A healthy diet for parents

Another material that opens up a question "what should a future dad eat", found on the Internet. Attached is a note on the subject: nothing will get worse, but you should not hope that a magic diet could miraculously solve all your problems. Though, if they occur you should immediately run to the doctor and be examined. And to believe in any of such diets or not - this is up to the reader.

Products that improve fertility:

Omega-acid.. Low-fat fish, rich in useful acids help to normalize the hormonal levels, and thus greatly increase the success of conception. Salmon, for example, is a delicious source of protein, rich in many beneficial nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids that play an important role in the treatment of women ‘s infertility.

Vegetables and fruits.. It is necessary that the future father will certainly eat 5 different fruits and vegetables a day, not counting potatoes:

Avocado

This fruit is rich in vitamins, essential fats, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals and fiber. It is a source of vitamin E that improves the efficiency of the endometrium. A diet rich in avocados also will help with the implantation of the embryo. Also avocados are a good source of folic acid required for the development of the fetus.

Pomegranates

Drinking juice of this fruit during pregnancy will improve the brain of the child and at some point prevents its damage. Pomegranate is rich in many nutrients, vitamins and folic acid. This fruit has anti-aging, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory qualities that are good for the heart, blood and bones.

Walnuts

Walnuts contain medicinal substances endowed with anticancer properties. They are also sources of omega-3 and vitamin E, rich in vitamins and proteins and may increase sperm quality.

Quinoa

Quinoa is rich in natural vegetable protein and contains minerals, vitamins, fiber and so important fatty acids.

Watercress

It is rich in vitamins, calcium, beta-carotene, iron and iodine. Watercress contains antioxidants, prevents or slows down the free radicals caused by oxidative stress.

Butternut Squash

This type of squash contains many vitamins, antioxidants, minerals and digestible fiber. It also increases the production of progesterone and a sperm quality.

Beet

It is an excellent source of resveratrol, which is an antioxidant that helps to fight age-related infertility. Beet is rich in nitrates and helps to improve the blood circulation. It is recommended to drink the beet juice to women who undergo IVF as a way to improve a blood flow to the uterus and that way to positively affect the implantation process.

White meat. . For a man meat is an important element of health. Of course, there is no need to abuse meat products, especially sausages and canned food. But the 100-110 grams of chicken, turkey or rabbit per day fulfill the necessary demand for animal protein, which is easy to digest. Eggs are a good alternative - they are rich in choline, which has a significant positive impact on the proper development of the baby in the womb. Eggs are an excellent source of protein, rich in different minerals, vitamins and fats.

Polyunsaturated acids.. They are necessary for a healthy male reproductive system. Add to the salad a bit of a linseed oil – it is the champion among the most useful oils for men's health.

Calcium and vitamin D. . These two substances complement each other, so for men's health it is needed to consume cottage cheese and hard cheese, as well as breathing in the fresh air by walking outside.

Products that reduce fertility:

And now we would like to bring your attention to a kind of "anti-rating list" - a list of products, the use of which may adversely affect the ability to become a dad / mom. The list is based on publications being gathered during several years in the journal about human reproduction («Human Reproduction"), published by the University of Oxford.

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1. Men who drink in average liter of soda a day, producing 30% less sperm than those who do not drink.

Unfortunately for a strong half of our society: Coke and other pleasures of summer life significantly impair not only the number of sperm, but also its mobility. Several studies indicate this negative consequence to male fertility / infertility.

The first one who spoke about the dangers of coke for men's semen were danish scientists (University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark). During the 5 years they studied more than 2,500 young Danes and found that regular use of coke entails a reduction in sperm concentration (and the less concentration, the lower the chances of fertilization).

After 4 years of this study we have joined colleagues from several major universities in the US and Spain. In a joint study, they concluded that the problem applies to any sugary drinks. In this study, it was shown that the use of soda not only significantly reduces the number of sperm, but also makes it inhibited. All of this is highly undesirable for those men who dream about the children.

2. Women who eat low-fat dairy products increase a risk of having ovulatory infertility (anovulation) at 85%, comparing to those who eat normal dairy products.

And that is bad news for women who dream of skinny body and count every single gram of fat on their plates. Eating a 0% yogurt you risk to be reduce to you’re your chances of conceiving a child. The fact that the use of the non-fat dairy products often leads to anovulation is a so-called "period without ovulation" in which a woman is not even aware of the problem.

These conclusions are based on a large-scale study of a group of scientists from Harvard University (USA). It was attended by more than 18,500 married women of reproductive age who do not have a history of diagnosis of "infertility". The study found that 85% of women who consumed two or more servings of low-fat dairy products per day had a menstruation without ovulation.

"These findings became a surprise for us, - said one of the leaders of the study Jorge Chavarro, - because in America there are even official (at the government level), recommendations for adults to eat at least three portions of low-fat dairy products a day."

3. Men that often consume soy-based products produce 32% less sperm than those who do not eat soy foods.

The problem lies in the element called genistein, which is found in soy. This so-called phytoestrogens is a plant hormone similar in structure to the human estrogen, which is why it’s behavior in the body is almost the same as during the hormone replacement therapy.

