Everyday foods killing your fertility

Fact - A key component in your quest of fertility is your diet. Until actively trying to conceive, you may not have even thought about the food's your consuming and the impact they have. But now is the time to revamp your diet to boost your fertility health. By removing unhealthy foods from your diet you can 1 - improve your overall health, 2 - prepare your body for a successful pregnancy, 3 - get pregnant faster.

After all, your diet is something that is 100% within your control, so why not give yourself the best possible chance of improving your chances whether its naturally or alongside IVF? Ditch the following and improve your fertility success:

1. Artificial sweeteners

Food additives can have a big impact on our health particularly how the eggs develop. Artificial sweeteners are chemical based, these chemicals can negatively affect egg and sperm quality leading to poor quality embryos and a higher risk of miscarriage. Ditch all diet drinks including diet coke and check the labels at the back of your favourite foods before buying. Do not eat anything that contains a sugar substitute or is labelled 'sugar free'. One of the biggest culprits is aspartame. Sugar free products add zero nutritional value to your diet and ditching them will instantly improve your overall health. For more information on artificial sweeteners and their health impacts check out this NHS article.

2. BPA bottles

BPA (bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical used to make plastics, canned food linings and canned drinks. It is proven by researchers at the University of Harvard to interrupt the reproductive process in women. Not only does BPA affect our bodies ability to reproduce, it can affect egg health and contribute to greater chance of birth defects in babies.

In short by reducing your plastic consumption you are benefiting your reproductive health as well as the environment. Avoid buying plastic bottles (and especially drinking from them), plastic food containers, plastic sports bottles, plastic bags, canned foods and canned drinks. My number one tip is to buy a re-usable bottle, there are so many available, such as Swell which are stainless steel and can be used for hot and cold drinks and invest in a water filter at home.

3. High pesticide foods

Okay, so your eating all the right things and have up'd your fruit and veggie daily intake but could you be damaging your health by eating foods with a high pesticide content? Researchers from Harvard University discovered a link between women's infertility and eating certain fruit and vegetables commonly high in pesticides such as strawberries, spinach, peppers and grapes. The study found that women reduced their fertility by 18% when exposed to pesticides and were 26% less likely to carry a baby to birth. Although these figures are relatively low, this can be eliminated completely by eating organic.

Check out the Dirty Dozen, an annual study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) investigating the highest pesticide foods. The annual report publishes the highest pesticide foods for the year, and how to lower your risk of pesticide exposure by buying organic particularly in these high pesticide foods. The 2019 'dirty dozen' list reports strawberries, spinach, kale, nectarines, apples and grapes high in pesticides.

For more on eating organic, read my post - Is buying organic really worth it?

Low fat dairy

Newsflash, low fat dairy is not good for you. For years, research and scientists encouraged the public to eat low fat dairy and whilst this provides calcium and good probiotics, low fat products contain androgens. Androgens are male sex hormones including testosterone, which negatively impact women's health with reported symptoms including:

> unwanted acne and oily skin.

> excessive body hair.

> hormonal imbalance creating irregular or absent menstrual cycles.

Male sex hormones have a negative effect on female fertility particularly our menstrual cycles. It is important for our periods to be regular to ensure ovulation and implantation of the embryo and an hormonal imbalance can be detrimental. Replace any low fat dairy with whole milk or dairy free alternatives. A serving a day of whole milk will not make you pile on the pounds and there is evidence that a portion of full fat dairy daily can boost and improve fertility in women.

Mercury

Seafood containing high amounts of mercury have long been reported to have a full host of health problems on female fertility including pregnancy. Stay clear of the following seafood; marlin, shark, swordfish, king mackerel and various types of tuna (but I have stayed clear of all tuna to just to be extra cautious).

Substitute with salmon, not only is it low in mercury, it is packed with goodness from the omega 3 fatty acids, DHA and protein, all of which are praised for their reproductive benefits. Loading up on these nutrients now means you will be building the blocks for brain and eye development. It is also very important to avoid high mercury fish during pregnancy as it can affect your baby's developing nervous system.

Simple sugars

Excess refined sugar consumption can negatively impact in both men and women. Refined sugar from sweetened beverages and eating high GI, processed carbohydrates plays havoc on our bodies, spiking blood sugar and causing a sharp rise in our insulin levels. Such spikes cause a hormonal imbalance in our bodies affecting sperm health and interfering with ovulation in women.

Replace processed carbohydrates, including biscuits, cakes, chocolate, diet drinks and white bread and pasta, with complex carbohydrates such as whole grain's and vegetables. Whole grain varieties of food including porridge, brown rice, quinoa, polenta, are high in fiber and rich in nutrients to benefit your body. Your blood sugar and insulin levels will not spike from eating whole grain foods but will provide slow releasing energy throughout the day.

Trans Fats

Trans-fats are a big no no, they are artificially created and used to manufacture foods to improve THEIR shelf life and increase favourability. Although they may have you craving for more, trans-fats have a sneaky way of increasing inflammation and damaging the blood vessels carrying vital nutrients to your reproductive organs. So for the sake of your heart health, weight and fertility stay clear of trans-fats including fried food, fast food, cakes and biscuits. Absolutely not worth it.

Thank you for reading this article. Please enjoy, share, sign up to the mailing list or follow me on instagram @fertilityism for more.

Lisa x