Fertility Acupuncture: Foods for Fertility
Acupuncture is now widely used to help with Infertility. Chinese Medicine also uses nutrition along with acupuncture to increase fertility. Here are a few tips to increase fertility:
Warm cooked foods are strongly recommended, especially root vegetables. Chicken soup with ginger is often recommended in China for women trying to conceive.
Add vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower. These foods contain di-indolymethane (DIM) which increases the metabolism of estradiol (a form of oestrogen) which will help the body use it more efficiently. In excess estradiol is associated with breast pain, weight gain, uterine cancer and moodiness with low libido. Adding DIM will counteract these effects.
Balancing blood sugar levels will help with hormonal regulation and energy levels. This involves reducing high carbohydrates, the foods which release glucose quickly into the body. These include white sugar, biscuits, cakes, sugary drinks, too much fruit, cereals, bread, pasta, caffeine and alcohol.
Try to:
Eat a warm breakfast within one hour of waking up. Preferably oats, quinoe and a boiled egg or two.
Have protein with every meal.
Do not skip meals.
Google GI Foods and choose foods with low GI index.
Eat more alkaline foods then acidic foods for a better pH balance for conception. Eat alkaline foods such as vegetables, sprouts, non citrus foods and cereal grasses such as wheat and barley grass. Acidic foods include meat and dairy products. Chewing food thoroughly will increase this through the alkalizing property of saliva. Do this instead of drinking anything at meal times. Avoid heavy meals late at night.
Always try to use organic plant sources, these are stronger in Qi and essence which is important in Chinese medicine for fertility.
Get plenty of essential fatty acids from unprocessed plant sources and deep sea fish.
These are essential for the health of our cells and are crucial in ovulation.
Good sources include:
Fish and fish oil.
Eggs.
Soy products.
Raw nuts and seeds.
Flaxseed and Pumpkin seed oils
Dark green vegetables.
It is essential to avoid junk food, do lots of healthy exercise like yoga or tai qi, long walks etc and more important then anything else… Relax.
Supplement your diet with natural, high-potency multivitamin and mineral complex with iron, folic acid and B vitamins.
The vitamins and minerals important for reproductive health (Vit A,C,E, B complex, zinc and selenium) enhance fertility yet are lacking in the usual western high processed diet. If these nutrients were adequately supplied through the diet, many fertility problems could be avoided. Other supplements to keep in mind are as follows:
Folic Acid – Extremely important and should be taken as soon as possible. The lack of folic acid can impair the early development of the nervous system of the foetus.
Bee pollen and/or royal jelly are regenerative and tonifying.
Blue-green algae i.e. chlorella and spirulina nourish the endocrine, nervous and immune system, regulate metabolism and repair tissue.
Wheatgrass is tonifying and enhances immunity and restores hormonal function.
Vitamin B6 recommended for hormonal function. Best to take complete B complex. (Viridian does a B6 complex which has all the B vitamins with a strong B6 content.
Co-enzyme Q-10 assists energy levels working on the cells powerhouse.
I would recommend starting with a mild detoxification programme for 7-10 days to improve your chances of fertility. This will help the liver in its function of filtering toxins.
Foods you can eat liberally:
Vegetables – eat a large variety of vegetables, especially:
Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower as previously mentioned.
Garlic and onions (with detoxifying, sulphur-containing compounds)
Asparagus, avocado (containing detoxifying glutathione)
Green leafy vegetables, such as kale and cabbage (containing detoxifying B vitamins)
Artichoke and beetroot (both natural detoxifiers)
Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, celery, watercress and peas (all of which contain antioxidants
Herbs such as parsley and coriander.
Fruit – eat a large variety as possible, especially:
Apples, pears (core fruits which contain pectin)
Apricots, peaches, mangos, melons, papayas, pineapples, kiwi fruits, all berries (containing valuable antioxidants to support the liver
Lemons – use the juice for salad dressings
Pulses – peas, beans and lentils (for soluble fibre and protein)
Whole grains/cereal – whole grain rice and millet
Olive oil – for cooking and salad dressing
Drinks:
Fruit (except orange) and vegetable juices – try beetroot, celery, apple and carrot or apple, pear, carrot and ginger (highly recommended). Do not drink concentrated, make sure it is pure.
Dandelion coffee
Fruit and herbal teas
Juice of half a lemon in warm water 20 mins before breakfast or on waking.
Water- filtered or bottled only
Foods you can eat moderately:
White meat – chicken, game
White fish – sole, cod, haddock, plaice, skate, herring, sardines, pilchards, tilapia
Eggs
Nuts – almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts
Seeds – sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, linseeds (ground)
Dried fruit – dates, figs, apricots, raisins
Grains – barley, rye, oats
Cow’s milk substitutes – oat milk, almond milk
Potatoes and tomatoes
Live natural organic yoghurt.
Foods to avoid or significantly reduce
Non organic foods
Alcohol
Caffeinated drinks – e.g. coffee, tea, and colas (also avoid the decaffeinated alternatives, which still contain substances requiring detoxification by the liver.
Orange juice
Sugar and foods containing lots of sugar – sweets and chocolate (these stress the immune system)
Refined carbohydrates – white version of foods such as bread, pasta, rice, and cakes and biscuits
Red meats and dairy products (these are pro-inflammatory)
Wheat – found in pastry, cakes and biscuits.
Foods containing additives and preservatives
Packaged and processed foods, including processed meats
Salt