For women, especially those in the period of menopause, soy products have a significant value. But for the same reason soy is harmful to male fertility. A soy product, especially at a time when a couple is trying to conceive a child, shifts the hormonal balance of estrogen / testosterone in the direction of the female hormone, resulting in reduced sperm production by the male body.

A study group of doctors from Harvard University provides a scientific confirmation of this fact. Conclusions are made on the basis of studying the effect of 15 different soy products on the quality of sperm of 99 men. Another study suggests that soy foods reduce sperm motility, which also reduces the chances of conceiving a child.

But for women dreaming about pregnancy soy products, on the contrary, are recommended.

4. Women who abuse caffeine significantly reduce their chances of pregnancy. The risk of ectopic pregnancy is increased.

It turns out that caffeine negatively affects the process of the egg’s passing on the uterine (fallopian) tubes. Caffeine provokes the failure of the villi that line the inner surface of the fallopian tubes and push the egg to the uterus. As a result, the egg cannot get in time to the uterus.

In the best case, the egg is not fertilized (since fertilization occurs on the last part of the fallopian tube). In the worst case, the fertilized egg remains in the fallopian tube, which means the beginning of an ectopic pregnancy. Research scientists from the University of Nevada (USA) confirm this fact. And it should be noted that the study was not about just coffee, but in general any foods rich in caffeine.

5. Men who consume three or more servings of dairy products a day lower the sperm quality by 25% comparing to those who are not interested in dairy products.

And the thing is that dairy products contain derivatives of the female hormone called estrogen. They also have had a negative effect on the motility and viability of sperm - important factors for a successful conception. This relationship established by scientists from the US, studying the diet of 200 healthy men between the ages of 19 to 25.

It was found that the quality of sperm after the use of three or more servings per day of dairy products decreases in average by 25%. Under one portion we mean a glass of milk, a tablespoon of cream or about 30 grams of cheese. Thus, it is not necessary that it have three portions of the same product.

It is interesting that women that consume normal fat dairy products have the opposite effect: female fertility with regular consumption of such products increases.

6. Women who include a lot of meat in their daily nutrition plan and, in particular - red meat, increase the risk of ovulatory infertility.

According to researchers from Harvard, red meat contains arachidonic acid, which "feeds" the inflammatory processes in the body. With regular consumption of meat, the body enters an "interior reactivity" regime where child conceiving is difficult for the same reasons as during the physiological stress. Those scientists recommend all the meat lovers to add to their diet at least 5% of vegetables in order to reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility by 50%.

7. Men who consume trans fats significantly reduce the quality of sperm. Trans fats is a cheap raw material for the preparation of confectionery fats, margarines and butter substitutes.

Due to its low cost, manufacturers of food practically everywhere use them. Where you can find trans fats? The list is very broad: bakery products (cakes, pastries, waffles, cookies, crackers, candies); muffins and donuts (homemade also if they contain a cooking oil or margarine), fast food (chips, popcorn, hamburgers, pasties, French fries, etc.); mayonnaise, ketchup, sauces; margarine, cooking oil, oil for baking, refined vegetable oil; dried food (soups, sauces, creams, desserts).

If you often eat in the dining room or restaurant budget - almost certainly you eat foods containing trans-fats. Inversely proportional relationship between their use and the quality of men's semen revealed Spanish researchers who have studied the diet of more than 200 physically healthy young people who do not have fertility problems.

8. Women who’s diet contains foods rich in fiber are more likely to suffer from ovulatory (hormone) infertility.

As it turned out, consumption of large amounts of fibrous foods (foods rich in fiber), leads to certain shifts in the hormonal balance of the body. And the more of such products are in the diet of a woman the lower is a concentration of hormones required for the reproductive process.

Moreover, increased intake of foods rich in fiber often causes anovulation - changes in the menstrual cycle, in which there is no exit from the follicle mature egg into the abdominal cavity. A similar conclusion was made by scientists of several American universities as a result of the two-year observation of 250 women of child conceiving age.

9. Men who consumed 4 or more cups of beer a week, significantly reduced sperm quality, necessary for conception.

Scientists are still trying to reach out to the Europeans whose the most popular drink is beer. For example, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark, studied 1,200 men aged 18 to 28 years, determined the maximum permissible threshold for beer consumption, after which the chances of becoming a father are significantly reduced.

It turned out that in order to become almost infertile enough to drink one glass of beer (250 ml) per day. And for those who previously had a sperm concentration and motility problem it is enough to drink 4 cups per week to make it even worse. All that is because of estrogen substances contained in beer.

Women who consumed at least one serving of alcohol per day increase the risk of ovulatory infertility by 50%.

We already know that alcohol and pregnancy are incompatible. However, in general it has always been about the possible birth defects or pregnancy complications. Now, however, it became clear that the love of spending evenings with a glass of wine can and does reduce female fertility. The fact that drinking alcohol on a regular basis hinders the work of the liver and its ability to dispose the hormones produced by the female body.

As a result we have a damaged hormonal metabolism that leads to the excess of hormones into the blood stream. In 50% of cases this leads to anovulation - a month without ovulation (in this case conception is impossible). This is according to Harvard researchers, who for 8 years examined more than 18,500 women of childbearing age.