Want to fall pregnant? Increase your chances with these foods!
There are many foods that are dense in nutrients and specific to many facets related to reproductive health, including balanced and functional hormones, egg and sperm health, blood health, and foetal development. Hormones are essentially built from the nutrients provided in the diet, so it is extremely important that they be of the best quality!
Adding these foods to your day can seriously help produce some humming hormones, and keeping them happy is a big step in the right direction when it comes to being as fertile as you can be, as well as improving general pre-natal health.
Top 10 Foods to Boost Fertility
Eggs
An amazing source of good fats, protein, and nutrients including Vitamin A, B2, B12, B5 and Selenium, they are the quintessential super food and will provide the body with the total nourishment it needs!
Oily Fish
Wild Salmon and Barramundi would be my favourites, but any small oily fish including Sardines, Mackerel and Trout are a great source of protein, essential fatty acids and other healthy unsaturated fats.
Fish is always one of the best proteins to eat, but as usual… be cautious with your consumption of the large predatory fish such as Tuna, Swordfish, Blue Eye and Perch - as they tend to accumulate Mercury which can be detrimental if consumed regularly.
Avocado
It’s all about the FATS!!! Luscious creamy avo already has a great reputation, and one of the trendiest things to have on toast in the morning.
But it’s not just a health halo this superfood wears, it’s absolutely delicious and can be added to just about anything to add richness and a whole plethora of highly absorbable nutrients including fibre, vitamin E, and B vitamins, including B9 – commonly known as FOLATE!
Cacao
Cacao is incredibly high in Magnesium and antioxidants! Make sure it is Cacao and not Cocoa, which has lost many of its wonderful properties due to being heat-treated.
Cacao is also incredibly good for the nervous system due to its high polyphenol content, a potent antioxidant that relaxes blood vessels and reduces inflammation.
Maca
Maca root is an adaptogenic herb originating from the mountainous Andes region of South America. Containing a load of vitamins, minerals and amino acids, maca has been traditionally used to balance hormones, increase stamina and modulate the adrenal system.
Dairy
Full-fat Dairy! Yes, full-fat! Many studies have shown a positive correlation between full-fat dairy and increased rates of fertility, by helping to lower the risk of anovulatory disorders.
Nuts
Another source of protein, fats and vitamins and a great addition to any diet, especially when replacing sugar-laden snacks that often creep into our day when the munchies strike.
Activated nuts are best though, as the process strips them of their phytic acid - a substance that can inhibit absorption of nutrients in the gut. They are quite expensive, but it’s actually easy to do at home – just soak your nuts over night in filtered water, drain in the morning and done… your nuts have been activated!
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is one of the best ingredients to both cook with and apply topically, its versatility is endless.
This special oil is highly antimicrobial and yet nourishing both internally and externally, use in high temperature cooking as well as a replacement for oil and butter in desserts. Yes the fat is the saturated kind, but that’s not always a bad thing – the medium chain triglycerides of coconut oil are rapidly absorbed and utilized as fuel by the body.
Low GI Vegetables
It’s important to nourish the body with lots of fruit and veg, but it’s also important they be of the right kind. Vegetables with a low glycaemic index provide fibre and nutrients that are processed slowly in the body, thus preventing blood-sugar spikes.
Minimize Processed Foods
Basically a no-brainer, eat real food! It ensures you will be getting the nutrients you need to help conceive and sustain a healthy pregnancy, whilst avoiding the nasties i.e. preservatives, artificial colours and flavours, excess salt and sugar, and xeno-oestrogens that can seriously muck-up the sensitive hormonal balance.
Looking after your health through diet is absolutely essential when not only trying to conceive, but to nourish a growing baby and the expecting mother as well!
Quality vitamins and minerals along with fats and proteins really do aid the body in balancing hormones, and provides the fuel your cells need for a time of life when energy expenditure is at its highest.
