Fertility Diet
What you eat, and how much you eat, can affect your ability to conceive a child –both positively and negatively. Here are some of the most important food-related ways you can boost your chances of getting pregnant and having a healthy baby.
First, Do No Harm
Let’s start with the items to avoid, or at least limit your intake of, while you’re trying to conceive.
Alcohol: I know — not much fun… But alcohol, even moderately consumed, appears to exert a negative impact on one’s fertility and increase the likelihood of having a miscarriage. Particularly important while trying to conceive is avoiding alcohol during the second half of your cycle (during the infamous “2 week wait”).
Caffeine: Caffeine in excess is a no-no. But there is a silver lining: word on the street is that “low to moderate caffeine intake” while trying to conceive is acceptable (less than 300 mg/day, equal to about 3 cups of coffee per day).
Smoking: Nothing good to say about smoking while trying to conceive. Even second-hand smoke appears to diminish your chances of achieving conception.
Foods to Avoid: There are a number of foods that should be avoided during pregnancy, and you may also wish to avoid them while trying-to-conceive in the interest of erring on the side of caution. These foods include: soft cheeses (which may carry listeria), foods containing high levels of vitamin A (such as liver), raw or lightly cooked eggs (risk of salmonella), and sushi. You may also want to steer clear of artificial sweeteners which can affect blood sugar levels — a factor that influences hormonal balance.
And For Men?
Don’t worry — you’re husband’s not off the hook. Men, too, need to avoid smoking and drinking when trying to conceive, as both activities are detrimental to sperm health. (It goes with out saying that marijuana and other drugs negatively impact male fertility.)
There are vitamins and nutrients that help with the production of healthy sperm — zinc, folic acid, selenium, L-Carnitine and vitamins C and E in particular have been shown to help. All of these can be found in a healthy, balanced diet; however, an extra boost of these nutrients can help to improve sperm count, motility, and morphology.
Three months of good meals
SUN nutritionist Amanda says: “It is vital to bear in mind that it takes at least three months for immature eggs in our ovaries to mature enough to be released during ovulation.
“It will then take at least three months for sperm cells to develop.
“This means, having sorted out your diet, it will take at least three months to even start working.”
The starting point for everyone is to eat three simple but nutritious meals a day, having your five-a-day, with nutritious snacks in between. Aim for at least five portions for fruit and vegetables a day. You should eat a variety of foods from each of these food groups, while trying to conceive:
Cereals: Whole wheat, rice, unpolished jowar, bajra, nachni (ragi), bulgur wheat (dalia), whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, etc.
Pulses: Moong dal, toovar (arhar) dal, sprouted moong, lobhia beans, kabuli chana (chickpea), rajma, etc.
Vegetables: Leafy vegetables: Spinach (palak) , fenugreek leaves (methi) , lettuce, radish leaves (moolie) Others: carrots, beetroot, cucumber, french beans, cluster beans gavarfali.
Fruits and nuts: Pineapple, sweet lime, orange, guava etc. Dried fruits like almonds, cashew nuts, walnuts etc.
Dairy Products: Milk, curd, cheese and paneer
You can also get the essential vitamins and minerals from the following foods:
• Carbohydrates from foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Proteins from foods such as lean meat and chicken, fish, eggs and pulses, beans and lentils.
• Fish, at least twice a week, including some oily fish, but don’t have more than two portions of oily fish a week. This includes fresh tuna (not canned tuna, which does not count as oily fish), sardines and trout.
• Dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, which contain calcium.
• Iron rich foods, such as red meat, pulses, dried fruit, bread, green vegetables and fortified breakfast cereals, to build up your resources of iron in preparation for pregnancy.
• Try to include soya and buckwheat (kootu), which are plant foods that offer all essential amino acids.
• If you are a vegetarian, ensure that your diet is not deficient in Vitamin B12 and protein.
• It helps your body to absorb iron if you have some food or drink containing vitamin C, such as fruit or vegetables, or a glass of fruit juice with any iron-rich meals. Try nibbling some Amla Indian gooseberry. It is a rich source of Vitamin C and iron.
SUPPLEMENTS
Supplements can help re-balance your hormones and improve overall health. Here are some leading fertility-boosting supplements:
FOLIC ACID: Prevents spina bifida in the baby and is vital for genetic material in the egg and sperm.
Together with vitamin B12, folic acid works to ensure your baby’s genetic codes are intact.
Giving B6 to women who have trouble conceiving increases fertility and vitamin B12 improves sperm counts.
What to take: 400 micrograms daily.
ZINC: A zinc deficiency can cause chromosome changes in either you or your partner, leading to a risk of reduced fertility.
Zinc helps you make the most of hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
It is also crucial for making the outer layer and tail of the sperm. Studies showed reducing zinc in a man’s diet lowered sperm count.
What to take: 30 micrograms daily.
SELENIUM: Helps protect you from free radicals, helping to prevent chromosome breakage, which can cause birth defects and miscarriages.
Blood selenium levels have been found to be lower in men with low sperm counts.
What to take: 100 micrograms daily.
OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS: These are vital for hormone function and controlling inflammation which may interfere with getting and staying pregnant. For men, essential fatty acid supplementation is crucial because semen is rich in prostaglandins, which are made from these fats.
What to take: 1,000 micrograms omega 3 fish oil capsule daily.
VITAMIN E: Another powerful antioxidant that increases fertility when given to men and women.
When men going for IVF treatment with their partners took vitamin E, fertilisation rates rose from 19 to 29 per cent.
It has been suggested that the antioxidant activity of vitamin E might make the sperm more fertile.
What to take: 4 micrograms daily
VITAMIN C: This enhances sperm quality, protecting sperm and the DNA within it from damage. It also appears to keep the sperm from clumping together.
What to take: 1,000 micrograms daily.
Herbal supplements For Infertility
Herbs are all natural and much less expensive than other medical fertility treatment but you have to consult your doctor because, despite of being natural herbs, they can interact adversely with medication or other herbs and may pose a risk to your unborn child if you become pregnant. Read More