Eat Organic where possible
Conventional produce contains harmful herbicides and pesticides which have been shown to negatively affect both male and female fertility. Studies have also shown local organic vegetables and fruits to have more nutritional value.
Try to eat mostly cold water fish
Fish supplies important essential fatty acids (omega 3) to our diet. These fatty acids aid in the production of hormones, reduce inflammation, and help regulate the menstrual cycle. Fish is also a great source of protein and vitamin A.
Avoid large deep water fish such as tuna, swordfish due to their potential concentrations of mercury, and focus on cold water fish such as wild salmon. When choosing salmon, avoid farmed salmon and choose wild salmon instead. Farmed salmon contains antibiotics and toxic food dyes.
Choose meat that is Grass Fed and Organic
Conventionally raised cattle contain high levels of added hormones and antibiotics which can contribute to oestrogen dominate conditions. Grass Fed meats, on the other hand, are a great source of essential fatty acids, are low in saturated fat, and are a great source of protein.
Choose only free range/Organic chicken
When shopping for chicken, look for the words “cage free”, “free range”, or “organic” on the label. Ideally purchasing your chicken from a local farm with free-range organic practices is best.
Eat high fibre foods with each meal
Fibre helps to regulate blood sugar levels which helps to reduce fertility issues such as PCOS, immunological issues, and promotes healthy hormonal balance. Some examples of high fibre foods are fruits, vegetables, dark leafy greens and beans.
Avoid refined sugars or fruit juices
Pasteurised juices such as bottled apple juice, orange juice, and other bottled fruit juices contain concentrated sugar, which can throw off your blood sugar levels and negatively effect your immune system. Also avoid any processed/refined and artificial sugars. Some great alternatives are stevia, honey, and maple syrup.
Drink lots of clean water
Be sure to drink at least 6-8 glasses purified or filtered water daily. It is best to avoid bottled water as some of the plastics in the bottle can contribute to hormonal imbalance due to their oestrogen mimicking chemicals. The best waters to choose from are reverse osmosis and local spring water. Avoid tap water, as many recent studies have shown tap water to be laced with harmful pesticides from agricultural runoff.
Micronutrients
While all nutrients are important for health, there are some that have been specifically shown to have a direct impact on fertility. Below is a list of these nutrients and the foods you can find them in…
Vitamin D: Vitamin D is needed to help the body create sex hormones which in turn affects ovulation and hormonal balance.
Food sources: Eggs, fatty fish, dairy, and cod liver oil. You can also get vitamin D from sitting out in the sun for 15 to 20 minutes per day, but absorption is impacted by the darkness of your skin.
Vitamin E: Vitamin E has been shown in studies to improve sperm health and motility in men. Studies have also shown a diet deficient in Vitamin E to be a cause of infertility in rats. The meaning of the name for vitamin E ‘Tocopherol’ literally means to bear young. Vitamin E is also an important antioxidant to help protect sperm and egg DNA integrity.
Food sources: Sunflower seeds, almonds, olives, spinach, papaya, dark leafy greens.
CoQ10: Necessary for every cell in the body for energy production, CoQ10 has also been shown in studies to increase ova (egg) and sperm health. It is necessary for sperm motility in semen. It is also an important antioxidant that helps to protect cells from free radical damage; protecting DNA.
Vitamin C: Vitamin C improves hormones & increases fertility in women with luteal phase defect. As for men, vitamin C has been shown to improve sperm quality and protect sperm from DNA damage; helping to reduce the chance of miscarriage and chromosomal problems. Vitamin C also appears to keep sperm from clumping together, making them more motile.
Food sources: Abundant in plants and fruits including red peppers, broccoli, cranberries, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, and citrus fruit.
Lipoic Acid: Lipoic acid is a very important antioxidant because it not only helps to protect the female reproductive organs and has been shown to improve sperm quality and motility, but it also helps the body to continually re-use the antioxidants in the body.
Food sources: In small amounts found in potatoes, spinach and red meat.
B6: Vitamin B6 may be used as a hormone regulator. It also helps to regulate blood sugars, alleviates PMS, and may be useful in relieving symptoms of morning sickness. B6 has also been shown to help with luteal phase defect.
Food sources: Banana, turkey, liver, salmon, cod, spinach, bell peppers, and turnip greens, collard greens, garlic, cauliflower, mustard greens, celery, cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, chard.
