| Your Health: | | | | |  | Health Issues |
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| | Foods when You're Thinking of Having a Baby | | | The reasons for infertility are many and nutrition is no magic bullet. So called fertility foods such as shark’s fin, camel’s hump or figs won’t turn you into a baby making machine, but if your diet isn’t up to scratch then you may find it more difficult to conceive.
The sooner you start eating well, the more likely you are to get pregnant. A well balanced diet containing plenty of fruits and vegetables, some dairy products, oily fish, lean meat, pulses, nuts and wholemeal bread and grains should supply you with all the nutrients to boost your chances of conceiving and having a healthy baby.
Being fertile is a matter of balance, especially when in comes to body weight. Being too thin or too heavy can interfere with ovulation. |
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| | | | The connection between body weight and ovulation is estrogen.The ovaries produce estrogen and so do fat cells. If your body fat levels are too low, you will produce less oestrogen. If your body fat levels are too high, you’ll produce more. Either way, you can disrupt your reproductive cycle. Shedding a few pounds (or gaining a few if you're underweight) while you're attempting to get pregnant is a good idea. Even a small weight loss can greatly increase your ability to conceive and have a healthy pregnancy. | | | | Being fit and healthy is just as important for men who are hoping to conceive. There have been numerous research studies looking at pre-conceptual nutrition in men. Diets which are low in zinc can reduce sperm counts, while excessive alcohol intakes can reduce zinc levels even further. Zinc is found in foods such as seafood, nuts and cheese. | | | | Selenium is essential for fertility and selenium deficiency leads to reduced fertility in all animal species studied. In a recent study of Scottish men, selenium supplements increased their sperm motility considerably. When the supplements were stopped, their sperm motility fell back to pre-treatment levels. Whilst selenium isn’t a cure-all for fertility, it’s a good idea to include selenium rich foods in your diet such as Brazil nuts, seafood, cereals and eggs instead of relying on a supplement. Different forms of supplemental selenium have different levels of toxicity and too much of it may increase your risk of cancer. Low levels of other nutrients such as vitamins E and C also reduce fertility, but again it‘s better to eat nutrient rich foods instead of taking supplements. Supplements are only a safeguard, not a substitute for a sound diet. And since regular over-the-counter multivitamins may contain mega doses of vitamins and minerals, they could be doing more harm than good. | | | | If you’re eating well, the only supplement women need to take is a folic acid supplement. Taking folic acid prior to and in the very early stages of pregnancy can reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTD's) such as spina bifida. Current advice is that all women of child-bearing age who may become pregnant should take a supplement that provides 400 ug per day of folic acid. This is in addition to folic-acid rich foods in your diet, which should provide around 200 ug per day. Rich dietary sources include fortified breakfast cereals, fortified bread, green leafy vegetables (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and green beans), oranges, dried beans, peas and lentils. | | | | For women vitamins B6 and E influence hormonal balance and deficiencies can affect fertility. Phytoestrogens, compounds found naturally in some plants, mimic or block the action of the human hormone, oestrogen. Studies on animals have found that large amounts of phytoestrogens (found in soya foods), affect the development of their reproductive organs and fertility. However there is no evidence from the limited number of studies in humans that there would be similar effects on people. | | | | Having said that, recent concerns have arisen about soya-based infant formula. Because they weigh much less, babies who drink soya-based infant formula are consuming higher levels of phytoestrogens than adults or older children who eat some soya products as part of a mixed diet. There are concerns that this could adversely affect a babies' reproductive development. The advice from the UK’s Food Standards Agency is that if you're giving your baby soya-based infant formula at the moment, you should talk to your GP or dietitian about changing to a different formula. In almost all cases, breastfeeding or another type of formula will be a better choice. | | | | The research on whether or not caffeine can affect fertility is mixed. Experts generally agree that low-to-moderate caffeine consumption (less than 300 mg a day) won't affect your fertility, but your doctor may recommend you cut it out entirely to play it safe. Three hundred milligrams per day is equivalent to four cups of instant coffee or about six cups of tea. | | | | Regardless of whether good nutrition can help you get pregnant faster, there’s little doubt that when you do conceive, sound nutrition is essential for your little bundle of joy. | | | | Improving your chances | | | | ZINC | SELENIUM | CAFFEINE | Men need 9.5mg/day
Women need 7mg/day | Men need 55ug/day
Women need 55ug/day | An intake of < 300mg /day is
advised by the UK Food Standards Agency | Amount of zinc provided
by 100g of a food: | Amount of selenium
in 100g of a food: | Amount of caffeine in beverages
measured by the UK FSA. | Oysters 59mg
Quorn 8mg
Pine nuts 7mg
Cashew nuts 6mg
Sesame seeds 5mg
Emmental cheese 4mg
Pork fillet 3mg
Milk 0.4mg | Brazil nuts 1530ug
Tinned tuna in oil 90ug
Lemon sole 73ug
Sunflower seeds 49ug
Sardines in oil 49ug
Muscles 43ug
Wholemeal bread 35ug
Eggs 12ug | Energy drinks 28-87mg per 250ml serving
Colas (regular and diet) 11-70mg per 330 ml can
Retail samples of tea 8 -71mg per cup
Retail samples of instant coffee 23- 98mg /cup
Retail samples of ground coffee 15- 254mg /cup |
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