What on earth should you be eating for fertility?
While there really aren’t any “superfoods” for fertility, there certainly are foods that are incredibly nutrient dense with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that can help optimize fertility.
My nutrition philosophy for fertility is, “how do we make your body feel safe?”
Our physiology is rooted in safety. Our bodies need to feel safe so that they can know that reproduction (making a baby) is a biologically advantageous pursuit.
One of the best ways to make your body feel safe is with food. This means: eating regular meals throughout the day, eating enough, and creating healthy balanced meals with carbs, protein, and fat.
It also means avoiding the common advice to: cut out certain foods groups like carbs, eat a lot one day and very little the next, and skip breakfast.
Your body needs food… not just to survive, but to thrive for both you and your future kiddos. See, your nutrition doesn’t just affect the health of you and your pregnancy. It also affects the health of your baby while they are in the womb and years later when they’re living their own lives.
Your nutrition matters.
So what are some foods that can be incredibly supportive for optimizing your fertility?
- Ground Flaxseed:
Ground flaxseed is a great source of healthy fats, fiber and lignans. In particular, these lignans are a form of phytoestrogen which can have a weak estrogenic effect in the body. For a long time, foods with phytoestrogens (such as soy) were seen as bad for hormone health and fertility. However, they actually appear to support healthy estrogen levels whether a person’s levels are high or low. You can add them to smoothies, oatmeal, granola and so much more!
- Pumpkin Seeds:
Pumpkin seeds are a good source of magnesium, zinc, vitamin E and healthy fats. All of which are supportive for ovulation, stress, and egg quality. I personally love making my own trail mix with pumpkin seeds added in, throwing them onto a salad, or adding them to baked goods such as muffins or bread.
- Sardines:
Okay… this one and the next one. Your immediate reaction will probably be “ew.” BUT before you click out of this window… hear me out. I think the reason that we think sardines are gross isn’t actually because we don’t like the taste of them, but because we have been told they are gross over and over again. I bet if you tried them as an adult, there is a way that you would like them.
Sardines are a great source of healthy fats, protein, vitamin D, iodine, iron, and calcium. They go great on a salad or with crackers. It is a a good idea to try to find them canned in olive oil compared to other less healthy fats.
- Beef Liver:
I told you… your first reaction was probably going to be “ew.” Here’s the deal! I am not telling you to go make yourself a whole liver to eat for dinner. In fact, I don’t think that is the best way to get all of the supportive nutrients from liver. Beef liver is a good sources of protein, B vitamins, Vitamin A, iron, copper, zinc, phosphorous, and potassium.
So how can you add it to your diet? If you are making foods such as a stew, chili, or tacos… go ahead and throw in a couple ounces of liver with your other meat! This way, you are getting an appropriate and supportive amount of these beneficial nutrients. Don’t worry, if your food is well seasoned you probably won’t even notice it’s there.
- Potatoes:
That’s right. I bet you weren’t expecting this one! You can take the girl out of Idaho, but you can’t take the Idaho out of the girl.
Potatoes are a great source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and potassium. Does this mean you should go eat french fries for every meal? Probably not! But adding potatoes to your egg breakfast, having a baked potato as your carb for dinner, or trying sweet potato toast are perfect ways to boost the nutrient profile of your foods for hormone health and fertility wellness.
Before you go and add all of these foods every day, remember that it’s what you do most of the time that matters.
In fact, I wouldn’t want you to add all of these foods every day. For one, that would get boring and two, some of these foods (such as sardines or liver) are so nutrient dense that having them every day can be too much!
What fertility-friendly foods are you adding in this week? Let me know in the comments!
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Eats with Erin 