Like many couples, Charlotte Grand and her husband Jeremy had a hard time imagining.
After being diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” three years later, they embarked on IVF and eventually had two sons. But before that happened, Grand began to learn how to nourish her body and help her strengthen her fertility as much as possible from her inside out.
She found her learning so fascinating that she quit her job in fashion and was trained as a nutrition therapist. She wrote the nutrition and lifestyle cookbook The Fertility Kitchen and created her Instagram channel @thefertilitykitchen.
“Food is the most powerful ingredient in producing optimal fertility,” Grand suggests. “Because it provides a building block for new cells, a preconceived diet literally lays the foundation for the health of your future child.
“Your health consists of many small daily steps such as stress, sleep, movement, environment, and thinking. My approach recognizes that lifestyle is the foundation of optimal health. Have you ever heard the saying, “Before you become another mother, you become a mother yourself”? It is important to accept this concept to optimize your fertility.
“How can you expect your baby to grow and nourish if you don’t nourish yourself?”
Of course, fertility is very personal and can be accompanied by complex medical problems. If you have any questions or concerns about your health, talk to your doctor. But, generally speaking, some may find it helpful to think about how nutrition and lifestyle play a role.
Here, Grand shares 10 ways to help support your fertility through diet and lifestyle …
1. Balance your blood sugar
“Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are fertility problems for both women and men,” says Grand.
“A diet high in carbohydrates and sugars is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, increased risk of ovulatory infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women, decreased testosterone levels in men and decreased sperm quality. increase.”
Her suggestion? “Maintain energy levels and maintain satiety and satisfaction, aiming for a regular nutritionally balanced diet three times a day with high quality protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates (vegetables). please.”
2. Eat nutritious foods
“Eat nutritious foods and avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates,” Grand recommends. “Genuine foods (meat, eggs, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables) pack a lot of nutrients into every serving, stabilize blood sugar levels and nourish the body, while refined foods. (Sugar, cereals, crisps, refined foods) are flour and grains, fruit juices, soft drinks, sweets, fast foods) are low in nutrients or contain “empty calories”. In other words, it’s high in calories but low in nutrients.
“These foods are usually addictive, causing blood sugar spikes and energy drops, and are not fertile.”
3. Eat lots of antioxidant nutrients
“Antioxidants are molecules that fight free radicals in the body and help protect eggs and sperm cells from damage. Your body makes its own antioxidants, which are foods, especially fruits. It is also contained in vegetables and vegetables.
“Eat the rainbow on a plate with plants. Vegetables are also an important source of fiber, slowing digestion, controlling blood sugar levels, and important for gut health.”
4. Avoid foods that increase free radicals
Grands are “polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from burnt and barbecue foods, nitrosamines in processed meats such as bacon, acrylamides that can form during high temperature cooking such as fried foods, vegetable oils. We recommend that you avoid the oxidized and trans fats found in. Margarine, shortening, and anything made from these, such as fast foods and lady meals. “
5. Take high quality multivitamins
“Multivitamins can fill dietary nutrient gaps and deficiencies and further support fertility,” Grand suggests.
“Methyled B vitamins such as folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 and prenatal multivitamins containing antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and zinc protect egg cells from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Helps to do. “
6. Include fertility superfoods in your diet
“These are rich in important nutrients such as eggs (for complete protein, healthy fat, choline), green leafy vegetables (for calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamin K1, beta carotene) and liver (for beta carotene). Nutrient-rich foods contained in. Vitamin A, B6, B12, K2, choline, copper, folic acid, iron, selenium, zinc), oily fish (essential omega-3 fat DHA, vitamin B12, choline, iodine, iron, selenium , Zinc), bone soup, slowly cooked meat, boned poultry with skin (for gelatin, collagen, glycine, trace minerals). “
7. Prioritize sleep and support egg and sperm quality
“Sufficient and quality sleep is also essential for managing stress,” says Grand. But if you’re worried about not getting pregnant, this may not be as easy as it sounds.
“Sleep deprivation and stress are closely linked, and sleep deprivation is associated with high cortisol levels. Maintain a regular sleep-wake cycle and minimize evening blue light (phone). Exposure to blue light (from devices such as or tablets) suppresses the release of melatonin, delays normal sleep deprivation, and disturbs circadian rhythm. “
8. Manage your stress
“Chronic stress directly affects hormonal synchrony and can contribute to insulin resistance, hypothyroidism, decreased progesterone, increased prolactin, and increased autoimmune risk, all of which can affect fertility. There is sex, “Grand suggests.
“Incorporate self-care practices into the week. Acupuncture, massage, reflexology, meditation, and yoga are great ways to rest and relieve stress. Self-care time that can’t be negotiated in your diary if needed. Schedule. “
9. Exercise at least 3 times a week
“Staying active can help you optimize your weight, reduce oxidative stress, and improve your mood. Ideally, you should exercise at least three times a week, especially if you’re sitting for long periods of time. , Increase your movement throughout the day. “
10. Reduce plastic
“Plastics contain and exude dangerous chemicals, including endocrine disruptors that threaten our health. These chemicals mimic our hormones and are more than the hormones our bodies make. Is also found in human tissues at much higher concentrations, “says Grand.
“They can overstimulate, block or confuse the natural effects of our hormones. Do not heat food or store it in plastic containers to reduce exposure. Use ceramic or glass, use glass or stainless steel bottles / cups for water or hot drinks on the go, and replace plastic wraps (and aluminum foil) with bee wax wraps. Baking paper and oil resistant. Replace the paper with plastic-free sheepskin. “
Charlotte Grand’s Fertility Kitchen is published by Quercus. Currently available.
