Can what you eat affect fertility? Absolutely.
- Nutrient deficiencies can interfere with conception. Our bodies require a diverse range nutrients for ovulation to occur – for example, women who are low in folic acid have been shown to have lower rates of natural ovulation.
- Low protein intake and lack of adequate, good quality, dietary fats have both been shown to reduce conception.
- Poor quality fats have been shown to cause inflammation and high insulin levels, both of which can interfere with fertility.
- Skipping meals and frequently having low blood sugar have been show to adversely affect fertility. When your blood sugar is low, it triggers your brain to go into survival mode. When this happens too often, it affects your cortisol levels in a way that can start to have an impact on your hormones and your fertility.
- High GI (foods), such as simple carbohydrates, chips and processed foods, can throw our hormones out of whack, creating significant inflammation, thereby supressing fertility.
- Unlike ‘good’ carbs (those containing fibre, such as vegetables, beans and whole grains), which are digested slowly and have a more gradual effect on blood sugar and insulin, low GI foods cause a rapid spike in insulin, which has been shown to inhibit ovulation.
- Foods that have high levels of herbicides and pesticides that act as toxic estrogens in our body can interfere with fertility.
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