By @YourGreenBaby
Last month I discussed the importance of preparing for the journey of pregnancy and why that preparation is important. In this post, which is an excerpt from the book I am currently writing on raising happy healthy babies, I will go over some specific nutritional guidelines for the preconception period. Nutrition is important during the preconception period for two reasons; the first to create the best environment for conception to take place and second to prepare the body for the demands of pregnancy.
The following are some important nutritional considerations:
Include large amounts of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables provide minerals, vitamins, antioxidants, phyto-nutrients, fiber and more, all of which are important in your health and well being. Organic is the best choice for avoiding the many chemicals used to grow conventional produce. Many of these chemicals are known carcinogens, are detrimental to our health and have a negative impact on our fertility and the well being of your developing baby. Choose organic as much as your wallet will allow.
Include cold water fish. Essential fatty acids aid in hormone production, reduce inflammation in the body, form cell membranes around every cell in our body, improve blood flow and play a role regulating your menstrual cycle. They also play a role in the production of prostaglandins, which regulate functions such as heart rate, blood clotting, blood pressure, fertility and conception. Cold water fish provide high amounts of essential fatty acids. Avoid tuna, swordfish, Chilean sea bass, grouper, orange roughy, shark, king mackerel, halibut, bluefish and tilefish due to mercury concerns. Instead focus on anchovy, mackerel, Pollock, herring, rainbow trout, salmon (not farmed), sardines and smelt. Avoid farmed fish as it can contain PCBs, dioxins, mercury and other chemicals that can impair fertility. If you are vegetarian or vegan you can meet your essential fatty requirements by including plant based sources which include flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, hemp seeds and hemp seed oil, chia seeds, sea vegetables, walnuts and other nuts and seeds.
Include whole grains. Whole grains provide us with fiber and many important minerals and vitamins. Fiber is extremely important nutrient in our diet – it plays a large role in keeping us regular, it helps rid the body of excess hormones and helps to stabilize blood sugar levels, which in turn aids in balancing hormones. It is also beneficial to avoid gluten. Gluten is a protein found in some grains – wheat, spelt, kamut, barley and rye. Many people have difficulty digesting gluten and are sensitive to it. Avoiding foods that cause sensitivity is imperative to ensure your body functions optimally. Gluten is also known to be very sticky and can block up the intestine, which in turn means things don’t move quite as well through your body – remember we need fiber and good digestion to help our bodies remove excess hormones. Gluten free grains include quinoa, millet, oats, amaranth, rice, buckwheat and teff and are a much better choice.
Consume high fiber foods. Fiber as mentioned above helps to regulate blood sugar levels which have been shown to decrease fertility issues by promoting healthy hormonal balance. Fiber also keeps our digestive system moving helping to eliminate excess hormones from the body. Include a variety of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds in your eating plan.
Choose only fermented organic soy products occasionally. Although there is no conclusive recommendations regarding soy and fertility some research has suggested some women may be more sensitive to soy than others. This sensitivity may affect fertility. Soy also contains phytoestrogens which have estrogen mimicking properties, and can lead to hormonal imbalance. According to The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition a small number of studies have shown that high levels of soy can increase menstrual cycle length, decrease follicle stimulating hormone and decrease luteinizing hormone – both important hormones in the female cycle necessary for ovulation. Soy also contains phytic acid which prevents nutrients from being absorbed. Phytic acid actually binds to nutrients like zinc or iron for instance and carries it out of the body. If you have been trying to conceive or have had difficulty in the past I highly suggest avoiding soy. Be a cautious consumer, soy is used in many processed foods as filler, if you are consuming processed foods read your labels!
Drink lots of water. Water is necessary to ensure you are effectively flushing toxins out of your body, it ensures your kidneys are working effectively and helps to maintain your hydration levels. Avoid bottled water; some of the plastics have been shown to contain BPA which can contribute to hormonal imbalances. And tap water…it has many issues from pesticides to hormones, chlorine and fluoride– all of which are detrimental to our health and fertility. Your best bet is filtered water.
