Plant- based eating has taken the world by storm.
Instead of only being practiced by a select few who declare themselves to be vegetarian or vegan,
there are now a number of ways you can shift towards a more plant based way of eating, without
giving up all animal products altogether. People who choose to eat less animal products may call
themselves flexible vegetarians or flexitarians or they may call themselves plant based or plant
forward. Basically, all these groups of people actively choose to eat less animal products to
varying degrees for a number of reasons, from animal rights to personal taste preference.
Eating more plant-based foods is generally great for your fertility too, so in this video, I'm
going to share 3 plant-based diet tips that are associated with improved fertility. Stay tuned!
Hello there! If you're looking for advice on nutrition and fertility, you've come to the
right place! My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a specialist fertility and prenatal dietitian.
I love unpacking nutrition research and guidelines to help you boost your fertility with the power
of good food. In this video, I'm going to discuss 3 fertility and plant-based diet tips,
but before we get into it, the first thing I want to address is that you can have both a healthy
and unhealthy plant based diet. At the end of the day, just because something is plant based,
does not automatically make it healthy. Think of sugar, for example.
Most sugar comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets. These are both plants,
but we know that if we eat sugar in excess, it can have a negative effect on your fertility. However,
whether you are trying to conceive naturally or with Assisted Reproductive Treatments,
nourishing plant-based foods can be extremely fertility-promoting.
Let's look at three plant-based diet tips that are associated with improved fertility. First up,
Choose whole grains. A whole grain is exactly as it sounds. It's when we choose to eat all three
components of the grain (or the whole grain) including the bran, the endosperm and the germ.
Whole grains can be eaten in their natural or minimally processed state, for example brown rice,
barley, corn or even oats, or you can eat whole grain products which have been made from whole
grain flour. When we eat the whole grain, we are getting in everything that the grain has
to offer us, including a host of micronutrients and fiber in addition to starch and some protein.
Refined grain, on the other hand, has had a number of these nutrients stripped. This means
we are getting all the energy, but fewer of the beneficial nutrients. Whole grains benefit your
fertility in a few ways. They are usually absorbed into the bloodstream much slower than their
refined grain counterparts (thanks to their fiber content) and so have a smaller effect on your
blood glucose levels, and subsequently your insulin levels. Lower insulin levels are essential for
women trying to fall pregnant, especially those with conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Whole grains are also a rich source of fertility boosting nutrients
such as folate and zinc, which play a role in the quality of the oocyte (or egg cell).
Secondly, plant based proteins may boost fertility when replacing animal based proteins,
so include at least two plant-based protein meals in your diet each week. A large cohort study
found that the women who replaced some of the chicken and meat in their
diet with soy, found it easier to fall pregnant. The mechanism behind this is not entirely clear,
but it may be related to insulin levels. As with carbs, proteins also tend to lead to
increased insulin levels (and we know high insulin levels are no good for ovulation and fertility!),
but plant based proteins seem to have a less pronounced effect than animal based ones.
One study found that replacing as little as 5% of energy from animal protein
with plant-based protein was associated with a 50% lower risk of anovulatory infertility!
That's definitely a reason to incorporate a meatless Monday in your plan.
Great plant-based proteins that you can include in your diet include tofu,
soybeans, beans, lentils and peas. Thirdly, the type of fat that is predominant in your diet
can also affect your fertility so include a handful of nuts in your diet each day.
There are four main groups of fats: saturated, trans fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.
In general, polyunsaturated fats are associated with improved fertility.
All nuts are a rich, plant-based source of nutritious polyunsaturated
fats, so I'd encourage you to include a handful in your diet each day. Check out my video on the best
nuts for fertility to help you choose which ones to eat. On the other hand, besides trans fats
being very bad news for heart health, they can also wreak havoc on your fertility. Their intake
is also linked to inflammation as well as blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity, all of
which need to be in tip top shape to increase your chances of falling pregnant. A healthy
plant based diet is usually low in trans fats from natural sources like beef, lamb and dairy but also
from man made sources of trans fats such as fast foods, packaged snacks and commercial baked goods.
Even small amounts of trans fats can have negative effects and so it is really important to check the
label on any packaged foods to make sure that they are free of trans and partially hydrogenated fats.
In addition to being a source of trans fats, processed foods in general are designed to be
hyper palatable and more often than not we overeat them. This can lead to unwanted weight gain which
can also negatively affect fertility. It's so important to remember that at the end of the day,
you don't have to choose to be plant based 100% of the time. Research tells us that even if
you follow a whole food, plant based approach some of the time, you will reap the benefits.
If you're not keen on being a full vegetarian, why not try the Mediterranean diet? It's a plant based
diet that includes fish a few times a week (which is a great source of omega 3s) and also allows
small amounts of meat, dairy and eggs. It's also been associated with better fertility possibly due
to its beneficial effects on insulin resistance and other metabolic disturbances. To boost your
intake of fertility-boosting plant-based foods, check out my plant-based recipe ebook from
melaniemcgrice.com/shop. And, don't forget to subscribe to my channel to get notifications
for any new videos so that you can keep up to date on the latest and greatest fertility research!
I hope you enjoyed this video and I look forward to seeing you in the next one!