Episode 2

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Published on:

1st Mar 2021

What should you eat when trying to get pregnant?

It’s episode 2 of the relaunched pod! This week we’re talking about what to eat when you’re trying to conceive. This can be so overwhelming, and we want to make it easy for you to understand all you need to know. So, we’re chatting with the lovely Ro Huntriss who is a registered fertility dietician.

On the pod, we’ve spoken to a fair few people who know what they’re talking about when it comes to fertility and nutrition, but dieticians work slightly differently. Their focus is very much on evidence-based practice and their training to become a dietician involves clinical placements and training to support people with co-existing medical conditions. So, basically, they follow the medical model such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.

So, where do you start with nutrition when trying to conceive? Ro recommends that you consider your own diet and look at the changes that you feel will make your diet healthier. Keeping a food diary is a great thing to do and can give you a really good picture of what kind of foods you’re eating and where you might need to make some changes.

Let’s talk about egg health. It takes around 3 months to influence the health of the egg and some of the nutrients to include are folate (folic acid) - to help reduce the risk of neural tube defect and also help to improve egg development and quality. Omega 3 - in oily fish or as a supplement can play a huge part in improving egg quality. Antioxidants – from fruits, veg, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, and even in meat.

Ro also shares with us her recommendations for sperm health and how a Mediterranean diet and antioxidants are particularly useful such as vitamin C, E, Zinc, Selenium, and folate.

We get the low down on whether you should go gluten and dairy free – Ro makes it really clear that unless you’re a diagnosed coeliac, it is not recommended to be gluten-free to support fertility as there is not evidence to suggest that this is necessary. Wholegrain is an important part of our diet and needs to be included. If you’re worried you might be intolerant to gluten, ask your GP for a test before removing out from your diet to be sure. With regards to dairy Ro doesn’t recommend cutting it out unless necessary and if you do, make sure you get your plant-based dairy alternatives in.

We frequently talk about the importance of weight when trying to conceive and probably focus more on being overweight, however being underweight is also a consideration when it comes to fertility. Having a low BMI can cause irregular cycles and therefore ovulatory disorders. Ro recommends that if you’re underweight include olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado in your diet.

Is it sensible to follow a vegan diet when trying to conceive? Ro says yes but encourages you to have a review with a dietician or nutritionist if you’re struggling to conceive. What about restrictive diets? Ro discourages this as these low-calorie diets are so restrictive and research shows that people that follow these diets don’t get the best outcomes.

We’ll be catching up with Ro in the very near future to chat about preparing for IVF but in the meantime, you can find more about Ro here:

Ro Huntriss: https://dietitianro.co.uk

The Fertility Food Formula: https://fertilitydietitianuk.teachable.com/p/food-and-fuel-for-fertility-an-online-fertility-nutrition-course

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fertility.dietitian.uk/

Registered nutritionists

 

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About the Podcast

The Fertility Podcast
The Fertility Podcast|Expert interviews|Women and Men sharing #TTC stories|Wellbeing support
If you’ve found your route to parenthood hasn’t been straightforward, The Fertility Podcast is for you. From how to optimise your fertility to getting pregnant naturally, navigating IVF, understanding donor conception or surrogacy to how to prepare for a life without children. Whatever your situation, you are not alone. Created by Natalie Silverman, a former fertility patient in 2014, I then joined forces with Kate Davies, an independent fertility nurse consultant as we spoke to a range of experts and people just like you. Today in 2023, Kate is now hosting the podcast without Natalie ( who you can find hosting The F Word at Work ) here the podcast is going back to its routes to share more patient stories as we’re here to hold your hand, on your route to parenthood including how it impacts you at work.

PLEASE NOTE: The Fertility Podcast has an archive of its 300 episodes on new podcast feeds called: Getting Pregnancy Ready, Infertility Support, Male Fertility, Alternative Routes to Parenthood, and Pregnancy Loss.
Just have a look in your podcast search and be sure to subscribe.

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Natalie Silverman