Foods to max Fertility
Yep, foods to max fertility do exist and are nothing fancy. The less toxic food you feed your body, the greater the amount of nutrients your body has to help improve the viability of your egg or sperm. So here’s some easy tips:
- Eat fresh and local foods, preferably organic
- Eat seasonally as this is eating in line with nature
- Eat good, quality fats such as nuts and avocadoes but avoiding trans-fats or rancid oils
- Avoid processed, packaged foods which are nutrient-poor and a source of trans-fats
- Avoid fast-foods, as they are also often a source of trans-fats and inferior quality foods
- Enjoy protein at least 4 times a day, such as
- Nuts and seeds
- Legumes and pulses
- Lean beef, lamb or poultry
- Fish such as snapper, whiting, ling, herring, garfish and wild barramundi in Australia but avoid farmed fish such as salmon or ocean trout or endangered species
- Presoak grains and legumes to help lower the phytates which otherwise would bind to essential minerals
- Nuts and seeds should also be soaked overnight to make them more digestible
- Be aware that free-range does not mean the same thing as organic. Organic animals need to be fed real foods that suit their constitution, quite often off the land whereas conventionally reared animals, free-range or otherwise, still routinely get given growth hormones, grains and antibiotics in their feeds.
- Meat, poultry and eggs should be organic
- Avoid deli meats as these are high in fat and sulphates and nitrates
- Definitely avoid non-organic organ meats as both the liver and kidney are organs of detoxification and home to many toxic residues
- Dairy foods (if they agree with you) should be full-fat and as unprocessed as possible.
- Don’t limit yourself just to cow’s milk (choose A2), try goats and sheep’s milk products too
- Fermented dairy – kefir and yoghurt are nourishing
- Avoid all soy products – milk, cheese, yoghurt
- Try nut milks – almond or home-made cashew is so easy
- Note that eating 2 or more serves of low fat dairy lead to increased ovulatory failure
- Carbohydrate intake should follow the principles of the low-GI diet
- Eat slow-releasing carbohydrate foods such as quinoa, buckwheat and wholegrain rice
- Avoid heavily refined white products – white bread, jasmine rice, white noodles.
- Always have a bit of protein with a carbohydrate food to slow down the digestion and release of sugar
- Fruit & Veg
- FRUIT: Enjoy a max of 2 serves a day and go for a variety of colour; berries are packed full of antioxidants
- VEGGIES: Have a minimum of 5 serves a day and again, choose a mix of colours. Include some liver-supporting veg such as broccoli, cabbage, kale, watercress or other members of the cruciferous family.
- Herbs and spices
- Don’t be afraid of herbs and spices – they are a powerhouse of nutrition
- Limit alcohol and caffeine
- Ditch soft drinks and carbonated drinks
- Increase your water intake
So there you go, some simple steps to improving your wellbeing and the health of your egg and sperm.
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