Feed your gut bugs and nourish your fertility!
Food is so powerful, especially when it comes to fertility and gut health! A diet rich in minerals, vitamins, essential fats and proteins can help prepare both a man and a woman’s body for conception. There is growing evidence that certain vitamins and minerals play a role in aspects of human fertility and evidence for specific nutrients in the ‘promising’ category. Science is ever evolving, with more evidence based research this can help shape informed decisions about fertility health. What we are certain about is that slowly introducing small changes to your diet & lifestyle can give your gut bugs some love and support your fertility goals!
2 diet & lifestyle steps to introduce to nourish your fertility & feed your gut bugs!
- Add more veggies!: They help with immune health, hormonal balance, weight management and digestion! Packed with phytonutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, vitamins, minerals, water and fibre.
- Add more herbs and spices: Adding more herbs and spices to your meals is a great way to keep your gut in check whilst adding some delicious flavour to your cooking! Fresh herbs can add quite a few micronutrients such as folate and iron and many spices can add phytonutrients and polyphenols. Chillies are known to reduce inflammation and help with negative gut bacteria. Turmeric is rich in anti-inflammatory properties due to high levels of curcumin.
So let’s put this knowledge into action! Why not try out this lazy Sunday morning breakfast or brunch. Our punchy Vegetable Shakshuka (a celebration of middle east and North Africa and an amazing way to jazz up the humble egg whilst adding veg to your breakfast!).
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white part only, washed well and sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pepper (red, green or yellow), diced (Vit A, Vit C, healthy dose of fibre, folate & Iron)
Pinch of chilli powder or paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin or cumin seeds
3 fresh bay leaves
1 teaspoon tomato paste (concentrated purée)
800 g (1 lb 12 oz) tinned chopped tomatoes (powerful antioxidant lycopene- fertility fuel!)
250 g (9 oz/13)4 cups) frozen peas
1 large handful of baby English spinach leaves
4 large free-range eggs
mint leaves, to garnish
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat.
- Add the leek, garlic, pepper, spices and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the capsicum is softened and the spices are fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and peas, then bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook for 5 minutes, or until the peas are nearly done. Stir in the spinach.
- Make four divots in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Cover and leave for about 3–5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking; the yolks should still be soft.
- Serve straight from the frying pan, garnished with mint leaves.
