Diet and FertilityThe over riding consensus from medical professionals is that a healthy balanced diet with regular exercise will help increase the chances of conception. The idea is that the better prepared your body is, the greater the chances of producing a healthy baby. As a result of this, a cottage industry of diet and fertility products and advice has popped up from no where. The basics to a good diet and fertility approach is to stay away from things that are obviously unhealthy and do or consume more of the things that make you feel better. So the most obvious one would be to cut out smoking and drinking alcohol. Not only are both proven to be unhealthy in large doses, they have also proven to have potentially harmful affects with regards to fertility. We also recommend that you have a good understanding of what exactly a healthy balanced diet constitutes. If diet and fertility is on your mind, it is therefore worth spending the time to ensure that you know which foods benefit you and which do not. The general rule of thumb is that fresh fruit and vegetables are good, as are lean meats and low fat dairy products. Whilst, processed foods might be convenient, they will not add a huge amount of nutritional value to you. If you've read through some of the other articles on our web site, you will already know the importance of folic acid when it comes to diet and fertility. Folic acid reduces the chances of a baby being born with defects, so make sure you have plenty of "dark green" vegetables in your diet such as broccoli and spinach. If you can not stomach these types of food, have a chat with your medical doctor and seek their advice for alternative sources, they will most likely suggest a vitamin approach. One approach to diet and fertility we like to recommend is that both the mother and father are involved together. This means that there will be a supportive pattern should you be making changes to your normal diet. By both having the same attitude and approach to diet and fertility, you can exercise together and enjoy the same foods together. The alternative is often the woman making every effort to improve diet and fertility, whilst the man continues an unhealthy, unbalanced approach. It will not be long before the woman is tempted to indulge in the latter.In summary, diet and fertility should be a common sense approach to what you eat and the amount of exercise you take. For some, this involves subtle tweaks to their existing diet, for others it may include wholesale changes. Whilst it maybe difficult to adapt to change, keep your focus on the long term objective. Your diet and fertility changes are your first steps to having a wonderful healthy baby, small changes can make huge differences in our lives. Please note, your medical team have vast experience advising couples on the optimum diet and fertility options, do not hesitate to consult with them. It is highly recommended that all women have a general check up before attempting to become pregnant. |