Dietitian’s Tip: Your Nutrition Affects Your Fertility!
Keeping up a healthy diet is important for our body to function at optimal levels. While in this day and age many unhealthy options tend to be easier and quicker to access, healthy options are overall better for us in the long term. This is especially true if you are trying to conceive. Think of your body like a car. If all you do is put gas in it (eat whatever), never change the oil (eat unhealthy foods, no vitamins/ supplements, don’t drink water, very little sleep…) how can you possibly expect it to perform optimally for you? Unlike a car, you can’t trade in your body for a new one. What you can do to reverse the effects of your poor diet and lifestyle choices over the years is start by making healthy lifestyle changes that support fertility. What you eat while on your fertility journey is a big piece of working towards conception, a healthy pregnancy, and being able to return to your pre-pregnancy weight quicker.
Here are five tips you can begin implementing in your everyday life for the benefit of your reproductive system.
1. Drink plenty of water: Many health experts agree that water is the source of life. Increasing your regular water intake not only benefits your general well-being, but can also help to flush out any toxins that might be impeding on your path towards positive conception results. Water also keeps the body hydrated, allows your blood to circulate better, keeps your bowels soft, allows the cells in your body to function better and more. The rule of thumb is to drink approximately half your body weight a day. This may sound like a lot but it is essential to body function. If you don’t like to drink plain water, add fertility friendly fruits such as berries to enhance the flavor.
2. Avoid alcohol: Increased alcohol intake has been found in several studies to have adverse effects in fertility and baby development. Don’t do it! There is nothing worse than a baby being born with fetal alcohol syndrome when all it took was the mother to stop drinking. Change your mind set for you and your baby’s sake.
3. Eat fruits and vegetables: Eating more fruits and vegetables allows you to access mother nature’s essential fertility friendly nutrients like zinc, folate, beta carotenes, and vitamins C and E. We encourage you to be mindful of where you purchase your foods and how they look. You should not be concerned with price but the quality. Organic is better if possible. Go to your neighborhood farmers market on the weekends or a grocery store that has organic products. If your fruits and vegetables look waxy don’t eat it. Your fruits and vegetables should look like they were picked off the tree, vine or rooted from the ground. Natural fruits and vegetables should go bad in days not weeks. You can easily make smoothies or eat the fruit or vegetables whole. You can incorporate fruit or vegetable smoothies into your day or lightly steam the vegetables and enjoy.
4. Take good prenatal vitamins/supplements: All prenatal vitamins and supplements are not created equal. Many of them have synthetic ingredients that will have you wasting your money and not benefit from them. Do your homework! Find a prenatal vitamin and supplements with whole food ingredients that you recognize. Make it easier on your body to process something that it is used to versus something that it’s being forced to identify with.
5. Avoid Sugary Foods: We all have a sweet tooth. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favorite chocolate candy bar with moderation. However, over consumption of sugary foods requires the pancreas to release more and more insulin. This is never a good thing when trying to conceive. Over time, you may become insulin resistance and this may disrupt your normal ovulation. That can also lead to a disruption in your hormones, which lead to mood disruptions which are associate with PMS symptoms and more.
Speaking to a registered dietitian/licensed nutritionist is a great way to help make healthy changes and dietary plans that fit your personal lifestyle and fertility challenges. Our team of experienced and knowledgeable holistic fertility professionals are a great asset to you while you try to figure out which specific dietary and lifestyle options work best for you. They can develop meal plans, shopping lists, tell you what to eat and avoid at your favorite restaurant, recommend various testing, and more.
For more information or to schedule a consultation click here.
1400 South Orlando Avenue Suite 320
Winter Park, FL 32789
(321) 203-2213 * info@hopefsc.org
