Exploring a Fertility Diet
If you’re struggling with infertility, chances are that you have Googled “fertility diet” more than once. The internet can be an amazing place with lots of resources to choose from – but therein lies the problem. If you’ve even dipped your toes into this arena, you’ll have quickly found that there are many conflicting ideas.
Some mainstream resources will say to reduce red meat, eat whole grains, and include plant-based protein like tofu. [1] Others will be a little more out of the box and suggest things like liver and bone broth to boost fertility. [2] It seems like eating whole milk dairy products is linked with better fertility [1] but what about sources that say to eat raw whole milk dairy? [3]
In this post, I’m going to give y’all an overview of my fertility diet philosophy. It closely follows my overall nutrition philosophy no matter what stage of life you’re in: eating real foods. Some people call it eating “Paleo” though I don’t strictly adhere to it. For now, here are some basic tenets to follow if you’re totally overwhelmed by the amount of info out there!
Focus on Fats
I’m going against conventional nutrition advice and advocate for eating more saturated fat! So many people these days are scared of saturated fat because they think it will contribute to heart disease. (Hint: it doesn’t. [4]) Another worry is that saturated fat will raise cholesterol. While you don’t want to have sky-high cholesterol, it’s also important to not have low cholesterol. This hormone is the one from which all other hormones flow – and we all know that hormones are intricately tied to fertility!
Now, there are unhealthy forms of saturated fat like trans fat. Avoid trans fats at all costs! Pretty much everyone agrees on that point. What are some healthy saturated fats to eat? My favorites are organic virgin coconut oil and butter or ghee from grass-fed cows.
Reduce Pesticide Exposure
It’s impossible in our modern world to avoid ALL pesticides. Even organic produce can have organic pesticides! But you definitely want to reduce your toxic load as much as possible.
You can do this by following the EWG’s “Dirty Dozen” guide. Basically the fruits and vegetables listed on the Dirty Dozen guide are produce that are highest in pesticide residue. Thus it is important to buy the organic variety of these items. If you’re on a budget (most of us are!), you can feel good about buying non-organic items from their “Clean Fifteen” list.
You also want to make sure you’re buying organic grains, if you tolerate them. (And remember to eat in moderation!) Things like wheat and oats are sprayed with glyphosate, which is a toxic chemical. You don’t want to be absorbing this into your body all the time, especially if trying to conceive!
Pack on the Protein
Meat eating is a hotly debated topic in the nutrition world and that carries over into the fertility diet world. Like I mentioned above, some sources say to reduce red meat. But in my opinion, that is not necessary. Just like with fresh produce and fats, we want to make sure that the meat we consume is the best quality we can afford.
The gold standard is grass-fed beef, pastured pork, and free-range chicken. Eggs from free-range chickens are also an excellent source of protein, as is wild-caught seafood. My current favorite source for high-quality meat is Butcher Box, plus it’s delivered right to your door! But you can also find affordable, high quality grass-fed and organic meats at places like Costco.
I also would stay away from anything soy, especially soy protein. It tends to be highly processed, and soy promotes excess estrogen in the body. This is very detrimental when it comes to fertility because diseases like endometriosis and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) involve hormone imbalance with estrogen vs. progesterone. So no tofu or soy milk!
Control Sugar Intake
Everyone knows that sugar is both delicious and harmfully addictive. No one should be eating a ton of sugar but especially if you’re dealing with infertility. And when I say “sugar” I don’t just mean the sweet stuff; I’m also talking about excess carbohydrates, especially refined carbs. It just turns into sugar!
However, you don’t necessarily want to be on a low-carb diet when trying to improve fertility. You want to make sure that you eat a moderate amount of real food carbs. This means things like sweet potatoes, organic red potatoes, squashes, and a variety of fruit. Grains like organic oatmeal, rice, and quinoa can be included in limited amounts. If you consume wheat, consider switching to organic ancient einkorn wheat that is made into sourdough. Or you might want to consider going gluten-free.
While excess sugar is very detrimental to our health, we also have to live a little. When going through infertility, sometimes we focus SO hard on having the perfect health regimen that we forget to relax. Being stressed out is just as toxic to fertility as a bad diet! If you enjoy chocolate chip cookies or ice cream, don’t feel like you have to forego those treats completely. Eat them on occasion (preferably homemade with organic ingredients!) and don’t feel guilty.
Hydrate with Pure Water
We all know we could drink more water. But with infertility, it’s especially important. Staying hydrated is key to producing healthy cervical mucus, which transports and nourishes sperm. However, you also don’t want to drink water from the tap because it oftentimes contains lots of chemicals you don’t want in your body, like chlorine, fluoride, and even heavy metals and trace amounts of pharmaceuticals like birth control! Yikes!!
This is why I love our Berkey water system. Not only does it filter out things like chemicals, heavy metals, and pharmaceuticals, it also purifies water from bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. It also removes foul odor and taste. It is completely electricity-free so it’s perfect for emergency situations.
Another reason to love the Berkey is because it cuts down on plastic use. Not only is buying plastic water bottles expensive, but many plastics contain endocrine disruptors. Those are compounds that can interfere with hormone balance, and you definitely don’t want that!
Eat Homemade Real Food
If I could sum up everything into one neat package, it would be to cook at home most of the time using real food ingredients. Reduce the amount of refined carbs, increase fresh fruits and veggies, eat the highest quality of meat you can afford, and don’t forget to slather on the healthy fats.
You might be wondering why I didn’t include “fertility superfoods” in this list. Don’t worry, I will address this in a future post. However, at first I believe it is most important to focus on an overall healthy diet, rather than just adding in “superfoods” here and there. You’ll create a much bigger impact that way!
What did you learn from this post? Did anything surprise you? What were you already doing and can feel accomplished about? What area are you going to tackle next? Leave your thoughts in the comments below – I’d love to hear from you! Please also drop any questions you have about infertility and how I might be able to help you in your journey!
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/follow-fertility-diet
[3] https://www.westonaprice.org/podcast/142-how-to-have-the-healthiest-babies-principle-11/