Carbohydrates and Fertility -
It is simply much easier to intake a large amount of calories in the form of carbohydrates. It turns out that not all carbs are created equal. Fast carbs have a high glycemic index and are rapidly metabolized into sugars which cause weight gain and insulin resistance which in turn disturbs normal ovulation.
Examples of fast carbs are white rice, white bread, potatoes, cookies, ice cream and sodas. Slow carbs are better for fertility and include brown rice, whole grain pasta and dark bread.
Whole grains, vegetables and whole fruit all contain slow carbs. Some fats are healthy for you and needed by your body. These are called essential fatty acids. Many prenatal vitamins are fortified with essential fatty acids.
Natural foods containing these fats include fish, fish oils, and some nuts. Most fats found in our food can be divided based on their chemical structure as saturated and unsaturated. During the past decade, we were told that using a lot of saturated fats like butter was not good for your heart.
Recently, we discovered that a type of unsaturated fat is also not good for you. This type of fat is called trans fat. These fats are manufactured by a process of hydrogenation of oils to create a product which, when used in cooking, results in a high shelf life for foods.
Trans fats are bad for your heart and your fertility. The FDA now requires food labeling which details the amount of trans fats. Some cities such as New York have banned the use of trans fats from all their restaurants.
Be careful with the following foods which can be high in trans fats: French fries, stick margarines, shortening, potato chips, doughnuts, and cake.
Here are some practical tips you can use every day to keep your consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol low while consuming a nutritionally adequate diet.
These include the well-known animal proteins such as beef, pork, chicken and fish. In general, these are an important part of your diet and will lead to less weight gain than fats and carbohydrates. Less well known are vegetable proteins which appear to be better for your fertility.
These include beans, peas and tofu soy bean derivative. Peanuts and other nuts are also a good source of vegetable proteins. More protein intake, particularly from a vegetable source, can improve fertility. Milk has been a source of controversy with some studies showing that it helps fertility and other studies showing a harmful effect.
The most recent study show that two servings per day of whole milk or products of whole milk are beneficial. That could be in the form of a glass of milk and a cup of yogurt. In this study whole was better than skim. If your weight is increased, you may need to substitute skim milk since the effect of the weight is itself significant and unfortunately milk is rich in calories.
Large fish eat small fish and live a long time. In the process they accumulate mercury which is not healthy for pregnant women. However, small fish does not and is perfectly safe.
Because this is confusing the Food and Drug Administration FDA suggests the following guidelines:. Fish contains proteins and health omega 3 fats.
Most of the commonly available fish are the safe ones which you can have 2 servings per week of. There is no question that weight is a major factor affecting fertility.
Most commonly the issue is high body weight, but in some cases low body weight can be a problem. There are many diets which can be of help.
These range from the Atkins high protein diet to Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. Remember that the first week of any dietary change is the hardest.
After the first week, you will be more acclimated to this change and progress can begin. Too many carbs are frequently the problem with the modern convenience food diet. Remember, it is easier to gain weight from too many carbs than any other single category. Exercise was also shown to boost fertility.
A reasonable plan is to set aside 30 minutes every day for exercise. This can be aerobic such as walking fast or running or muscle building such as working with weights. A mixture of both forms is probably the best. Anything is probably better than nothing. Remember that the longest journey begins with one step.
Exercise has many other benefits such as improving heart health and longevity. COVID Vaccine Info. Fertility Diet. That is the equivalent of 90g of carbs.
The ketogenic diet is a unique diet, and we will not be addressing the nuances in this article. To be clear, for the remainder of this article, an LCD does not include the ketogenic diet.
At the end of the day, an LCD could be any diet with a reduction in the consumption of carbs relative to the average diet. So it is obvious how confusing it can be to truly understand the impact of an LCD when the research is so varied.
Although the variability in the definition of an LCD has complicated the research, an LCD is an effective strategy for weight loss. Carbs are easy for our body to use as energy, so if we lower our carbohydrate intake, our body burns through the carbs quicker and moves on to our stored fat for energy instead.
In many people, this will lead to fat loss. Also, when we lower carbs, we naturally eat more fat and protein to compensate. Both fat and protein are much more filling than carbs, and it is shown that this leads to reduced hunger and less hypoglycemia.
This naturally reduces calorie intake, again promoting weight loss, plus high-quality protein and fat are so important for healthy sex hormone production and egg quality. Another change that is seen when carbs are restricted, is we have less insulin release. Insulin is a storage hormone, and when it is high it is very challenging to burn fat.
By reducing insulin there is an improvement in metabolic function leading to increased weight loss. Beyond weight loss, we now understand that chronic elevation in insulin levels may impair egg and sperm quality, as well as impact sex hormone balance.
In the research, when we compare low-fat diets to low-carb diets, the following results are seen in the low-carb group:. For those who are overweight or obese, a low-carb diet may be a good strategy to lose weight before conceiving. Obesity reduces fertility and is a significant risk factor for complications in pregnancy.
Research has found that overweight and obese people with ovaries who lose weight before getting pregnant have increased pregnancy rates, live birth rates, regular menstrual patterns, decreased cancelled IVF cycles, increased number of embryos from IVF and decreased miscarriage risk.
For this population, a low-carbohydrate diet may in fact help you get pregnant. An LCD is also commonly recommended for people with PCOS. High carbohydrate intake and insulin secretion reinforce the metabolic challenges we see with PCOS. When patients with PCOS follow a LCD we see a reduction in BMI aka weight loss , reduced insulin resistance, improved hormone balance and decreased testosterone levels.
A low-carb diet may be one of the most important strategies for getting pregnant with PCOS. Lastly, it has been shown that people who eat a highly refined diet have a lower chance of conception and are more likely to have impaired fertility.
Thus, by making the switch to a low-carbohydrate diet, with a focus on whole foods, it can be assumed that there would be a benefit on fertility. To understand if an LCD may benefit you, speak to your ND or healthcare practitioner. While good-quality, long-term data is lacking, we can make some reasonable assumptions based on human physiology and what we know about nutrition and fertility.
In general, a low carbohydrate diet can be safely followed while trying to conceive. However, there are a few important considerations that need to be stated:.
Carbohydrate needs vary by individual. You should always work with your ND or practitioner to determine your specific needs while TTC. Instead of counting carbohydrates, we can make better food choices overall, which tends to naturally lower the amount of carb intake.
Choose nutrient-dense carbs that have fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals. Remember, this includes fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, whole-grains, nuts and seeds.
Eliminate foods that are refined and highly processed. These foods tend to include high amounts of simple carbs that are not supportive of general health or fertility. Remember this includes foods that contain added sugars in any form , pastries, granola bars, cereals, breads, pasta, white rice, candy, sugar-sweetened beverages, condiments, and most packages foods.
If reducing carbohydrates, ensure to eat high-quality fats and protein to keep you satiated and protect your long-term health. Choose healthy fats like avocado, ghee, fatty fish, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nut butters, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, eggs, and high-fat dairy.
Choose quality protein sources too. Great protein sources include chicken, turkey, beef, lamb, game meats, eggs, fish, and dairy. Nutrition can be confusing, but it has such a huge impact on fertility!
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