Grilling, roasting, steaming???
What are the healthiest cooking methods for fertility?
Stay tuned and I'll explain.....
Hello!
If this is our first time connecting, welcome!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a fertility and prenatal dietitian.
I help couples boost their fertility and give their baby's the best start possible with
the power of good food.
Make sure you connect with me on my socials... you'll find all the details in the description box
below this video.
In this video, I'm going to discuss the pros and cons of 6 popular cooking methods.
In no particular order...
Firstly, grilling. Because fat tends to drain away when we grill
things like meat, this can be a useful cooking method for people watching their fat intake.
However studies show that foods that are chargrilled until they are burnt may carry some fertility risks.
Foods that are charred or burned can actually increase the level of AGEs, or Advanced Glycation End Products.
There's a growing body of research which suggests that AGEs can decrease fertility, so if you're
going to grill, ensure that you avoid eating burnt or charred foods.
Secondly, roasting.
When it comes to roasting, consider the amount of fat that you use.
If you need to be careful about the amount of fat in your diet, roasting is probably
not the best choice for you.
However, if you are lean, adding some extra fat to your meal could actually be very beneficial
for your fertility.
Olive oil is a good option, because it's high in monounsaturated fats.
Contrary to popular opinion, recent research demonstrates that it is safe to roast with
extra virgin olive oil, however, it does tend to have quite a strong flavour so it may not
always be the first choice for roasting meat.
But olive oil is a great choice for roast veggies.
Number three, frying. As with grilling and roasting, it is easy
to burn fried food so keep an eye out that it isn't looking blackened or charred.
Extra virgin olive oil is also good choice for this type of cooking.
Butter may taste delicious, however it's high saturated fat content which means that it is not
the healthiest choice for our fertility.
Coconut oil is also quite rich in saturated fat and so although it's okay to use occasionally,
I don't recommend using it as the first choice of oil when you're trying to conceive.
I'd also recommend limiting lard and ghee.
Number four, microwaving. There has been a lot of debate from studies
about the potential health effects of microwave emissions from products like mobile phones on our fertility.
But there's not a lot of research about microwave use on food.
While this kind of method is considered safe when used properly, it's important to avoid
overcooking and to always use glass or BPA-free containers to avoid leakage of harmful chemicals
that can impact your fertility.
Number 5 is boiling.
With this method, the trick is to avoid boiling foods for too long.
Although boiling food can destroy some vitamins... the bigger issue is that
boiling tends to leech vitamins out of food and into the water which you usually discard.
The most vulnerable vitamins to boiling are the ones that dissolve in water.
These include B vitamins, such as folate, and vitamin C.
If you're going to boil your veggies, keep an eye on them and boil them for the shortest time possible.
Number 6 is steaming. When it comes to the healthiest cooking methods
for fertility, this is my favourite.
You tend to retain a lot more nutrients than you would with boiling.
And it doesn't have any of the issues such as AGE's or BPA.
Feel free to ask any questions in the comments box below, and if you haven't already done so,
download my free fertility meal plan from www.melaniemcgrice.com/fertility.
And, make sure you check out some of my other fertility videos on topics such as optimising
implantation and reducing the risk of miscarriage.
I'll see you in my next video!