Iron: Studies have shown that women who do not get sufficient amounts of iron may suffer anovulation (lack of ovulation) and possibly poor egg health, which can inhibit pregnancy at a rate 60% higher than those with sufficient iron stores in their blood.
Food sources: Lentils, spinach, sesame seeds, kidney beans, pumpkin seeds (raw), venison, garbanzo beans, navy beans, molasses, beef.
Selenium: Selenium is an antioxidant that helps to protect the eggs and sperm from free radicals. Free radicals can cause chromosomal damage which is known to be a cause of miscarriages and birth defects. Selenium is also necessary for the creation of sperm. In studies, men with low sperm counts have also been found to have low levels of selenium.
Food sources: Liver, snapper, cod, halibut, salmon, sardines, shrimp, mushrooms, turkey, Brazil nuts (just one nut contains nearly 100% of the RDA for selenium).
Zinc: In women, zinc works with more than 300 different enzymes in the body to keep things working well. Without it, your cells can not divide properly; your oestrogen and progesterone levels can get out of balance and your reproductive system may not be fully functioning. Low levels of zinc have been directly linked to miscarriage in the early stages of a pregnancy.
In men, zinc is considered one of the most important trace minerals to date for male fertility; increasing zinc levels in infertile men has been shown to boost sperm levels; improve the form, function and quality of male sperm and decrease male infertility.
Food sources: Calf liver, oysters, beef, lamb, venison, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, yogurt, turkey, green peas, shrimp. Zinc can be damaged by cooking so it is important to eat some foods high in zinc in their raw forms.
Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 acids have been shown to help fertility by helping to regulate hormones in the body, increase cervical mucous, promote ovulation and overall improve the quality of the uterus by increasing blood flow to the reproductive organs.
Omega-3 fats also contain two acids that are crucial to good health: DHA and EPA. These two acids have been shown to help many forms of disease. Low levels of DHA have been linked to depression and other mental health issues. During pregnancy, a lack of DHA may be associated with premature birth, low birth weight and hyperactivity in children.
Food sources: Flax seeds, walnuts, salmon, sardines, halibut, shrimp, snapper, scallops, chia seeds.
Macronutrients
In addition to the micro-nutrients, macro-nutrients are important as well. Getting enough protein, fibre, fat, carbohydrates, etc. is also very important. This is a time for nourishing and providing building blocks for your body in preparation for conception. The foods that should be focused on in a Natural Fertility Diet are nutrient dense foods which help to provide the following:
Fats
A wide variety of fats are very important for fertility and the development of the foetus. Not only are essential fatty acids important, but saturated fats and cholesterol are important as well. Cholesterol is a precursor to all hormones produced in the body, including progesterone. Just make sure it is from the right foods like coconut oil, organic ghee, grass fed butter, grass-fed meats, fish, nuts and seeds and avoid hydrogenated oils and cooking with vegetable oils. Eat vegetable oils like olive oil & avocado oil raw.
Proteins
Eating healthy amounts of protein from a wide variety of sources is an important part of a healthy fertility diet as amino acids are the building blocks for cells in the body. Make sure to include both animal sources and vegetable sources of protein daily.
Fibre
Fibre helps assist the body in getting rid of excess oestrogen and xenohormones in the system and keeps your digestive tract functioning properly.
Take a look at the foods mentioned below and you will begin to notice that all of these foods are nutrient dense, meaning they pack a lot of nutrition per serving.
Important Foods Specifically for Fertility
Eggs – Vitamin D, B12, Protein
Make sure to find eggs which are farm fresh and have deep orange/yellow yolks. They are worth the extra cost as they provide much more nutrients than factory farmed egg. Some of the best places to find quality eggs are at the farmer’s market, neighbours or the health food store.
Nuts and Seeds – Omega 3, Zinc, Vitamin E, Protein
Eat nuts and seeds in their raw form as essential fatty acids and zinc are sensitive to heat and can be destroyed if cooked. I have listed amounts of nuts and seeds and their nutritional density so you can see how packed they are with nutrients.
