Many couples who can’t become pregnant don’t necessarily have medical reasons for not being able to conceive. Some suffer from a combination of sub-clinical conditions. Here are a few changes to consider if you’re looking to improve your fertility holistically.
Eat to conceive!
An optimal fertility diet is made up of fresh food that is organic wherever possible. Key elements are good quality protein sources (even vegetable sources of protein) and good fats.
What should you eat?
- Organic meat in small quantities, game, small deep-sea fish like sardines and red snapper, organic home-cooked legumes (not canned).
- Whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruit in season, organic where possible.
- Increase your consumption of good fats and avoid dangerous fats. Good fats include monounsaturated fats in olive oil, polyunsaturated fats in oily fish and nuts and midchain fatty acids found in coconut oil.
- For cooking use clarified butter (ghee) or coconut butter (without flavor) as they do not become unstable when heated.
- For non-heated oil requirements (salads etc) use cold-pressed olive oil, flaxseed oil, and nut oils.
Trans fats – they’re hidden in your food!
Consuming trans fats hidden in foods such as; doughnuts, biscuits, lollies, candy, chocolate, pies, fries, takeaways, and dozens of other foods may increase your risk of infertility by as much as 70 percent! Scientists from the Harvard University School of Public Health advise women wanting to get pregnant to avoid all trans fats. The sole purpose of adding trans fats to food is to extend its shelf life. To minimize your consumption of trans fats be diligent about reading the ingredients and avoid the most likely culprits altogether. Trans fats are mostly listed as ‘hydrogenated fat’ or ‘hardened vegetable fat’ or simply ‘vegetable fat.’
Limit exposure to environmental toxins
This is one of the major factors that can help improve a couple’s fertility and it is a relevant one owing to the high presence of these toxins in our everyday lives. Exposure to environmental toxins (in the form of industrial chemicals) both in utero and neonatally may dramatically affect adult fertility and alarmingly enough, much of these poisonous chemicals end up circulating in our environment, food supply, air, and water.
Invisible culprits in the air
- Phthalates: These are present in plastic food containers, cling wrap, medical supplies, vinyl flooring, and packaging and have been associated with miscarriage and testicular toxicity. At low levels, they disrupt hormonal balance.
- Vinylcyclohexene (VCH): Chemicals used in rubber tires, plastics, and pesticides.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH): Released from cigarettes, car fumes, and road tar.
Avoid smoking and alcohol consumption
Smoking and recreational drugs can reduce your odds of conception. A study tested the effects of cigarette smoking on semen quality in men and found that sperm motility (ability to propel forward) decreased in light smokers while heavy smoking produced abnormal sperm shape. Scientists have discovered increased sperm count in men who quit smoking for 5 – 15 months by 50 percent to 800 percent respectively.
Alcohol is harmful to women’s eggs and men’s sperm and as little as one glass can reduce fertility by 50 percent! This can further lead to damage to the developing embryo and may result in a miscarriage. Although it’s been known for a long time that drinking while pregnant is a no-no, the ramifications of drinking before pregnancy have been largely ignored.
No coffee for now
You may not want to hear this, but drinking coffee decreases fertility. A large study from Connecticut found that as little as one cup of coffee per day increases the risk of not conceiving by 55 percent. If you have 2 – 3 cups per day that risk rises to 100 percent and continues to increase with an additional cup up to 176 percent. Plus, did you know that women who drank coffee before and during pregnancy had twice the risk of miscarriage?
Think naturally fertile
Pregnancy requires a toxin-free internal and external environment, and an enormous surplus in the form of nutrients and good energy reserves.
Supplement your diet
Regardless of whether you are eating organic produce and are on a healthy diet, you are unlikely to be getting all the nutrients your body needs for optimal fertility from your meals alone. This is why supplementation is important.
Getting pregnant and growing a new human being requires a surplus of nutrients and energy. In your body’s accounting terms, pregnancy requires a splurge of energy and nutrients. Some of the key nutrients for fertility and pregnancy are:
- Zinc
- Selenium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- B12
- B6
- Folic acid
- Vitamin C
- Omega-3 fats
Milk: The sad truth
Dairy products account on average for 60 – 70 percent of estrogens consumed. Milk from cows is taken during the second half of their pregnancy when their estrogen levels are high. While we associate milk with calcium, we hardly think about what else we may be consuming along with the calcium and forget too, the fact that there are many other ways to get our calcium. Some of the hormones that have been found in cows’ milk that are not good for fertility health include Prolactin; Melatonin; Oxytocin; Estrogens; Progesterone and Corticosteroids.
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