Eating for male fertility:
Men can often feel side lined in the fertility process. However it does take 2 to make a baby! The woman provides the egg and the environment for the embryo to grow and mature. The man’s role is to provide healthy DNA via his sperm. So what do sperm need from food?
- Energy – sperm need lots of energy—they are on a journey
- Propulsion—they need to propel themselves along the woman’s reproductive pathway to reach the egg.
- Speed—It needs to be as speedy as possible so it gets there first.
- Power—it needs to have some power in reserve to penetrate the egg
- Environment of the sperm needs to be healthy
Therefore good nourishing food is just as important for men as for women. Think of an athlete in training for an Olympic event.
So how does this translate in food and what you eat?
- Proteins—these are the essential building blocks for sperm and can be found in fish, poultry, red meat and dairy products
- Folic acid helps protect the sperm from DNA damage. This is found in broccoli, brussel sprouts, peas and chick peas
- Omega 3 fatty acids, which make for flexible sperm are found in fish oil
Then there are minerals and vitamins:
- Vitamin D is really important and helps with motility We get most of our Vitamin D from sunlight but also from salmon, sardines and Shitake mushrooms
- Magnesium is found in almonds, green leafy veg, bananas
- Zinc, which increases sperm count, motivity and fertilising capacity can be found in meat, fish,chicken, eggs, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds beans and pulses
- Caritine, which provides energy is found in beef, pork, lamb, dairy products, so vegetarians may need to add as supplement
- B12 (found in meats, fish esp trout, salmon, sardines, cheese especially edam)
- Calcium (from watercress and leafy greens, such as broccoli, spinach, sesame seeds, tofu and figs). These are both important minerals. They are needed for healthy semen, the transporter of the sperm.
- L-arginine, which is found in walnuts , almonds, brazil nuts beans and lentils, is important for immune function , cell division and may also improve sperm count.
Ideally if both partners aim to adopt a healthy eating programme this helps to create another baby making bond.
Alongside healthy eating acupuncture can help to improve sperm motility and maturation.
For more information on acupuncture visit https://worcester-acupuncture.com/looking-holistic-approach-health-acupuncture/
