Dr Richa Sharma, Dr Amit Basnotra
To prepare for conception is one of the most excitingtimes in a person’s life, especially when its for first time.You need to prepare not as individual but as Couple as family for many prospective challenges you can come across in Journey Of Parenthood and Grandparenthood.
Joy is high so are the challenges but good preparation with awareness can keep things at ease
To begin with first challenge is being infertile to being fertile so shift over to the other end may not be smooth for everyone.
It can also be a time filled with anxiety and evenheartache if you do not get results. Seeing how fertilityis directly related to your health and the health of yourpartner, you might discover challenges that you did not anticipate. That’s when trying to conceive can become achallenge instead of a blissful step into motherhood
What To Eat and What Not To Eat ?
Preconception and Conception all different stages so first step where we often get stuck is what is RIGHT for me to eat, how safe it is for new life I am planning ? Is that my body and its requirements will be totally different from routine- any drastic change in what I eat !
New Food ingredients, making of new dishes and do this consistently in order to give your body the building blocks for fertility, healthypregnancy, and optimum fetal developmentand also to break any monotonous routine which may rather kill your zeal for appetite
Pre Conception Programme !
We guide you through a Pre-conception program that you can use as a guide to create your own plan and ideally prepare for at least three months prior to starting to try to conceive. This amount of time allows the body to cleanse, renew and rebuild before you become pregnant
Keep Your Hormones Under Check and Prevent Birth Defects-
Science and Medicines have their own role but we shouldnt forget the basics – as it’s a old saying GET YOUR BASICS RIGHT, YOU WONT FAIL !!
So what are our basics as Prospective Parents- Of course NUTRITION
Foods for fertility andpregnancy
When it comes to preparing for conception, the most important area of your lifeyou will want to focus on is going to be nutrition. There are a couple of reasonsfor this-
The first is that there are specific nutrients that are necessary beforeyou become pregnant that can help prevent birth defects.
The other is thatnutrition plays an important role when it comes to hormonal balance, ovulationand the chances of you having a healthy and uneventful pregnancy
Nature has created foods to help nourish ,rebuildand repair the bodyoptimally.By avoiding unhealthy foods are avoided. Thisis very helpful for fertility, especially if there is anunderlying imbalance or fertility issue. The cellsin the body are constantly dying off and new cells are being created to replace the old cells. This isoccurring in every organ, muscle, tissue, etc. The building blocks of thesenew cells are provided from the foods that youare consuming.
With changing time and lifestyle there is s shift over in the dietary pattern and style from era of most fertile when traditional diets were followed to present era of rising infertility when industrial diets are followed
The womenwith the highest fertility diet scores ateless trans fats and sugar fromcarbohydrates, consumed more proteinfrom vegetables than from animals, atemore fiber and iron, took moremultivitamins, had a lower body massindex (BMI), exercised for longer periodsof time each day, and, surprisingly,consumed more high-fat dairy productsand less low-fat dairy products. Therelationship between a higher “fertility diet” score and lesser risk for infertilitywas similar for different subgroups ofwomen regardless of age and whether ornot they had been pregnant in the past.
The Fertility Diet Suggestions for daily and weekly basis- Concept is to have a balanced diet rich in seasonal fruits and vegetables with add on or fortification factors or supplements which diet may be lacking
Daily schedule should include-
Dark Leafy Green Vegetable
Fresh Vegetable Juice 2 Servings of Vegetables
Food rich in essential fatty acid (EFA) Rich Food
1-2 Eggs daily
Add Nuts
Fruits of different varieties(1-3)
Use Coconut Oil or Butter
Whole Grains
Water- Hydration should be proper as that keeps your body fresh and also improves the blood circulation
Weekly basis, You should add to your recipes-
Lentils or Beans 2x a week
Red Meat 3x a week
Liver or Caviar 1x a week
High Omega 3 Wild Caught Fish 2-3x a week
Foods To Avoid-
Foods Sugar, soda & pasteurized juices
Pasteurized juices such as bottled apple juice, orange juice, and other bottled fruit juices contain concentrated sugar, which can throw off your blood sugar levels and negatively effect your immune system and hormonal balance. Also avoid any processed/refined and artificialsugars. Some great alternatives are stevia, honey, and maple syrup.
Caffeine : Studies have shown that caffeine can affect your hormonal balance,increase your chances of a miscarriage and prevent you from ovulating.
Soy Foods : Soy foods have been shown to contain estrogen mimicking properties. Itis best to avoid processed soy foods such as soy milk, soy burgers, soy protein powder, soychips, soy meats, and soy cheeses to avoid a negative impact on your hormonal balance.Both men and women are affected by soy.
Type Of Grains You Eat and Immunological Infertility-
Grains is an area of the Natural Fertility Diet that we suggest you experimentwith what works for you. There have been links to infertility in those who havegluten intolerance (celiac – you can get tested for this) as well as a possible linkto immunological infertility and grains. In some, grains will be a non-issue, butif you have made many changes yet have not seen results, then take a look atthe grains you eat. Grains and pseudo-grains that are gluten-free (amaranth,rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, etc.) are a great option and tend to be morenutrient dense than the general grains we are used to eating.
(Note From Authors- Purpose of article is only patient awareness and don’t follow it as prescription and take Doctor and dietician advise for any suggestions).
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