The best seeds and nuts for omega 3 are:
- Walnuts
- Flax seeds
- Hemp seeds
- Chia seeds
The best seeds and nuts for zinc are:
- Pumpkin
- Sesame
The best seeds and nuts for vitamin E are:
- Sunflower Seeds
- Almonds
The best seeds and nuts for iron are:
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds
Grass-fed meats – Omega 3, Iron, B12, Protein
Grass-fed meats come from animals which have grazed in grass pasture and eaten fresh grass for most of their life. This meat has less fat and has a little bit stronger taste than corn fed meats, but it provides a lot more nutrients because the animals have eaten their natural diet. Grass-fed meats are high in omega 3, have been raised without antibiotics and hormones. Regular grocery store, factory raised meats are higher in omega 6 (we already get too much of this) and have been raised on GMO Corn, which fattens them up, but is not their natural diet (GMO foods have been linked to infertility). They are also fed hormones and antibiotics regularly which can impact your hormonal balance and immune system.
Dark leafy Vegetables – Iron, Folic acid, B6, Vitamin E
Dark leafy vegetables are packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins essential to healthy fertility. Examples of dark leafy green vegetables are spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and collards.
Fruit – Vitamin C, Flavonoids, Variety of antioxidants
Fruits are the foods highest in antioxidants per serving. Some of the fruits highest in antioxidants are prunes, pomegranates, raisins, blueberries and strawberries. Remember that antioxidants are heat sensitive, so to get their benefit eat your fruit fresh, ripe and raw.
Colourful veggies – B6, Vitamin C
The colour of a vegetable will tell you what nutrients and benefits it will provide for your body. For instance, vegetables that are red or green in colour are high in vitamin C.
Vegetables that are orange have high vitamin A. White vegetables tend to have sulphur, etc. The easiest way to get a ton of nutrients is to eat a wide variety of vegetables. Make sure you are eating a variety of colours daily. The easiest way to do this is to eat either a salad, stir-fry or fresh vegetable juice daily.
Fish and Shell Fish – Vitamin D, Omega 3, Zinc, Selenium, B12, CoQ10
Fish and shell fish (mussels, clams, etc.) are some of the most nutrient dense foods we can eat. Fish provides an abundance of essential fatty acids, vitamin D, zinc, B12, selenium and CoQ10. The catch is that most of these nutrients are heat sensitive so remember this while you are preparing these foods. If you are concerned about the water source of your fish, eat fish from cold waters or you can include a purified cod liver oil supplement into your diet. Try to avoid farmed fish as they will not have the high amounts of omega 3 and have been fed antibiotics.
Lentils and other beans – Iron, Folic Acid
Lentils are the second highest source of iron of ALL foods and the second highest source of folic acid (just behind calf’s liver). Just 1 cup of cooked lentils provides 90% of your daily folic acid needs. And if you get sick of lentils, garbanzo and pinto beans follow close behind.
Foods to Avoid
Sugar, soda & pasteurised juices
Pasteurised juices such as bottled apple juice, orange juice, and other bottled fruit juices contain concentrated sugar, which can throw off your blood sugar levels and negatively affect your immune system and hormonal balance. Also avoid any processed/refined and artificial sugars. Some great alternatives are stevia, honey, and maple syrup.
Caffeine
Studies have shown that caffeine can affect your hormonal balance, increase your chances of a miscarriage and prevent you from ovulating.
Soy Foods
Non organic highly processed soy products. It is best to avoid processed soy foods such as soy milk, soy burgers, soy protein powder, soy chips, soy meats, and soy cheeses to avoid a negative impact on your hormonal balance. Both men and women are affected by soy.
GMO Foods
Genetically Modified foods are becoming a real problem when it comes to fertility, causing an influx in worldwide infertility rates. Since the 1970’s alone, sperm counts among the world’s male population have declined as much as 40-50%, according to some studies. GMO foods may be one of the reasons.
Fat-Free Foods
Foods which are altered to be reduced in fat or fat-free are highly processed and high in sugar. When choosing foods always chose the foods as nature intended. Full fat dairy is one example that was shown in a study to increase fertility over the fat-reduced options. Again, fat is what our bodies need to produce hormones.
Grains
Grains is an area of the that you need to find out what works for you. There have been links to infertility in those who have gluten intolerance as well as a possible link to immunological infertility and grains. In some people, grains will be a non-issue, but if you have made many changes yet have not seen results, this may be an area for you to look into. Grains and pseudo-grains that are gluten-free (amaranth, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, etc.) are a great option and tend to be more nutrient dense than the general grains we are used to eating but overall these shouldn’t make up a large part of our diet.
