How to Eat for Conception

Build a powerful body through nutrition and lifestyle.

 Many people are under the illusion that if you are female you can have children. I know form personal experience that there is far more to it than that.

Oftentimes having the reproductive organs alone is not enough, yet so much heartache is caused before people start to look at what they are eating to help them naturally.

My intention for this article is to educate you in the choices you can make everyday to help you move closer to creating life.

Your body’s environment

It is crucial for your body to have the correct environment in order to be fertile. This goes back to basics for overall health. You need to ensure you are:

·      Eating at least five to ten portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Really consider this: a portion is approximately a full handful, therefore a sandwich with a bit of lettuce and tomato in really doesn’t count!

·      Eating three meals a day with two healthful snacks such as oatcakes with pumpkin seed butter, or two pieces of fruit and a handful of almonds.

·      Drinking two litres of pure water and fruit or herbal teas.

·      Eating wholefoods such as grains and brown rice.

·      Eating good quality oils and fats such as cold pressed olive oil in a salad dressing and avocado. Eating essential fatty acids found in walnuts, almonds, spinach and beans.

·      Getting and absorbing the right micronutrients such as folic acid, zinc, calcium and B vitamins.

·      Cutting down or eliminating processed sugar and caffeine.

·      Eating green vegetables with at least two of your meals.

This should sound very similar to a healthy diet because if you follow these rules you will be generating a balance and hopefully any hormone imbalances, intolerances or deficiencies will flag up symptoms so you can investigate them further using your GP or kinesiology, for example.

What other elements of diet need to be considered?

Being mindful of reducing as much inflammation in the body as possible to create a more alkaline system will also help to create the right environment. If you are comfortable with detoxes this can be a great place to start. It’s worth noting here that once you are pregnant and breastfeeding, any form of detox is not advised. So if you like your monthly juice fast, make the most of it now!

A detox can also help eliminate excess levels of toxic metals such as lead, cadmium and copper which have been linked to birth abnormalities (Halford:Piatkus,2010).

If you find detoxes a little adventurous, then do consider eliminating processed food, alcohol and caffeine completely.

Are there any other external factors to consider?

Become educated with your current choice of contraception. For example, many women who take the contraceptive pill are told to give their bodies at least four months to adjust before conceiving. In my experience it can take much longer. I came off the contraceptive pill when I was 23 after struggling to deal with my emotional highs and lows each month. It wasn’t until I balanced my hormones with clean eating that I fell pregnant…some ten years later!

Tune into your body. What is it trying to tell you? Often times we blame stress or work, our partner or children, money worries or project deadlines. We look externally for answers to the demands we make of ourselves, yet our strength comes from within. This leads me to mention here that every symptom has a cause. Don’t look to fix the symptom, question it and look for the cause. 

Every time I hide my feelings, don’t say how I truly feel or consume too much processed sugar, my skin erupts. That’s my body talking to me. This leads me to focus my mind positively so I can let go of these thoughts and feelings. Mental and emotional health are part of us and need to be balanced too in order to create a healthy environment to conceive.

It should be noted here that many emotional and mental blocks can be created around conception. I strive to include this as part of overall health and offer a therapy that can actually identify the blocks and limiting thought patters on a subconscious level. Why not book in for a Free Discovery Call to see if you too can benefit from this? 

Should I take supplements?

In short, yes. As much as our bodies are amazing and built for babies, sometimes we need as much help as we can get. Supplements should include folic acid, B1, B2, B6, zinc, iron, calcium and magnesium as low levels of these have all be linked to birth abnormalities (Halford:Piatkus,2010).

Micronutrients such as vitamin C, E, A and zinc can also help with sperm count and activity, so get your partner involved too in eating healthily for conception.

To conclude:

There are many factors to consider when looking to conceive: nutrition is just one element.

It is crucial to balance mind, body and nutrition for the whole journey, from conception to motherhood. Booking in for a FREE Discovery session will help you to identify the best way I can support you.