Guest blog by Liz Salvatore, a passionate writer.
Once a woman gets pregnant, many things change about her daily habits, including her diet. Women know well that diet plays a significant role in the way a pregnancy develops. But very few women are aware that their diet before conception is also very important as well.
Is there a connection between diet and fertility? The straightforward answer is yes!
What is the essential link? Ovulation. That’s it. Here’s a simple explanation.
The greatest challenge with conception has to do with ovulation problems. Do you know the most significant difficulties of ovulation? Diet. A poor diet can cause a wreck on the hormones that stabilize ovulation. Once the hormones are not well conditioned to power appropriately, ovulation problems arise. Once women change their diet to complement hormones like CBD from Weedsmart that control ovulation, fertility is greatly improved. This is, however, a simplistic explanation. Many other factors that affect fertility can be improved with proper dietary habits.
Dietary habits affect so many things in the human body, and fertility is one of them. While eating well may not be a magic wand for getting pregnant, the overwhelming conclusion of many studies is that improper diet contributes greatly to infertility. So many studies conducted into this subject prove there are reasons to believe there’s a special connection between what you eat and how easy – or difficult- it is to conceive. Everyone already knows that a bad diet affects health, including fertility. But some diet choices may also be responsible for the difficulty in conception while not necessarily being wrong in itself.
While the focus is often on women when fertility issues arise, the man must also supply quality spermatozoa for conception. Does diet improve the quality of semen? It does, as there are studies to prove this.
How the Wrong Diet Affects Conception
There are multiple studies on the effect of diet on pregnancies. Women are likewise eager to adjust their diet when they get pregnant. It may be more appropriate making that adjustment before pregnancy.
On the one hand, you have fish, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and unsaturated fats; on the other, you have caffeine, sugar, saturated fats, and alcohol. The first set of foods aid fertility, supported by studies, while the second set limits fertility. Therefore, eating foods rich in vegetables, for example, is a significant step to take in improving fertility. Cutting down on, or cutting off sugar and alcohol, would also be a good step for couples seeking conception.
One important point to note is that fertility is almost directly connected to the body mass index. Poor eating habits can lead to obesity, or being underweight, two groups with a higher risk of infertility. The easiest way to achieve the appropriate body mass index is to control the diet.
One thing that has been observed is that more women with psychological problems tend to suffer from infertility than those without. Psychological problems often lead people to poor eating habits, making them either overweight or underweight. This leads to greater conception problems, which lead to more significant anxiety and more psychological issues. The cycle goes on and on until a strict observance of proper diet is enforced. There’s a direct link between proper diet and fertility.
Foods to Avoid
If you’re having fertility issues, you may want to consider the health implications of certain foods. Of all the factors that cause infertility, the one that you can change on your own is diet.
You’ve heard a lot about how bad alcohol is for conception. But let’s look at some foods worth avoiding when you are trying to conceive (woman and men):
- Sugars
- Carbonated drinks
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Red meat
- Trans-fat-rich foods
These kinds of foods affect fertility in women and reduce the ability of men to produce very healthy sperm. So, it may not be enough for the woman to cut down on these; the man needs to as well.
Fertility-Improving Diet
While there are many kinds of foods to cut down on, there are also many foods that have been proven to boost fertility in both men and women that you should eat more of. A man needs to improve on nuts-eating habits, for example, to improve sperm mobility. Foods rich in zinc, like whole grains and poultry meat, can help testosterone levels as well.
Fruits and vegetables should never be far from the dining table. Watermelon, for example, greatly improves egg quality in women. And when eating your fruits and vegetables, make sure it’s fresh! Whole grains are also excellent in that they do not affect blood sugar as much as highly processed carbohydrates like white rice and bread, and cookies.
For protein, do away with red meat and eat more fish. Fish are an excellent provider of omega 3 fatty acids, which prepare the body for pregnancy and improves the baby’s nervous system when in the womb. Plant protein, like beans, will also be an excellent source of protein. You may want to replace your source of protein completely – plants are the best option for fertility. It’s good to speak with your doctor or a nutritional specialist to help develop a healthy diet specific for you, especially if you’re thinking about moving to a plant-based or vegan type diet.
Conclusion
A healthy diet does not work in isolation. You must also remember to exercise adequately, get enough sleep each night, and ensure you maintain an ideal weight. You need to cut off habits like smoking as well. Together with a fertility-friendly diet, these are helpful steps that have produced positive results for anyone challenged with fertility issues.
Liz Salvatore is a thorough and meticulous Content Analyst. She commits herself to continuous learning and focuses on sharing ideas and techniques learned from her experiences.She is a passionate writer who loves writing about health and wellness. She writes in a concise manner so that the information is helpful for everyone.
Leave a Reply