Calling All TTC Health Nuts!

[caringo]

Are you a health nut and TTC? Post about what you are doing and eating to stay healthy and prepare yourself for pregnancy!

This is only my second cycle TTC, but I have been trying to prepare my body and health for pregnancy since about March. I started taking magnesium, folic acid, biotin, vitamin C, and EPO (been off EPO for a while so it doesn't mess with my CM during charting!). I roughly follow the Paleo diet, so my diet mostly consists of chicken, beef, salmon, sweet potatoes, avocados, leafy greens, tomatoes, coconut oil, butter, EVOO, garlic, some eggs, hummus, almonds, and dark chocolate. Occasionally cheese and milk (I am somewhat lactose intolerant so it doesn't always sit well with me). I know there are some gaps in my diet though, trying to research what minerals/vitamins I may be missing!

What do you eat? What foods/supplements have you found that have increased your fertility?

 

[caringo]

bump!

 

[Mintastic]

I don't know about paleo but looks like you need to be eating some fruits! Honestly vitamin c supplements have been consistently linked to INCREASED risk of death from heart disease and cancer. It is much better to just eat citrus fruits. I know some people worry about the sugar in fruits but as long as you aren't eating a bunch of processed sugars in other foods the fruit sugar will be just fine.

 

[somedayisnow]

I think I have an unhealthy obsession with all things organic. I know that sounds weird but since TTCing I have trouble allowing myself to enjoy food that isn't organic. First of all, organic can be expensive as hell so sometimes I have to pick and choose what I can buy at any given time. Second, trying to be perfect is going to drive me crazy and that can't be good for TTCing. I need to find a happy medium where I eat as healthy as I can afford but not stress over every little thing that I put in my mouth.

Food:
As little processed foods as possible
Organic fruits and vegetables - lots of kale, spinach, broccoli
8 oz of full fat organic milk a day or full fat yogurt
water (no soda, coffee, tea, etc)

Current supplements:
Vitamin D, 5000iu
Omega 3 Fish Oil - 1000mg
CoQ10 600mg - ubiquinol
Royal Jelly
prenatal vitamin with DHA

Now I have no idea if all or any of the above will increase my fertility but a lot I read online says it may help. And since I'm an older woman, I figure I need all the help I can get.

 

[caringo]

I don't know about paleo but looks like you need to be eating some fruits! Honestly vitamin c supplements have been consistently linked to INCREASED risk of death from heart disease and cancer. It is much better to just eat citrus fruits. I know some people worry about the sugar in fruits but as long as you aren't eating a bunch of processed sugars in other foods the fruit sugar will be just fine.

You're right, I do! I actually do eat fruit, just forgot to include it we used to eat citrus fruit all the time but have gotten away from it...I eat blueberries often, bananas and peaches, but honestly not enough because I hate buying them - they always seem to go bad way too soon! But I have realized I need to eat more! I do get plenty of vitamin C from broccoli and tomatoes though, I think! I would be interested to see studies that link supplements to increased heart disease and cancer. I don't think it necessarily helps prevent (I take it more to prevent colds) but I am skeptical it actually causes it - unless, of course, they are saying the additives in some supplements can increase the risk which I would believe.

I think I have an unhealthy obsession with all things organic. I know that sounds weird but since TTCing I have trouble allowing myself to enjoy food that isn't organic. First of all, organic can be expensive as hell so sometimes I have to pick and choose what I can buy at any given time. Second, trying to be perfect is going to drive me crazy and that can't be good for TTCing. I need to find a happy medium where I eat as healthy as I can afford but not stress over every little thing that I put in my mouth.

Food:
As little processed foods as possible
Organic fruits and vegetables - lots of kale, spinach, broccoli
8 oz of full fat organic milk a day or full fat yogurt
water (no soda, coffee, tea, etc)

Current supplements:
Vitamin D, 5000iu
Omega 3 Fish Oil - 1000mg
CoQ10 600mg - ubiquinol
Royal Jelly
prenatal vitamin with DHA

Now I have no idea if all or any of the above will increase my fertility but a lot I read online says it may help. And since I'm an older woman, I figure I need all the help I can get.

Someday, do you eat any meat? I have read that red meat can increase your fertility - although just as many people say it decreases fertility - personally I think it is the additives and chemicals in meat that can decrease fertility. I would recommend adding in grass-fed, responsibly raised meats to your diet if you haven't already!

Also, I saw a list somewhere with a list of veggies and fruits that you can buy conventional and there's no real difference between them and the organic. I think it was mostly the thick skinned ones like cantaloupe, oranges etc. The vegs you do eat though are excellent to get organic

 

[caringo]

Now I have no idea if all or any of the above will increase my fertility but a lot I read online says it may help. And since I'm an older woman, I figure I need all the help I can get.

And I do also believe nutrition plays a HUGE role in fertility!

 

[Mintastic]

I will have to google that okay to eat non-organic list because it really is tough on the pocketbook.

