Here’s how you can increase your fertility through food by growing quality eggs.
We’re going to cover what egg quality is, how it directly impacts your fertility (and getting your dream family), and what you can do to improve it.
Welcome to Part Two of this series on all things egg quality. If you didn’t catch Part One posted, it’s definitely worth a read!
As promised, Part Two is going to provide you with some juicy information regarding three egg-loving nutrients for improving your egg quality for fertility. This is particularly helpful when you’re THINKING about trying for a baby but equally so if you’re already trying.
Photo by Jakub Kapusnak on Unsplash
Foods that boost egg quality and fertility
As I hope you all know, there is never going to be a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition. Especially in the conception space where all mums-to-be have unique requirements; some may have deficiencies or allergies, others may avoid certain food types due to lifestyle choices or personal reasons, and so on.
However, there are three key nutrients we should all be trying to get more of when wanting to boost our egg quality for fertility. Check them out:
Zinc:
Animal studies have shown that oocytes (immature eggs that haven’t undergone cell division yet) need plenty of zinc to reach full maturity. That means we need to be getting plenty of zinc in our diet to help our eggs develop in a healthy way. For those of you who like numbers, 8mg of zinc is what we need daily. The best sources of zinc are found in animal products (meat, dairy, poultry). Therefore, getting enough zinc is particularly crucial for vegetarians or vegans.
Where can I find zinc? Foods like oysters (the source to rule them all!), legumes (like chickpeas and lentils), and nuts (such as pine nuts).
Antioxidants:
Antioxidants neutralise naturally-occurring free radicals produced by our bodies. Using the analogy from Kolchak, antioxidants are like a bunch of single folks who think free radicals are super attractive. Antioxidants will give up a molecule to a free radical, which means the free radical doesn’t have to steal one from another cell in your body. Stealing molecules is what makes free radicals damaging to our cells. When these free radicals are left running wild in our bodies (because there aren’t enough antioxidants to neutralise them), this can really take a toll on cell health, known as oxidative stress. Any cell can be affected but particularly the egg cells in our ovaries. Like a see-saw, we can increase the ratio of antioxidants to free radicals by eating plenty of antioxidant-rich foods. This helps us to counteract oxidative stress by keeping free radicals at bay.
What are some antioxidant-rich foods? As a rule of thumb, think plants. This includes fruits and vegetables, nuts/seeds and fibrous grains. I encourage you to eat the rainbow – all of the colours – when it comes to fruit and veg. Each colour represents different antioxidants! Read this blog post for more information on how much you need.
Omega-3s:
Research has also shown that omega-3’s can play an important role in improving egg quality for fertility. Omega-3’s are a type of antioxidant. 1000mg of omega-3 intake is recommended daily, and this can be either through food or supplements. Through food, you can get enough omega-3 for the week by having a small serving (matchbox-sized) of oily fish twice a week.
Where can I find Omega-3’s? Oily fish (like salmon, tuna, sardines, herring), nuts (such as walnuts), and plant oils (like flaxseed oil). However, there is a difference in the type of omega-3’s that you can get from fish and nuts/seeds/plant oils. The oil from fish is an essential type of omega-3. It’s essential because your body cannot make it on its own. Fish like salmon eat algae that produce omega-3 so if you’re not a fan of eating oily fish then you can either look at taking a supplement of fish oil or algae with omega-3.
On the other hand, the omega-3 found in nuts and plant oils contain some omega-3 but not very much and in a form your body can make on its own. Very little of the plant forms of omega-3 can be converted into essential forms.
Therefore, the best thing to do is to have some oily fish twice a week, with a small amount of nuts, seeds and plant oils each day. If fish isn’t an option for you, it’s the perfect opportunity to have a chat with your prenatal dietitian to help find alternatives, including potential supplements.
Good to know, now what?
Now you know the three critical nutrients for healthy, robust, stable eggs for va-va-voom fertility. Having good quality eggs will make for a healthy baby with much less risk of short and long-term health problems. What mama-to-be wouldn’t want that for her baby?!
You’ve got the knowledge, but how are you going to make it happen? I know that the web can be a dark hole of information; my clients tell me often that they know what to do but get stuck in how to actually do it!
Here’s are some next steps for you to consider:
- Start by downloading my checklist for fertility: it will help you see how you’re currently eating and where the gaps in your nutrition currently are.
- Book in a quick fix call: You only have a small question, so don’t need to book in a full nutrition assessment. Perhaps you want to know if you’re getting enough omega-3 in; perhaps you’re a vegetarian and want to know some specific ways you can increase your zinc intake through food? Whatever it is, the quick fix call is designed to give you the clear direction you need to solve any confusion and be on your merry way.
- Book in a nutrition assessment: it’s all feeling a bit hard; you would like to sit down with someone, share your goals, your diet, your blood tests, your lifestyle and have them help guide you into a plan. You may have tried to change things in the past, but nothing has stuck. You’ve tried the diets and it’s all a bit too hard to sustain – you know there’s a better way. And there is!
Simply reach out via my website or Instagram with any questions or concerns, or go ahead and book a consultation directly via my website. Talk soon! x
P.S. Are we friends on socials? If not, come and say hi!
Find me at @ohgoodness_nutrition on Instagram and Facebook.
To hear from mum’s and dad’s on their journeys – from thinking about having a baby, wrestling with fertility issues, and overcoming health problems – listen to the “I’m thinking of having a baby” podcast, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google.
If you do have a listen, I would loooveee if you would leave a review – I value your feedback and suggestions for how to make it even better for mama’s and dad’s to be!