Eliminate or minimize dairy consumption. This one may confuse you a little because you have probably heard that you need dairy to meet your calcium needs, especially preconception and during pregnancy. There are many other ways to meet your calcium needs without dairy. Dairy is mucus forming and very congesting to our bodies. It is also important to note that non organic dairy production uses hormones and antibiotics during production, both of which can lead to hormonal imbalances. When trying to conceive it is best if we are easy on our digestion system, unfortunately for many of us dairy is difficult to digest. When our digestive system is stressed the other systems in our body don’t work as well. Your body must use a lot of energy to digest dairy, energy your body needs elsewhere to ensure optimum health and well being for conception.
Reduce meat and poultry consumption and choose organic. Conventionally raised meat and poultry contain high levels of hormones and antibiotics which can contribute to hormonal imbalances. We must also consider meat, like dairy, is difficult to digest, using up energy we need elsewhere. Meat is also very acidifying; an acidic environment is not conducive to conception, sperm like an alkaline environment. If you are eating meat, keep servings to three to four ounces, consume occasionally and choose organic.
Avoid sugar. Sugar sends your blood sugar levels on a downward spiral and has a negative impact on your immune system, suppressing it for up to six hours after ingestion. Fluctuating blood sugar levels can lead to hormonal imbalance and therefore affect your ability to conceive. One of the many ways it does this by causing your insulin levels to raise. When you eat a sugary food, your body needs to release insulin in order to stabilize the level of sugars in your blood. Insulin is a hormone, and when it is constantly saturating your system, it affects all of your other hormones.
It is also important to note that refined sugar requires specific minerals to break it down, the same ones stripped away when it was processed. Your body can’t get these nutrients from refined sugar so it steals them from your own nutrient reserves so it can digest sugar. Sugar has been named the “anti-nutrient” for this reason. The nutrients required for your body to digest sugar are also key fertility nutrients such as calcium, chromium, magnesium and zinc. Think about how much sugar you ingest just by eating processed food, or snacking on chocolate and cookies; you can imagine how low your reserves of these essential nutrients may become. Sugar also creates an acidic environment in the body, and sperm do not like acidity, they need an alkaline environment to thrive. Avoid processed refined and artificial sugars. If you need some sweetness in your life choose natural over refined, include honey, maple syrup and molasses
Eliminate alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol creates a lot of extra work for your body, especially your liver. Your liver has to work hard to process and eliminate it from your system. If the body is working hard to remove alcohol from your system it is being stressed unnecessarily, reducing the ability of it to function at its optimum level for conception. Alcohol also impairs nutrient absorption, suppresses your immune system and can disrupt your menstrual cycle and reproductive function. If trying to conceive, elimination is best.
Caffeine also negatively affects fertility, and yes I mean caffeine in coffee, tea, soda and chocolate. While the mechanism for the adverse affect on fertility is not know, one theory suggests that the stimulant affects ovulation by causing changes in hormone levels, which in turn can hamper conception. It is best used in limited amounts or avoided when trying to conceive.
The food you eat has a large impact on your health and fertility. Making changes to your diet can maximize your fertility, increase the chance of conception and prepare your body for the demanding, yet wonderful journey of pregnancy. Eat well!
Next month a look at herbs that can be beneficial during the preconception period.
*Image – Heirloom Tomato Salad from mnapoleon on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cusegoyle/2601333555/
Resources
The Canadian Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Sherry Torkos, B.Sc. Phm.
Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
http://www.fertilekitchen.com/index.html
Other posts by Kim Corrigan-Oliver
The Importance of Preparing For The Journey
Herbs and Fertility
See Kim’s posts on the topic of PCOS:
Understanding PCOS and Recommendations for Nutrition and Lifestyle
Supplement Protocol For PCOS
Kim Corrigan-Oliver is a first time mom. She is a certified holistic nutritionist specializing in nutrition for mom, baby and toddler. She loves good food and to cook. And, she loves to share her passion for all of the above with those interested in learning more about feeding their babies and raising healthy happy children. For more information please check out her website at Your Green Baby.