I am so conflicted about meat. I am on-again/off-again vegetarian/vegan and eat very little red meat even when off-again. I hear such mixed things though.
I do think my diet it pretty good - I mostly just try to avoid too much processed stuff. I am more concerned with my activity levels as I don't work out or engage in any sports - walking my dog is about it.

As for the vitamin C I will get those references when I get home (at the park chilling with doggie - gorgeous weather today). I am no scientist but from what I recall it actually had more to do with an imbalance of free radicals due to the antioxidant nature of vitamin c and supplements having much too high doses when all you really need you can get from food. Turns out while too many free radicals is bad you need some left around to fight cancer - forget the heart disease connection though. Will definitely dig up the research later.

 

[caringo]

I will have to google that okay to eat non-organic list because it really is tough on the pocketbook.

I am so conflicted about meat. I am on-again/off-again vegetarian/vegan and eat very little red meat even when off-again. I hear such mixed things though.
I do think my diet it pretty good - I mostly just try to avoid too much processed stuff. I am more concerned with my activity levels as I don't work out or engage in any sports - walking my dog is about it.

As for the vitamin C I will get those references when I get home (at the park chilling with doggie - gorgeous weather today). I am no scientist but from what I recall it actually had more to do with an imbalance of free radicals due to the antioxidant nature of vitamin c and supplements having much too high doses when all you really need you can get from food. Turns out while too many free radicals is bad you need some left around to fight cancer - forget the heart disease connection though. Will definitely dig up the research later.

Hmm, sounds interesting! Would love to read more about it!

I hear ya on the staying active - I have a hard time with that as well. I was going to the gym twice a week up until about a few weeks ago, when things got really busy - but after this weekend they're due to slow down again so I'll probably get back to that. Walking your dog is still something though! I really need to walk mine a lot more than I do!

 

[Mintastic]

I was better this week. No gym still but beat my "high score" on my pedometer 2 days in a row - whoo!

Okay, so I went back to some of the literate I was thinking of and while I had thought they were trustworthy the sources were a bit flimsy. It seems to be more proven for other antioxidants like e, a, and beta carotene, but pretty up in the air for vitamin c and one other I am forgetting atm.
From what I could tell there was just one small study linking c to increased rates of liver cancer, another for prostate cancer so not so relevant to females, and several that show that it may not be okay to take c when you already have cancer and are on chemo because the chemo and the c work against each other. That may have been what lead to claims that taking c lead to an increased rate of "death from cancer"...in people who already had cancer!

Of course now I am on mobile again and have all the relevant articles bookmarked at home. Bug me and I will try to remember to share them when I am actually home!

I am surprised there has not been more interest in this thread so far. Would love to see what other steps folks are taking while trying to improve or maintain health while TTC.

 

[misspriss]

Okay I'm not actually TTC, we're NTNP, and planning to start TTC very soon (if all goes well) and still breastfeeding my 16 month old.

I am trying to lose weight AND get healthy. Right now, I'm focusing on lowering my carbs and increasing my protein.

I'd call what you are eating Primal rather than Paleo, because Paleo says no dairy and all the time, while Primal allows dairy and has the 80/20 rule (eat 80% Primal, 20% not is okay - moderation!) I used to eat Primal but I found it difficult for my family to sustain.

I am currently trying to eat closer to the "zone" diet (40/30/30 carbs/fat/protein) although I feel for me 35/35/30 is a better split. I eat a lot of meat, both red meat and white, and yogurt and veg. I don't eat a lot of fruit either, but I'm working on that! I'm also lactose intolerant, but only straight milk and ice cream give me issues. Hard cheese and yogurt are fine.

I also take supplements as follows:

Garden of Life RAW prenatal
New Chapter Organics Wholemega Fish Oil (Alternate with Garden of Life Ocean's MoM right now, because Wholemega is expensive)
3000 IU Vitamin D3 in addition to the multi and my calcium
Citrical Plus (Calcium Citrate + Magnesium and vitamin D)
Magnesium Citrate Supplement (Haven't started this one yet)

I have all my supplements in a spreadsheet so I can see the totals of each vitamin/mineral to make sure I am not getting too much of anything by taking separate pills like I do.

I've also started working out, right now it's just brisk walks in the evening and/or on lunch and taking extra trips up and down the stairs at work. DH and I are trying to figure out how we can fit the gym into our lives, but it isn't working out very well right now.

 

[minties]

Iodine is something prescribed to pregnant women here, not sure if that's something you would want to look into or not. You could probably figure out if you were getting enough or not

 

[misspriss]

Iodine is something prescribed to pregnant women here, not sure if that's something you would want to look into or not. You could probably figure out if you were getting enough or not

You know no one talks about iodine here, it's put in regular table salt, but we use Himalayan crystal salt, which it isn't added to.

I checked, it's in my prenatal multi! thanks!