5 Tips to Eating Healthy for Fertility

Eating healthy for fertility enhances overall well-being and has a positive impact on reproductive health! Giving your body the right nutrients can support hormone balance and improve egg quality to increase your chances of conception. But it’s hard to eat healthy and, especially, consistently. So take a second and reflect on your eating habits… Do you eat many processed foods? Do you drink lots of caffeine and/or sodas? Do you eat vegetables?

Start with thinking about food you eat everyday. You don’t have to do a total 360 on your diet immediately! Don’t put that much pressure on yourself. Small, intentional changes in your daily eating habits is a good place to start. Then you can continue to make changes to support a healthy diet for fertility.

Let’s look at some first steps to make a big impact in your diet to positively impact fertility!

Side note: There are a couple of affiliate links in this post! If you buy something through these links, it may help me earn a small commission.

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1. Stop drinking sugary drinks

Do you drink sodas? How about lemonade or sweet tea? If you’re drinking sugary drinks daily. This is a great place to start adjusting your diet.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugar per day. One regular 12oz can of Coke surpasses this recommendation since it contains 39 grams of added sugar.

When you ingest sugars, it causes insulin levels to increase. This is because insulin enables your cells to take in sugar for energy. The problem with processed sugars present in drinks like soda is the lack of any additional nutritional value. So drinking processed sugars leads to spikes in insulin. Overtime this can lead to insulin resistance which negatively impacts fertility.

How is sugar in fruit different? Although fruits can be high in sugar, they also offer nutritional benefits, such as their fiber content. Fiber enables insulin to be released slow and steady into the bloodstream. This prevents the insulin spike that contribute to insulin resistance.

According to the CDC, 63% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older consume sugar-sweetened beverages at least once daily. A 2018 study found that consuming these drinks is associated with reduced fertility in both women and men. Reducing your intake of sodas and sugary beverages can enhance your overall health and support fertility.

Healthy Drink Options

Below are a couple of alternatives to soda with no or low sugar. Bubly has lots of different sparkling water options. Liquid Death offers mountain water, as well as sparkling waters and teas with minimal added sugar (up to 4 grams compared to 39 grams in Coke). Poppi tastes closest to an actual soda and has up to 5 grams of added sugar.

2. Eat the right kind of carbohydrates

Choosing the right type of carbohydrates can play a vital role in supporting fertility.

Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose (sugar) in the body. Similar to the effects of added sugars in beverages, certain types of carbs can cause insulin spikes depending on which is consumed.

There are two types of carbs; simple and complex. You can think of it in terms of simple carbs are easier for the body to process vs complex carbs are more challenging to process (side note, that’s a good thing).

Simple/Refined Carbs

Simple carbs are also referred to as refined carbs. Refined indicates the carbs have been processed to remove nutrients. This process is done to improve shelf life. But data shows refined carbs negatively affect fertility.

Avoid refined carbs such as white bread, pastries, and sugary snacks, as they can lead to insulin spikes that may disrupt ovulation.

Complex Carbs

Complex carbs are digested by the body more slowly due to their fiber content, and this helps to prevent insulin spikes. Also, these types contain additional vitamins and minerals that contribute to hormonal balance and overall reproductive health.

Opt for complex carbs like whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, which provide a steady release of energy and help regulate blood sugar levels. By focusing on nutrient-dense carbs, you can create a diet that supports both general well-being and fertility.

Carbohydrate take away

Swap out white bread, white rice, and white pasta for the whole grain version! Eating healthy for fertility can be difficult, but this is an easy switch to boost fertility.

3. Stop eating ultra-processed foods

Some food processing can be good! It can be used to preserve nutrition, make food safer (aka pasteurizing milk because it kills harmful germs), and even improve the health of some foods (like the fermentation of yogurt).

The problem is with ULTRA processed foods. These foods are drastically different from their original state. The nutritional value has been essentially removed and ingredients are added like preservatives, sugar, and salt. This list of ultra processed foods is long; hot dogs, deli meat, chips, mashed potato flakes, frozen pizza, white bread, sweetened breakfast cereals, etc.

Eating healthy for fertility starts with cutting ultra-processed foods from your diet. When shopping, take a moment to check the length of the ingredient list—long lists are a red flag.

Many foods are marketed as healthy but don’t live up to the label. For example, I used to rely on granola bars as an easy snack, but now I pay closer attention to the nutrition label to check how “healthy” they really are. One brand I like as an alternative is RXBAR. It has healthy ingredients and no added junk like preservatives or added sugars.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables

Ideally, aim for 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables daily. When eating healthy for fertility, this is a critical component to give our bodies nutrients. Many American diets fall short here, making it difficult to adopt new habits. Start with reflecting on how often you currently eat fruits and vegetables. Where can you start incorporating them into your daily schedule?

Many people find it easier to incorporate fruit into their diet than vegetables. Snack on an apple or banana, or add blueberries to your oatmeal or cereal. Look for simple ways to include fruit in your daily routine.

I have a harder time adding vegetables to my daily diet, and honestly, I don’t eat them daily right now. My wife and I are still working on this goal. But one of the easiest vegetable to add to lots of dishes is spinach. I keep frozen packs of spinach in my freezer and try to think of different ways to incorporate them into my meal plans. My favorite way to toss spinach into my diet is by adding it to my scrambled eggs or omelets!

Check out the table below to see the portion sizes of various fruits and vegetables that count as one serving.

Reminder that eating healthy for fertility doesn’t mean you don’t need prenatal vitamins. These are crucial for preconception and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to ensure you’re providing your body with enough nutrients every single day! Folic acid is one of the most critical components. If you want to read my post about folates you can check that out – here.

5. Don’t buy the junk in the first place!

Eating healthy for fertility starts with knowing what you should be avoiding and what you should be adding. Now that we’ve talked about added sugars and ultra-processed foods, one easy way to reduce eating these items is simply not allowing yourself to buy them. While this tip may be obvious, it can be hard to do! Once these food items are in the house, it can be really difficult not to eat them. So straight up, do NOT buy the junky food in the first place.

So next time at the store, if you find yourself eyeballing a box of honey buns… run! When it gets to your pantry, you wont be able to say no!

How I avoid buying unhealthy items at the store is making sure not to go to the store hungry or placing my pick up orders online. In addition to pick up orders at Kroger, we also buy food on Thrive Market. Their focus is healthy groceries! They sell many different pantry items like snacks and pastas, but also frozen meats and seafood. They ship directly to you, usually for free, and bonus; sometimes you get free items with your order.

Eating healthy for fertility summary

Eating healthy for fertility matters! While a healthy diet will not guarantee a pregnancy, studies show healthy eating positively influences fertility. Use this time when trying to conceive to improve your health. In the process, you will be giving your body what it needs for trying to conceive.

Give your self grace when adjusting your eating habits. If you’re improving day by day or week by week, then you’re going in the right direction! I hope these 5 tips help get you on track for your fertility diet; cut out sugary drinks, eat complex carbs, don’t eat the ultra-processed junk, eat fruits and veggies, and don’t buy the junk food at all!

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Additional Sources

• AHA – Added Sugars, Fruits and Vegetables
• Harvard – Diet, Fruits and Vegetables
• Mayo Clinic
• Tommy’s
• Stony Brook Medicine

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