Eating for Fertility: Nourishing Yourself Through Conception

Food. It powers every cell in our body, from fueling our mitochondria and allowing it to turn food and oxygen into energy know as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to nourishing our brain so it can function properly.

In today's post, we'll be exploring a variety of foods to nourish the body and womb while one is preparing to conceive. We'll dive into what each grouping of foods provides the pregnant body in terms of nourishment and sustenance in additional to breaking down the importance of balance when exploring a new and exciting way of eating. We hope you learn a thing or two, and that you feel supported on this life-changing journey!

The Mediterranean Diet

We know it's common advice, but that's for a good reason! The Mediterranean Diet is widely known as the healthiest diet in the world, consisting mainly of whole fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts and legumes, fish and healthy oils like avocado and olive, and a limited intake of highly-processed foods, sugars, red meat or dairy.

The diet was created after doctors noticed a trend of decreased cancer and diabetes diagnoses in countries that border the Mediterranean sea, namely Italy, Spain, France and Greece. However, it's worth noting that the principles of this style of eating often apply to a variety of other culture's cuisines, like those of East Asia and South America. A soothing bowl of bone broth ramen or a row of tasty avocado shrimp tacos can just as easily fit into this diet!

A Brand New Pyramid

It is important to know what this diet's structure looks like. Below is an illustration of the food pyramid: Mediterranean style!

Top of the Pyramid (Smallest Part of the Diet): Processed food and sugars, fried foods, and alcohol. We don't mean to suggest that these foods are evil or should never be consumed. (food is neutral and has no moral guidelines!) We simply want to encourage you to mostly fuel your body with the whole foods this pyramid really showcases, and not to feel bad about having that sweet treat. Eat the cookie, girl!

Middle of the Pyramid #1: Dairy, chicken, eggs. These are recommended in moderation to help to regulate dietary cholesterol and reducing the amount of saturated fat in one's diet. Types of dairy that are recommended are fermented dairy products like kefir or Greek yogurt and regulating egg intake per week (aka - just not having them everyday).

Middle of the Pyramid #2: Seafood and light protein sources. These foods are often high in Omega-3's and are sources of high-quality, lean protein. This combination is incredible for one's heart and brain development/function, in addition to leading to decreased inflammation.

Bottom of Pyramid (Largest Part of the Diet): Whole foods, veggies, fruits, beans and legumes. This is recommended to be the bulk of one's diet. Foods in this tier include things like vegetables and fruits (the darker in color, the more anti-oxidants!), legumes/beans, whole grains, nuts (e.g., lentils, walnuts), and olive oil for a wonderful source of healthy fats.

Special Note: Connection, togetherness and social connection over food. This is a major pillar of this way of eating. It turns something that can otherwise be seen as just another diet to follow and turns it into what it really is: a new way of life. The Mediterranean Diet is based in social connection over a warm meal, making friends and having long conversations over a shared, well-prepared dish. This not only slows down digestion and encourages slow eating, but it makes what might otherwise be a fad into a social movement.

That's our favorite part of the Mediterranean Diet. This way of eating encourages us to be together.

How Does it Benefit Fertility?

Outside of the traditional benefits of this diet like weight loss, decrease in brain fog and irritability, better quality sleep, etc, the Mediterranean Diet has a plethora of health benefits for those looking to conceive naturally or use IVF.

Here are just a few of the ways in which this diet could be beneficial to you along your own, unique fertility journey:

• Decreased inflammation. A mainly plant-based diet like this one is associated with less swelling and overall decreased daily bloating.

• Lower chance of negative or adverse birth outcomes like preeclampsia, particularly in Black patients assigned female at birth.

• Better egg and sperm quality. The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables (especially dark, leafy ones!) help to fight cell damage, and the Omega-3 fats in fish help sperm move well and support healthy eggs.

• Benefits to metabolic health. This diet is the most widely-recommended one for patients with PMOS as it helps to regulate and, in some cases, even restore ovulation.

If you're interested in knowing even more ways in which the Mediterranean Diet can help you along your journey, we recommend setting up a free consultation with Dr. Laura to go over your fertility and diet plan to set you up for success!

Final Thoughts

We hope you've enjoyed this information on the process and benefits to trying the Mediterranean Diet. Though we've only scratched the surface on the true positive shift that can come along with switching to this way of consuming, we hope you've taken away the importance of adding whole foods and quality nutrition to your fertility journey.

With love,

The Wildflowers