This week is National Fertility Awareness Week.
I am concentrating on a number of issues which can impact on Fertility. What we eat can have a big impact on our ability to conceive. It is a good idea to try to reduce as much as possible highly processed carbs, caffeine and sugar. Some foods are regarded as especially helpful if you are trying to conceive and it is a good idea to include as many as possible of these in your diet. These include almonds, apples, apricots, advocados, coconut and coconut milk, grapefruit,leafy greens and spinach, pumpkin seeds,quinoa, sweet potatoes and walnuts.
Foods to avoid are soya, peas and rhubarb as they have contraceptive compounds in them!
If you are interested in healthy eating and fertility here are a few helpful suggestions to improve your diet.
Healthy eating and fertility will also improve your general health as well as improving your chances of conception.
- Aim for a balanced diet
- Eat foods that are in season and as close to their natural state as possible
- Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables
- Eat protein with every meal
- Drink plenty of water
- Avoid fizzy drinks and caffeine
- Use food rather than suplements to provide the nutrition you need.
- Avoid too much cold food
- Reduce sugar – eat low/moderate GI foods. These make us feel fuller longer.
The aim is to improve the way the digestive system works:
- So that it is better able to absorb vital nutrients from food.
- To restore the blood sugar balance for improved hormonal control (especially important if you suffer from PCOS).
- Make any lifestyle changes (such as cutting back on convenience food) to assist your body to help itself
- restore the delicate acid/alkaline balance in the body. A Fertile body is one which is not too acidic – high protein diets tend to make the body too acidic.
