10 Things To Eat And 5 To Avoid When You're TTC
I want to share some of the gems that I picked up from Grace Dugdale, Reproductive Biologist and Fertility Specialist. She shared some of her wisdom and research at the Fertility Show in London about how diet and lifestyle can help fertility.
The biggest take away from this seminar was that: “YOU have more CONTROL than you know.
”She talked about the complex biological processes that are involved in fertility including digestion, hormones, implantation, egg and sperm quality. And said: "If you fine-tune these biological factors then you make marginal gains and this can create a tipping point where you become fertile and can get pregnant."
She filled the room with hope and a different perspective of looking at fertility when she said: “You have an incredible opportunity when you’re struggling with fertility because it means you get to improve the health of your child by rebalancing and addressing issues.”
She highlighted the importance of male fertility and that men are often overlooked in miscarriages. She urged women to use preventative medicine for themselves and their future child. And explained that what a woman does before she conceives can be detected by the embryo. And that it’s important to have stability in your body before and after conceiving. She used the example of dieting and said that the embryo can detect a mismatch if you suddenly change what you’re eating.
One of her biggest messages was to not follow blanket advice from a book. She urged couples to get specific advice that is right for them because this is what moves the needle the quickest. Get your own tests, and find out about genetic factors, in combination with what lifestyle habits, diet and nutritional supplements are right for your body. That said she did give some general advice at the end of the talk about what to eat and what to avoid.
10 Things To Eat When Trying To Conceive
A varied diet with a good mix of nutrients and microbiome.
Mainly vegetables and a lot of leafy greens.
A rainbow of fruit and vegetables.
Organic and wash non-organic fruit and vegetables.
30g fibre each day.
Choose good fats.
Organic protein.
Nuts every day.
Home-cooked food.
Prebiotic and probiotic food.
5 Things To Avoid When Trying To Conceive
Sugar.
Refined carbohydrates.
Processed food.
Fizzy drinks.
Over-consumption of dairy.
3 Things Not To Do When Dieting To Improve Fertility
Don’t eat a keto diet because of too much protein.
Stay away from substituting meals for shakes.
Stop calorie counting.
It was great to hear the latest research and further validation for the Fertilebiotic Food Plan that includes all of the principles that Grace talked about.