An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and maintaining a healthy diet might enhance fertility. Health has long been believed to be the key to fixing nearly anything that ails you, and there is some truth to that. Being generally healthy is a great start for regulating hormones and ruling out factors that might negatively impact fertility. Speaking with a responsible fertility specialist such as GoFertility is a great way to explore the role of diet and nutrition in fertility further.
Getting Started
The media always promotes new dietary innovations for weight loss, fertility, and muscle gain. Every day we are subject to new advice from influencers and internet doctors, but what’s real? It turns out that the research generally supports unsurprising truths about diet, things that as humans we intrinsically know. Things like, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, or a diet high in refined sugars and saturated fats can cause health problems, or that not exercising can lead to health issues. Today, it is important to be critical of diet advice received on the internet and speak with your health care provider before starting anything new to make sure that you will be getting enough of the right nutrients to support your health.
Research suggests that having a healthy diet rich in good fats, complex carbs, fruits, vegetables, and protein might be the key to promoting fertility in some people. It’s important to note that diet isn’t everything, and speaking with a fertility expert to determine how diet might impact your family’s fertility journey may provide insight into your next steps.
Finding Healthy Recipes
One of the best things you can do to improve your diet is to research healthy recipes. Looking for dishes that are high in healthy protein, unsaturated fats, and low in sodium can be a great place to start. Cooking at home can be one of the most important keys to achieving a healthy weight and lifestyle since eating out can often lead to overconsumption of salt, saturated fat, and refined sugars. Also, being a home chef means you have more control over your diet and cooking can be a fun activity for both partners to enjoy. To overcome some of the initial barriers of cooking, meal subscription services with a healthy meal plan can be a great start, providing inspiration for future dishes, and taking a bit of the stress of preparation off your plate.
You Are What You Eat
It’s a reality that Americans today consume too much processed food, saturated fats, and refined sugars. Unfortunately, this tends to be the food that is most accessible, and often the most appealing briefly. Eating an unhealthy diet often leads to feelings of lethargy and may lead to weight gain which can impact fertility negatively. An important baseline for fertility is general wellbeing. Attaining a healthy weight for both partners can help physicians rule out any other compounding factors, as overweight patients might be more prone to hormonal issues that could negatively impact fertility.
Beyond regulating weight, it’s important that aspiring parents make sure they’re getting the right nutrients and keeping active. It has been shown that regular exercise can increase testosterone levels in men, which is directly linked to reproductive health. Additionally, for women, ensuring that their diet is filled with healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates may play a role in hormone regulation as well. Diet and exercise aren’t everything when it comes to fertility, but achieving a general level of health might benefit both partners in working with their doctor or fertility specialist to determine the best steps to start a family.
