Nutrition and Fertility: How to Fuel Your Body For Fertility
It may seem like a no-brainer, but what we eat impacts our overall health immensely. Taking time to choose the right foods and supplements will help bring your body into balance and help prepare you for pregnancy. We all need to eat, so make sure the foods that you are putting into your body are working for you, not against you!
Below are some highlights of foods that can be incorporated into a fertility friendly diet. I also mention which foods to stay away from. Remember, everything in moderation!
Tips for a Fertility Friendly Diet
Focus your diet around whole foods. This means lots of organic, non-processed foods.
Protein is such an important aspect of a healthy diet! Including lean, organic meats and fish. Nonmeat sources of protein can include legumes and nuts. Eggs are also an excellent source of protein, but try to buy organic, hormone-free, free-range sources. Try to incorporate fish that are lower on the food chain and have less heavy metals like lead and mercury. Salmon, anchovies, and trout are excellent choices.
Complex carbohydrates are a very important part of a fertility friendly diet. These are usually starchy vegetables (e.g., sweet potatoes), brown rice, quinoa, and beans.
Monounsaturated fats like olive oil (unheated) and avocados help decrease inflammation in the body
Moderate amount of saturated fats, like butter (or ghee) from grass-fed cows. These fats provide building blocks of hormones and enhance the immune system.
Incorporate high antioxidant containing foods, which includes anything that is naturally colorful, especially beans, greens, and berries! Antioxidants are known to have anti-inflammatory affects. Anti-inflammatory foods include:
Omega 3 Containing Foods: Cold water oily fish (herring, salmon, anchovies and sardines), grass-fed beef, walnuts, flax seeds, olive oil, berries, green veggies, etc.
Cruciferous Veggies: Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and Brussel sprouts.
Bone Broth: Marrow is a very powerful food that can make you strong and build your energy. Be careful of the brand you purchase, as some bone broth has been found to have high levels of heavy metals.
Eat less of these foods:
Sugar: Diets high in sugar lead to blood sugar highs and lows and spike insulin levels. High blood sugar levels can be toxic to our cells and lead to vascular injury and long-term health issues like diabetes.
Processed Foods and/or Simple Carbohydrates: My rule of thumb: If it was made in a factory and not grown on a farm, then it shouldn’t go into my body (except on rare occasion). Simple carbs are processed by our bodies just like sugar and leads to the same blood sugar and insulin spikes. Avoiding simple carbs like white bread, muffins/cake, white rice, and candy is important. Better choices include complex carbohydrates like vegetables, beans, brown rice, and whole grains.
Trans-fatty Acids: These are fats found in most fried foods, shortening, margarine and hydrogenated vegetable oil. These fats impair the proper functioning of the immune and reproductive system.
High-Mercury Containing Fish: Avoiding fish that contains mercury is important throughout life, but especially while trying to conceive and during pregnancy. Eating more fresh fish is a healthy choice but making sure to avoid the high mercury containing fish including Tuna, grouper, mackerel, and swordfish.
Nutrition is an essential pillar of health and so interconnected in our cultural and societal practices. We are built to get nutrients from our food, so it’s important to pay attention to what we put into our bodies.
At Nurture, we will help make personal nutrition recommendations for you based on your hormonal and fertility goals. We are passionate about treating the whole women when it comes to her ability to get pregnant.
About The Author
Dana Ramsey is a Certified Nurse Midwife and has spent the past 15 years helping women navigate their gynecology, pregnancy, postpartum and menopausal challenges. Dana is dedicated to helping her patients overcome conditions impacting their ability to conceive and maintain a successful pregnancy.
