Fertility is a major issue. Although pregnancy in conventional terms is about mating of sperm and egg and as a couple your job is to maintain a health sperm and a healthy egg thereafter ensure mating.
Thereafter, the zygote would attach itself to the uterine wall. But easier said than done, seeing how complicated lives we life full of stress, anxiety and misinformation.
Trying to get pregnant can be a long and tedious process. If adjustments in daily habits could help in any way no couple would refuse it. Going further, it’s no hidden secret that is your food intake is affecting every aspect of your life so why would fertility not get affected.
This article explains what all foods or lifestyle changes can magnify their efforts and therefore probability to get pregnant. The article is not gender specific, hence beneficial to both.
The basic crux is that you have to ensure that foods rich in complex carbohydrates, good-quality fats, and lean proteins are liberally taken.
Some specific foods which would be of immense benefit are:
1. Iron-rich foods
Iron-rich foods like green leafy vegetables, strawberries, broccoli, etc. Iron-rich foods help develop a strong lining in the uterus for the fertilized egg to get attached.
Talking of green leafy vegetables, their nutrient profile is amazing like folate, Vitamin A, iodine and manganese these make mucus lining conducive to sperm movement.
Hence these foods are of utmost importance. You can also include poha/ chiwda in your daily diet since it’s rich in iron but do not take caffeine with it since it interferes with the nutrient absorption.
2. Citrus fruits
The benefits here are twofold. First, it helps in iron absorption in the body. Second, they are anti-oxidant rich which increases the fertility rates, especially among men.
Citrus fruits are sour-tasting fruits like orange, kiwi, lemon, lime, etc. Other fruits important to be consumed are red-, yellow- and orange-colored ones – high in Vitamin A which is an anti-oxidant again.
3. Whole milk
Whole milk products and products made from it - like cottage cheese or yoghurt. Skim milk increases the chances of hormonal imbalance in women, whose balance is an essential precondition to get your period and that too on time.
4.Lean meats
It’s seen that consuming red meat decreases the rate of embryo plantation hence lowering the chance of pregnancy again. Eggs are nature’s precious gift that are almost complete with all the nutrients in themselves.
They’re rich in choline, folic acid, omega 3 fat, Vitamin E, B12, zinc and vitamin D. Omega 3 fats help regulate menstruation cycle including the maturation of egg, travelling of the zygote and calcium absorption.
Other than eggs, fatty fishes low in mercury like salmon (preferred one due to its nutritioncomposition), sardines, catfish, herring. Avoid king mackerel, swordfish or tuna since these are usually high in mercury that would affect neuro development of the fertilised egg.
5. Oils
Good quality fats help in regulation the oestrogen to progesterone balance hence regulating your periods. You need good quality fat so definitely no trans or saturated fats like mayonnaise or too much butter.
In terms of cooking, you can take any refined oil but keep changing the seed for example, one-month sunflower oil followed by soybean oil and then safflower oil.
Mustard oil is often not preferred due to taste but it’s high in omega 6 fats and omega 6 sources are rare unless fortified. Hence cooking a meal in mustard oil 3-4 times a week is a good practice. For salad dressings extra virgin olive oil is beneficial.
Other than foods, aim for a health weight since being too overweight or underweight affects your fertility. Such issues are a prevalent disease like PCOD. For this you need a calorie-deficit or calorie – dense diet alongside exercising.
Moreover, exercise will also help reduce your anxiety levels which will boost libido as well. Moreover, limit caffeine to 2 cups a day or better go decaf alongside avoiding alcohol and smoking.
Eating a nutritious diet and making positive lifestyle changes can help boost fertility and prepare your body for pregnancy. Plus, it’s just helpful to your overall physical and mental development since the child would be copying all your habits.
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