If you're trying to conceive then following The Fertility Diet is for you! In our first article we gave you some general guidelines and the benefits you will experience. Now here are out 8 best dietary guidelines to get and keep you going:

1. Organic is Best: opting for organic fruit and vegetables will help to reduce exposure to large amounts of chemicals used in conventional farming which can be harmful to reproductive processes. If switching to entirely organic produce is not feasible for you, begin with the Clean Fifteen and the Dirty Dozen. These are lists compiled which outline the produce which is safe to eat due to not being exposed to chemicals and those which need to be bought organic due to heavy spraying techniques.
2. Organic Dairy only: organic dairy is free of added hormones and antibiotics used in conventional farming practices which can disrupt normal action of oestrogen within the body as it mimics the hormone and disrupts reproduction. Cautionary note, dairy is a food considered to be congestive so if you experience PCOS or Endometriosis please stay away from dairy in your diet altogether as they may be aggravating.
3. Choose cold fish that is wild caught over farmed: wild caught, cold water fish are rich in essential fatty acids, minerals and are great sources of Vitamin A. However, farmed fish are fed artificial diets, exposed to antibiotics and often given dye to produce more attractive looking produce all which need to be detoxified by your body.
4. Free Range/Organic Poultry: conventional chicken farming results in animals being kept in small cages, in unsanitary conditions being fed genetically modified feeds. Ideally, purchase poultry direct from farms if possible that practice organic farming or look for ‘cage free’ or ‘organic’ on food labels.
5. Choose Wholegrains over Refined: wholegrains contain vitamins, minerals and fibre which assist in reducing excess hormones within the body. Avoid refined ‘white’ grains as these have no nutritional value compared to their whole counterparts.
6. Avoid refined sugars: commercial bottles of juices are largely composed of sugar which has a negative impact on blood sugar levels which are intimately connected to hormone production and utilisation within the body. Avoid any processed or refined sugars, fruit juices and commercial products.
7. High Fibre food at every meal: fibre assists digestive function, regulates blood sugar levels which in turn has a positive effect on hormone production and can reduce severity of conditions such as PCOS and immunity issues. Examples of high fibre foods include fruits, vegetables, beans and leafy greens.
8. Water consumption: avoid bottled water as the plastics used in bottling leach damaging chemicals into the water that have direct impacts on ovarian and sperm health. Tap water also has chemicals and agricultural residues contained so needs to be filtered prior to drinking. Choose a reverse osmosis filter or another home filtration system that can remove pesticides and chemicals.

This article is Part Two of Chloe Okorn’s series on The Fertility Diet. See Part One below: The Fertility Diet: Influence the health of your child before you conceive

Naturopath Chloe Okorn

Naturopath Chloe Okorn has developed this series to educate people on the importance of diet prior to conception. It is wholly within our control as to what we consume and it can easily be changed without the need of supplements.

Diet is the first step which needs to be addressed when preparing for pregnancy.

Chloe Okorn is passionate about pre conception care and has experience in preparing couples for this wonderful journey. If you are wishing to create the healthiest, happiest and brightest children possible don’t hesitate to book in for a consultation with Chloe.

Find out more about Chloe here

References: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028298002532 https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean_fifteen_list.php https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty_dozen_list.php http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/farmed-vs-wild-fish/bgp-20146479 https://www.sustainabletable.org.au/Hungryforinfo/conventional-and-organic-farming/tabid/114/Default.aspx http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/whole-grains/art-20047826 http://davidgillespie.org/why-eating-sugar-impairs-your-ability-to-conceive/ https://iquitsugar.com/why-your-sugar-habit-is-standing-in-the-way-of-your-fertility/ http://natural-fertility-info.com/5-natural-ways-to-increase-your-cervical-mucous.html