How Can I Boost Fertility at Thanksgiving Dinner?
There are many foods that you can eat over the Thanksgiving holiday that will boost fertility. As you feast your eyes on the Thanksgiving table, use this opportunity to load up on vegetables and other fertility friendly ingredients that you may not normally eat in order to improve your fertility. (Don’t eat too much, because being overweight can contribute to infertility issues.)
Fertility Boosting Thanksgiving Dishes and Nutrients
Food plays an important role in your body. It helps nourish your organs so that they function properly. You may have never realized how much what you eat can affect your organs related to fertility. Food can affect your menstrual cycle in positive and negative ways. Use the time over the holidays to try to boost your fertility. Here are some ways how:
Sweet Potato & Kale Salad for Vitamins A, C, and K
Vitamins A, C, and K are fertility boosting vitamins known for helping improve cervical fluid and follicle development. Consider making a kale salad and include sweet potatoes in the mix. The nutrient benefits are that kale contains vitamins A, C, and K and sweet potatoes have lots of vitamin A. Sweet potatoes also regulate your menstrual cycle and can possibly balance your hormones.
If you really want to load up on vitamins in this salad, include cauliflower and broccoli; these vegetables have lots of nutrients (including Vitamin B & Folate) that help women have a healthy amount of estrogen.
Cooked Carrots for Beta-Carotene
Carrots help reduce the chance of a person having a miscarriage because they have beta-carotene. Sperm motility has also been proven to increase with the help of eating carrots. Not only are cooked carrots tasty, it’s an easy dish to prepare and carrots don’t take long to cook!
Pumpkin Seeds & Dark Leafy Greens for Folate and Iron
Add some dark leafy greens in a salad. They have been proven to regulate ovulation which can help with infertility. Toss some pumpkin seeds in the salad too; they contain a lot of iron and one study showed that iron boosts fertility. Speaking of iron, pair iron with foods rich in vitamin C to help increase the absorption of iron. Bell peppers (red or green), brussel sprouts will do the trick or consider something sweeter like mangoes, pineapples, or strawberries.
Wheat bread for stabilizing insulin.
Wheat bread can keep insulin levels stable and increased insulin can disrupt hormone levels. Also, wash the bread down with a glass of whole milk because the whole milk helps promote conception.
A List of Foods To Leave Off Your Thanksgiving Plate (or cup!)
- Trans Fat: Skip foods containing high levels of trans fat because it can affect glucose metabolism which can decrease your chances of getting pregnant.
- Alcohol is not recommended on Thanksgiving nor is it during any time you are pregnant or trying to conceive. Try sparkling water with a splash of cranberry juice and a lime wedge on the side.
- Avoid caffeine so you don’t increase the chance of having a miscarriage. Two of life’s greatest pleasures contain caffeine, coffee, and chocolate. One cup of coffee a day won’t hurt but if you had a cup on Thanksgiving morning maybe skip the after-dinner cup and go for straight for the pumpkin pie!.
- Lay low on the unpasteurized cheese, meats, eggs, and dairy. These put you at risk for different food-borne bacterias that can harm a developing fetus.
Here are additional nutrition tips for increasing fertility.
Another great way to get information about ways that you can boost your fertility through food is to talk to a nutritionist. Your counselor at Aspire can refer you to a nutritionist in your area.