Infertility Diet
Some studies indicate that your diet can affect your fertility. Here is some information about infertility diet that you may want to know.
Avoid trans fats which increase harmful cholesterol and inflammation in the body and also increase the chances of infertility. Foods that contain trans fats are margarine, cookies, doughnuts and fried foods. Taking too much saturated fats is also bad for health and fertility. Foods that contain saturated fats include steak, sausage, bacon, lard, milk, cheese, butter, palm oil, coconut oil and coconut milk. Replace trans fats and saturated fats with unsaturated fats which control blood-sugar and cool inflammation. Unsaturated fats from plant sources and deep-sea fish help the production of hormones in both women and men. One good source of unsaturated fats is omega-3 from deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines. Omega-3 also helps to prevent blood clotting in the arteries. Other sources of unsaturated fats include flaxseed and pumpkin seed oils, egg, soy products, raw nuts and seeds and dark-green vegetables.
Take multivitamin daily to supplement your diet. One source reported that women who took multivitamins were less likely to have ovulation problems than women who didn’t take them. Folic acid, iron, vitamin A, C, F, B complex, zinc and selenium can improve your reproductive health. Folic acid is found to be effective in preventing spina bifida or other neural tube defect in babies and also help to stimulate ovulation. Most prenatal vitamins contain the nutrients required to improve ovulation. Multivitamins that contains folic acid and zinc may also help to improve the quality and quantity of sperm in men.
Take more alkaline foods such as non-citrus fruits, vegetables, sprouts, wheat grass and barley grass. Acidic foods like meat, dairy products and most grains make your cervical mucus more acidic. Sperm survive better in alkaline environment.
Avoid foods with pesticides, chemicals and hormones which are used to treat animal products. These hormones contain synthetic estrogen-like substances, which are detrimental to our reproductive system. If possible, take organic and hormone-free foods.
Take more cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Cruciferous vegetables contain di-indolylmethane (DIM), a substance that regulates usage of estradiol (a type of estrogen hormones).
Drink water instead of sugared sodas that increase your blood-sugar and insulin. Drink coffee and tea in moderation. Avoid alcohol if you can, otherwise keep it occasional. Caffeine and alcohol may have negative effects on the fertility of both women and men.
A study suggested that women who took more low dairy products were more likely to have problems getting pregnant than women who took full-fat dairy products. Removing fat from milk leaves behind some male hormones, prolactin and insulin-like growth factor-1. Excess male hormones and insulin-like growth factor-1 can have a negative effect on ovulation. Proteins added to make the milk creamier may make it worse. Full-fat dairy products are bad for your heart. However, to increase your chances of getting pregnant, you may want to temporarily include full-fat dairy products in your diet until you get the desired result.
If you have infertility problems, having a good infertility diet may help to improve your hormonal balance and boost ovulation and thus help you to get pregnant.
