Difficulty in getting pregnant?
Try to optimize your overall health by adopting a plant-based diet.
There is a strong connection between a plant-based diet and fertility.
In this article, we are going to talk about how you may boost your fertility with a plant-based diet.
It's never too late to start thinking about improving your diet for fertility.
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So, let's start.
1. Fertility in Men and Women
Fertility is the biological ability to conceive.
On the other hand, infertility is a situation in which the reproductive system discourages the conception of children.
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Around 90% of healthy, fertile women can conceive within one year if they have intercourse without using contraceptives. (1)
Natural fertility needs the production of healthy sperm by males and conceivable eggs by females.
Any trouble with a female's eggs or men's sperm can cause infertility.
Infertility can take place both in men as well as in women.
It is a biological fact that as men and women age, their possibility to become a parent decreases. (2)
Women younger than 35 and men younger than 40 have a more promising chance of having a baby than those who are older.
A change in diet plays a major role in fertility. We will discuss this in our next section.
2. How does diet play a major role in fertility?
Most women are familiar with the signs of fertility and know when they are most likely to conceive.
There are a number of signs that a woman is fertile, including changes in her cervical mucus, changes in her basal body temperature, and changes in her ovulation pattern.
Opting for healthy diet and a lifestyle can help you with boosting fertility.
There are a variety of nutrients that boost your reproductive health.
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According to researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health various vitamins and nutrients that are required for your reproductive health and fertility are as follows
- folic acid (3)
- vitamin B12 (3)
- omega-3 fatty acids (3)
- Iron
- healthy diets (such as the Plant-Based Diet, Keto-based diet)
An eating pattern rich in these nutrients that come from vegetables and supplements may reduce the risk of infertility.
Nutrients play an essential role in improving fertility by
- Repairing and making DNA
- Producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen around your body
- Increasing sperm count and motility in men
- Reducing the risk of pregnancy complications like preterm birth
- Delaying in ovarian aging
- Lowering the risk of ovulatory fertility
While consuming an excess of saturated fats and foods high in processed sugars might harm fertility.
A few foods that are linked with improved fertility in women are
- unsaturated fats (5)
- whole grains (5)
- vegetables (5)
- Fish (5)
- Beans
- Lentils
- Fortified cereals
- Long-grain enriched rice
- Fresh fruits
- Guava leaves
- Papaya seeds
- Okra
- Clove water
There are also a variety of pregnancy teas such as:
1. Red raspberry leaf tea (Benefits your hormones, delays ovulation & has many other benefits during postpartum.)
2. Nettle tea
3. Fennel tea
4. Ginger tea
5. Rooibos tea
We will read about plant-based diets in our next section.
3. What is a Plant-Based Diet?
Plant-based diet refers to making plant-based foods the main part of
your meals. (6)
It consists of all the fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans.
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A plant-based diet is filled with antioxidants and plant protein.
It will give you more energy, a healthier weight, and improved fertility health. (7)
Let's read more about a plant-based diet for fertility in our next section.
4. Plant-Based Diet and Fertility
Various lifestyle factors affect fertility such as
- Age
- Weight
- Inactivity
- Stress
- Diet
The effects of diet are mostly neglected, but according to the research, there is a strong connection between food and fertility.
One of the best ways to consume healthy food is to adopt a plant-based diet.
A plant-based diet can boost fertility and aids in a healthy pregnancy.
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A healthy plant-based diet has the power to deal with certain issues that stops you from becoming pregnant.
- Vegan diet prevents obesity
Being overweight or underweight can influence fertility. Your body has a biological tendency to store fat.
Eating fatty foods like meat, cheese, cakes, and biscuits can lead to weight gain and obesity. Obesity lowers sperm quality in men. (8)
On the other hand, a plant-based diet is high in antioxidant-rich foods like (9)
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Vegetables
- Seeds
- Legumes
- Wholegrains
These all are fertility-friendly foods that manage your weight and give you a lot of health benefits. You can even opt for a keto diet for fertility.
- Plant protein helps fight ovulatory Infertility
Plant-based whey protein is a great source of plant-based protein, which can help improve reproductive health and support the development of healthy sperm and eggs.
Replacing animal protein with plant protein helps fight ovulatory infertility in women. (8)
- Increase folic acid
Folic acid is another vitamin that is essential for fertility.
It is necessary to consume folic acid if you are pregnant or trying to conceive until the twelfth week of pregnancy to avoid neural tube defects in your child. (8)
Folic acid can be found in soy foods and green leafy vegetables like spinach, sprouts, cabbage, Pak Choi, rocket, broccoli, and kale.
A fertility vegetarian diet also protects your eggs and normalizes hormones.
It is a highly nutritious diet that increases the consumption of all the essential vitamins and minerals.
Let's read about other benefits of a plant-based diet in our next section.
5. Why is a plant-based diet a good way of living?
A plant-based diet is usually considered the healthiest way of eating.
Adopting a plant-based diet is not a difficult thing to do. There is no need to keep a check on your calorie intake.
All you have to do is eat more plant-based foods and consume less animal-based foods.
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It has an enormous number of benefits and following this diet can do wonders for your body.
Here are a few reasons why this diet can make life worthwhile.
A plant-based diet can do the following things for you
- Lowers blood pressure (10)
- Keep your heart healthy (10)
- Prevent type 2 diabetes (10)
- Helps you lose weight (10)
- Helps you live longer (10)
- Improves your immune system (10)
- Keeps your skin healthy and glowing (10)
- Lowers the risk of cancer (10)
- Improve your cholesterol (10)
- Lowers your risk of stroke (10)
- Keep your brain active (10)
- And helps improve your fertility in every possible way (10)
Read on further to know other ways of improving your fertility.
6. How to boost your fertility?
Here are a few more ways to improve your fertility. Let's have a look.
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- Consume foods rich in antioxidants
- Eat a healthy and larger breakfast
- Avoid trans fats
- Eat less refined carbs
- Say yes to fiber
- Adopt keto diet
- Adopt gluten-free diet
- Choose full-fat dairy
- Take supplements like multivitamins
- Keep a check on your iron level
- Work out
- Don't stress
- Avoid alcohol and smoking
- Drink clove water
- Fertility teas such as nettle, raspberry leaf tea or roobios tea
7. Conclusion
A plant-based diet is a kind of eating that encourages us to eat plant foods and avoid unhealthy foods like added sugars and refined grain.
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A vegetarian diet is the best diet for this planet. A vegetarian diet for fertility will boost your health and improve your fertility.
Making healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices will help you get pregnant.
So, relax and speak to your doctor to find the best choices for you.
