, tumeric, garam masala, ginger and garlic, stirring until onions soften

Add the lentils, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, tomato paste, diced carrots, red capsicum and water

Reduce heat to a low simmer, place a lid on the saucepan and continue cooking for another 30 mins or until lentils soften and become mushy

Add the lime juice, coconut milk, sea salt and black pepper to season

Sprinkle with fresh coriander to serve

* if dahl becomes to thick feel free to add additional water to thin if needed.