On the Coast – Families Issue 105 I April/May 2020 | Page 32

boost
5 ways to
BY NICOLE SALIBA
P
lanning to grow your family is an
exciting time. Just as it takes time to
plan and prepare a baby friendly
space at home, it takes time and effort to
create a healthy and nourishing ‘first
home’ (your uterus!) for your new bub to
grow. Although we might think that it all
starts at conception, it actually takes three
months for an egg to develop to full
maturity and be ready to pair with a sperm
cell. Therefore what you eat in the months
leading up to conception is extremely
important for both mum and dad.
Nutrition plays a key role in whether
or not we develop healthy, good quality
eggs and how nurturing our uterine
environment will be, so it’s vital to clean
up your diet in the months leading up
to conception. If you are struggling with
infertility, which affects 1 in 6 Australian
couples of reproductive age, there
may be good news for you here too.
Studies have shown that some causes
of infertility, such as irregular or absent
ovulation, can be significantly improved
through dietary alterations. We may not
be in control of all the factors impacting
on our situation, such as age, genetics or
certain diseases, but nutrition is one of
the things we can change.
So what are the top tips for choosing a
fertility-boosting diet?
Choose to ‘eat the
rainbow’
Aim to eat a
colourful and
varied selection
of fruit and
vegetables.
Antioxidants
are a key
ingredient for
fighting cell
damage in our
bodies, protecting
us from the ‘free radicals’
that can cause oxidative harm in our
reproductive organs.
Antioxidants are abundant in our fruit
and veggies, with each different colour
generally indicating a different type of
antioxidant. Very few Australians meet
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O N T H E C OA S T – FAM ILIES
your fertility
the intake targets for fruit and
vegetables, so make an extra effort to
actually get your two serves of fruit and
five serves of veg every day. Let every
meal be an opportunity for getting in
some veggies (not just adding them as an
after-thought) and keep your fruit bowl
topped up with fresh, seasonal fruit.
Need some inspiration?
ƒ Add mushrooms and wilted spinach
to an egg on toast
ƒ Add strawberries and blueberries to
your breakfast bowl
ƒ Snack on chopped veggies
with hommous
ƒ Choose meals
that champion
veggies more
often, such as
stir fries, bulked
up salads or
Mexican meals
with plenty of fresh veg
ƒ Prep veggies in advance if you find
you are short of time during the week.
For example, cube and roast sweet
potato and beetroot to add to salads,
pre-chop a container of healthy slaw
(add the dressing as you go), or pre-
make some veggie patties to cook later
in the week.
2
Get enough zinc
Zinc is vital for cell division and
for making new protein tissue,
so staying well stocked in this
nutrient is essential for healthy
eggs and in preparation for
pregnancy. Shellfish, such as
oysters, prawns and mussels
are all a great source
of zinc that can
be included
regularly in
your diet. Another
substantial source is
red meat.
Small portions of
high quality meat
a few times weekly
is all that’s needed to
keep your zinc intake
topped up.
Choose lean
cuts and opt
away from
processed or
particularly
fatty meats such
as ham, salami,
mince or sausages.
Zinc is also available from a variety of
plant sources, including legumes (such
as chickpeas or lentils), pumpkin seeds,
sesame seeds, nuts and whole-
grains such as rolled oats,
bran, seeded bread, quinoa
and brown rice. Include
these regularly
in your diet by
choosing whole
grain breads
and cereals
rather than
white or refined
options, sprinkling seeds on
salads or porridge and choosing legume
based meals a few times per week.
3
Cut out the added
processed sugars
Studies have shown that by consuming
just one can of soft drink daily, women
are 25% less likely to conceive. The
reason for this is three-pronged. Not only
do excess sugars in our diet contribute to
weight gain which reduces fertility, but
they also cause a hormone called insulin
to be released.
The more sugar we eat, the more
insulin enters our blood stream, which in
turn disrupts the release and function of
our reproductive hormones. Excess sugars
are also known to be inflammatory, and
are known to inflame the tissue
around the eggs causing damage.
It’s recommended that all
soft drinks are cut out of the
diet as soon as possible, but
then working to reduce
other added sugars – some
of which may not be as
obvious.
Choose to replace muffins,
cakes, lollies and other desserts