Fertility foods are specific foods that are not only healthy but also target problem areas in your reproductive system. When you plan to have a baby, you not only have to avoid alcohol and eat a daily balanced diet, you also have to take servings of specific foods that actually boost fertility. Medical experts now agree that food plays a huge role in improving fertility.
Below are four non-vegan foods that can help boost fertility in both men and women. Although vegetarian and vegan diets are superior for health and optimal fertility and this site advocates switch to a mainly vegetarian/vegan diet, we do get requests from the meat-eaters on what to include in their diet that's not a seed or a vegetable or a fruit. So for the meat-lovers here it goes (vegans skip this article);
1. Fish roe
Fish roe are the fully ripe masses of fish eggs. They are rich in vitamin D, vitamin B12, omega-r fatty acids, DHA, EPA and trace minerals. Because they are extra rich in vitamins and minerals, fish roe can improve your fertility as well as aid lactation after your baby has been born. Fish roes have been used for centuries to help couples get pregnant. Nutritional researcher Weston A. Price has found out that roes are used by people in the arctic region as a means of improving fertility among men and women. He has also found out that people from far inland make great efforts to go to the sea and collect fish roe for their childbearing women to ensure healthy babies are born.
Men having problems fathering a child have been found to have significantly lower levels of omega-3 fatty acid in their sperm. Fish roes have high ratios of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids, a ratio of 10 to 1, and so regular consumption of roes will increase the omega-3 levels in your body and help to improve fertility in both men and women.
Caviar, which is the roe of the oil-rich fish sturgeon, has the same high ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. Salmon fish roes are among the most potent roes for male and female fertility.
Studies have confirmed that regular supplementation of DHA, found in fish roes and cod liver, may help restore fertility in infertile couples. However do not self prescribe cod liver oil due to it's high vitamin A content.
2. Egg yolks
Egg yolks are very nutrient dense. They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, choline, vitamin A and vitamin E. Choline is especially important in preconception and in the prenatal diet because it helps your baby develop a healthy nervous system. Researchers and medical experts are promoting adequate choline consumption, especially during pregnancy and lactation. Choline is essential in the healthy development of the teeth, and also the brain. Mothers who have adequate choline levels in their system have higher chances of giving birth to babies with good memory retention. Choline may also help decrease the cognitive dysfunction associated with Down Syndrome.
3. Shellfish
Shellfish, oysters in particular, are full of vitamin D, vitamin B12, minerals such as zinc, iron, copper and selenium. Consuming 6 medium-sized oysters can provide you with two thirds the daily requirement of vitamin D and three times the daily requirement for vitamin B12. Vitamin D is especially important for women planning to get pregnant because it helps inhibit glucose regulation, helps develop healthy bones and strengthens the uterus, preparing it for labor.
4. Liver, the not so popular fertility food, may be one of the most important foods for couples trying to get pregnant. It is rich in folate, pantothenic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and niacin. Folate and vitamin A are especially important because inadequate levels of these two have been found to cause birth defects, palate malformation and neural defects. Only buy organic liver.
With increased industrialization and commercialization, the nutrient-dense diets of earlier societies have changed to nutritionally deficient fast foods and processed foods. Strive for a balanced and organic diet. Be sure to integrate fertility food into your diet and you are well on your way to a babymaking fit body.
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