Make Nutritional Choices To Boost Your Fertility

Eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle is something we should ALWAYS be trying to work towards, but it is also very important for conception and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. 

Here are just a few reasons that it’s important to focus on healthy choices:

v Helps with hormone imbalances

v Gives you energy

v Creates/maintains a healthy reproductive system

v Creates optimal health

v May decrease chances of a miscarriage¹

According to a Harvard study that was done, switching to a fertility diet decreased infertility by 80%!²  That just goes to show that there is something in this journey of infertility that we may actually have control over, and it has a pretty big weigh in too. 

It only makes sense that if your body isn’t healthy, it’s probably working overboard just to take care of itself without adding another little person into the equation.  Obviously there are other factors to consider when trying to become pregnant, but whether medical intervention is necessary or not, why not boost your chances of pregnancy by making sure your health is at it’s best!

One of my favorite books about maximizing fertility is Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility. I love how simple and to the point it is, as well as the different infertility stories that are shared throughout the book that are so easy to relate to.  Some of the key nutritional guidelines suggested in the book to follow include:

v Eating fresh, seasonal, and organic food

v Eating whole grains

v Eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables

v Eating healthy fats

o   Essential Fatty Acids such as fish, flaxseeds, and flaxseed oil are some of the best sources to get those Omega-3’s. 

v Getting an adequate amount of quality protein

o   It has been found that not getting enough protein is linked with poor egg quality.

o   Ideas for protein sources include:

§  Meat

§  Fish

§  Eggs

§  Dairy

§  Vegetable sources

§  Beans

§  Lentils

§  Brown rice

§  Quinoa

§  Other whole grains

§  Nuts

§  Seeds

v Choosing alkaline foods

v And of course, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER!  (General recommendation is 8, 8 oz. glasses a day). 

*One of the above suggestions listed is eating organic foods and this is something that I struggled with as they can be SO expensive! BUT, there are some major health benefits, especially for those who may already be having problems regulating their hormones.  Non-organic foods contain chemicals, pesticides, and other contaminants that are hard on our bodies.  Non-organic meats and dairy have added hormones that interfere with our own, making it difficult for our bodies to find balance.  

v Foods to stay away from:

v Trans fats

v Refined sugar

v Artificial sweeteners

v MSG

Basically, if you stick to whole foods, you’re golden!

My favorite part of all is that they recommend following the 80% rule- they don’t expect you to eat 100% healthy 100% of the time. In fact, they want you to cheat! Thank goodness.  It’s all about making realistic goals for yourself that you’ll be able to stick to and be positive about, rather than causing unnecessary stress to something that can already be stressful.  The key is consistency.³

-Rachel

¹ Rodriguez, Hethir.  The Natural Fertility Diet: How to Eat for Optimal Fertility.  Retrieved from http://natural-fertility-info.com/fertility-diet

² Rodriguez, Hethir. 

³ Sami S., David; Blakeway, Jill.  (2009).  Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility.  New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company