Want to increase your progesterone levels?
In this episode of Nourish, I'm going to share my 4 favourite foods to
increase progesterone naturally - and the evidence behind how they help. Stay tuned!
Hello! Welcome to my Nourish! 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 subscribe and connect with me on my
socials... you'll find all the details in the description box below this video.
Progesterone is an essential fertility hormone that signals to your body that
it's time to prepare for pregnancy. Women who have low progesterone levels often have a thin
uterine lining and either struggle to achieve implantation of the embryo into the uterus,
or have 'chemical pregnancies' whereby their pregnancy only lasts a few weeks.
Before getting into my list of my favourite progesterone-boosting foods, I want to caution
that although these are based on evidence, no one food is going to make all the difference.
Instead, you really need to look at the whole of your diet and lifestyle, so if you really want to
optimise your fertility, consider a personalised consultation with a fertility dietitian.
Food 1: Kakadu plums - Kakadu plums are the richest-known source of vitamin C with the
average plum providing 480mg of vitamin C. One study found that 750mg vitamin C
per day, which is equivalent to two Kakadu plums per day, almost doubled progesterone
levels, and more than doubled rates of pregnancy compared to the control group.
Food 2: Brazil nuts - Animal studies suggest that increasing selenium levels may help to boost
progesterone. Brazil nuts are a particularly good source of selenium with the average Brazil nut
containing around 96mcg of selenium which is more than double our daily requirements. Consequently,
you may like to try eating one Brazil nut each day to see how it impacts your progesterone levels,
but make sure that you check that you're not taking any selenium-containing supplements first.
Food 3: Flaxseeds - Flaxseeds are particularly rich in good omega 3 fats.
An interesting study found that when animals were fed higher intakes of flaxseeds,
their progesterone levels increased. Adding a tablespoon of flaxseeds into your diet is
really healthy for you whether or not they increase your progesterone levels.
Try sprinkling them over a salad, adding them to your baking or mixing them into yoghurt.
Food 4: Cheese - When milk is derived from pregnant cow's (which is the case for most of the
milk we buy from commercial dairies), it naturally contains small amounts of progesterone, just as
our breastmilk does. Progesterone is found in the fat of cow's milk, so the higher the percentage of
fat in the milk we use, the more progesterone it will contain. Which is why I recommend cheese... even
full cream cow's milk only contains a piddly 4% fat, whereas cheese usually contains around 35%
fat, and consequently higher levels of progesterone. To back this up, one small
study found that giving people high fat dairy products boosted their progesterone levels by 30%.
Let me know in the comments box below which one you're going to try!
Don't forget to subscribe and if you haven't done so already,
download my free fertility meal plan from melaniemcgrice.com/fertility.
I'll see you in my next video!