NUTRITION FOR INFERTILITY: FOODS TO AVOID WHEN YOU WANT TO GET PREGNANT

You’re ready to have a baby, so where do you begin? First let’s get on the same page and say that fertility is a side effect of optimal health. And in order to become the healthiest version of yourself, there are certain foundations you need to have in place. 

So what are the foundations of fertility? When you know you want to get pregnant, there are a lot of little lifestyle makeovers you can do as a part of your preconception planning. We recommend doing what you can to reduce stress, taking supplements for several months before officially trying to conceive, reducing your exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals, eating fertility superfoods,  and prioritizing your connection with your partner.

With so many places to possibly start, focusing on your food is a great first step when setting your fertility foundation. Since you eat every day, multiple times per day, making a few fertility friendly food swaps each time you go shopping is a small yet impactful way to prepare your body for pregnancy.

At the end of the day, what you eat is far more important than what you avoid. The biggest improvements to your fertility will come from what you do eat, not from what foods you don’t. There’s no reason to fear the occasional slip up. One meal won't sabotage your pregnancy plan, but understanding why certain foods could be making it a whole lot harder to conceive is really helpful when you hit those grocery store aisles.

FOODS TO AVOID WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET PREGNANT (AND WHY):

Foods that create a cold womb:  Warmth in the lower torso area is key for better blood flow to your reproductive organs, but that doesn’t mean cooling foods like smoothies and salads are off limits. Just be sure to enjoy a warm cup of tea, some bone broth, or a nice bowl of soup before and after having cold foods to keep your womb nice and toasty. You can also take the chill off by simply waiting for your foods to warm up to room temperature before eating them.

Foods that deplete the blood: This one can be tricky to spot since nutrition facts don’t include any information about how a food’s ingredients can affect the quality of your blood. Blood depleting foods to avoid include ice cream, most dairy products, greasy foods, excessive spicy foods and seasonings, raw foods, processed and refined foods, and carbonated beverages.

If you enjoy dairy products, that’s great! Just look for raw options from grassfed cows. And if organic is available, that’s even better.

Foods that disrupt ovulation: Carbohydrates are the primary determinant of blood sugar and insulin levels, and when they rise too high, they disrupt ovulation. Keeping whole, slow release carbohydrates in your diet won’t have much impact on your blood sugar, but processed grains that have been refined to the point where there’s little to no nutrition left should be avoided.

The key here is to make your carbohydrates as nutrient dense as possible. Empty calories won’t give your body the nutrients it needs to get ready for a baby.

Foods that cause inflammation: The easiest way to avoid inflammatory ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, trans fats, and partially hydrogenated oils is to focus on whole, minimally processed foods rather than restaurant meals, fast food, and prepackaged options which seem more convenient in the moment, but negatively impact fertility long term.

This is where it’s really important to read the labels before you make any purchases. Lots of packaged foods look healthy and may even be certified organic, but still have tons of inflammatory oils in them like canola, sunflower, cottonseed, palm, and soybean. These are hard to avoid, but do the best you can to stick to single origin olive oil, grass fed butter or ghee,  and unrefined coconut oil when possible.

Foods that disrupt your hormones: Soy products, caffeine, and processed foods that contain high amounts of sugar, sodium, and preservatives should be avoided when you’re trying to conceive. You read that right- it’s best if you ditch the coffee since it stimulates the release of cortisol levels that bring your body into a high alert state.

Ultimately it’s best to eat fresh, whole foods whenever possible avoiding prepackaged, ready-made items whenever you can.

Traditional Chinese Medicine recommends including grass-fed beef and organic free-range poultry that have been grazing on pastures and haven’t been treated with antibiotics or hormones. This  is a fantastic way to make sure you’re strengthening your blood and getting optimal nutrition without your hormones going wonky.

When organic meats are not available, antibiotic and hormone-free meats are your next best option. Go for a leaner cut of meat to reduce exposure to the toxic fat stores of the cattle.

 Every meal is an opportunity to get one step closer to optimal health.

Focus on eating whole foods that come from the earth, rather than processed foods made in a factory. Buy organic produce to avoid your exposure to pesticides and herbicides when it’s available, and make friends with your local farmers for nutrient dense pasture raised meat.

Real food is always better than anything that comes from a package, but no single meal will be the reason it takes you longer to conceive. There are a lot of things at play when it comes to getting pregnant, and we’re here to support you on your fertility journey any way we can.

Join us for our next Overcoming Infertility webinar.  Even if you think you’ve tried everything and you’re on the brink of giving up, come join me for this free webinar. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.