What to Eat When Trying To Get Pregnant

Have you ever considered the importance of what to eat when trying to get pregnant?

I’m often asked what to eat when trying to get pregnant but do you realize that what you eat in the months leading up to pregnancy (when trying to get pregnant) is just as important if not more important than what to eat once you’re pregnant?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), human infertility and sterility are on the rise.

Why is this happening?

If you’re interested in the environment and been following the news on the rapid decline of wildlife and plant species, then you’ll probably understand what’s starting to happen to human fertility.

For at least the last ten years we’ve been hearing regularly about species becoming endangered or extinct, rapid deforestation, landslides, genetic mutations in frogs, fish and other species and of course – infertility.

We are slowly poisoning ourselves, the planet and the wildlife with the byproducts of the modern industries and inventions.

In the last hundred years our lives have become so far removed from nature and the way we have lived for most of our evolution. Our genes and DNA can not adjust in such a short period of time. In fact we are still wired the same way as one million years ago.

What’s bringing on the change?

The living environments and food sources of many animals, including fish and birds, and us – humans, have been polluted with industrial pollutants, drugs, hormones, EM radiation etc…

We are polluting ourselves

The average diet in the west consists of 70%-80% of processed (high fat, high sugar, low fibre, low nutritious value), pre-made food, take-aways and eating at restaurants. The remaining 20%-30% consists of food prepared at home which is predominantly animal based (meat, chicken, eggs, bacon, ham, salami, fish, cheese, milk) with two or three vegetables and a piece of fruit on a good day, which shows us that most people don’t know what to eat when trying to get pregnant.

Of course there are always exceptions to the rules, and some people eat a very healthy and balanced diet. But on average this is not the case for many. Ironically most of my clients tell me they eat a very healthy diet and know what to eat when trying to get pregnant. However upon closer examination it becomes clear that many of the foods they eat (although they sound healthy) are laden with pesticides, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, plastic (yes you heard me right), trans fat, sugar, food additives, artificial sweeteners etc…

Is it any wonder that human infertility and sterility are increasing?

It’s no wonder for me, because I’ve been researching and studying this topic and substances for over 10 years, however if you have only heard about these things recently, you may be horrified. What kind of living conditions are we leaving behind for our children to come? Are they going to have the same fertility issues as us – or worse? We tend to ignore these questions, such as what to eat when trying to get pregnant, as we busily progress though our daily ‘to do’ lists. We hardly ever stop and think about our choices and the consequences of those choices. This is particularly the case when we’re young and still look and feel relatively healthy. I was like this too. I wasn’t always a naturopath.

I can eat whatever I want as long as it’s tasty, I’m always going to be young and healthy

Very few 20 year olds don’t think this way on some level, and unfortunately don’t know what to eat when trying to get pregnant. However it’s the cumulative effect of everything we do and don’t do to our bodies that catches up with us in our thirties, forties, fifties, sixties or later. Fertility is no different. In fact your being fertile or not has absolutely no significance to your survival when it comes to how our body is programmed. Your brain, heart, lungs, liver, kidney etc… are far more important than your testes and ovaries. Why? Because if any of those body systems fail your life is at stake. If your ovaries or testes fail, you don’t notice a thing, until you start trying to get pregnant. So to have optimal fertility you need to do more then just try to get pregnant the good old fashioned way!

By now you are probably wondering what to eat when trying to get pregnant?

7 Food Secrets of Fertile Couples Revealed

1. Eat clean, pesticide free fruit and vegetables. This translates into organic fruit and veg.
2. Minimize your animal proteins to a bare minimum and replace them with vegetable sources.
3. All sources of animal protein should be organic (remember pesticide free).
4. Eat a diet abundant in fibre, wholefood and raw vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, celery, capsicum, cucumber, broccoli, spinach, kale, beetroot, pumpkin etc…).
5. Avoid all dairy products as they are laden with hormones and drugs. Organic dairy still has plenty of cow’s own hormones. Remember cows weigh nearly a tone, an average human weighs 60-70kg, the amounts of nutrients and hormones in dairy are designed for a baby cow (and not a human), just as the nutrient proportions of human breast milk are designed for a baby.
6. Say goodbye to chips, crisps, lollies, cake, white bread and white sugar (a little bit of dark chocolate in moderation is ok).
7. Stop drinking coffee and alcohol (yes – before conception).

There are many more specific foods, nutrients and herbs which are important for optimal fertility, but this should give you a good introduction in what to eat when trying to get pregnant and what foods you should be leaving on the shelves.

What are your thoughts on what to eat when trying to get pregnant? What are you eating if you are trying to get pregnant? Do you go out of your way to eat organically grown food? Or do you believe organic food is just a fashionable trend designed to get more money out of you? Love to hear your thoughts!

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