Nutrition do's and don'ts when trying for a baby
With so much conflicting advice floating about, it's hard to know what nutrition guidance will actually help boost your fertility. Nutritional Therapist Nicola Wyatt goes back to basics with this simple guide.
Do
- Replace processed food with fresh, preferably organic, food including vegetables, fruit and grass-fed meats. This will reduce your exposure to xenoestrogens (environmental oestrogens) that can disrupt your hormone balance.
- Boost your intake of healthy fats including oily fish, coconut oil, olive oil, olives, nuts and avocados. It helps to balance hormones, increase cervical mucus and improve blood flow to the uterus.
- Eat plenty of protein but make sure you keep it varied between animal and plants. Great sources include organic eggs, grass-fed lean meat, quinoa, fish, buckwheat, rice and beans.
- Drink plenty of clean water. Aim for around 2 litres a day. Water helps to flush out toxins and dehydration can hinder production of cervical mucus.
- Eat small snacks throughout the day every 3-4 hours to control blood sugar levels.
Don't
- Drink alcohol. A little is ok - up to 6 units a week, but none is better. Alcohol inhibits zinc - a key nutrient for fertility in men and women.
- Consume too much caffeine. Studies have linked caffeine to an increase in how long it takes to get pregnant. It also places stress on the adrenal glands and can contribute to blood sugar imbalance.
- Smoke. Smoking depletes our bodies of vitamin C, which is an important antioxidant for fertility. Smoking is also known to reduce sperm count and mobility.
Last updated Friday 14 December 2018
First published on Thursday 14 April 2016