What are you eating?

[KnitKitty]

I've been taking a break from TTC after 5 miscarriages; but in May or June I will be trying again.

I am determined to do everything and anything possible to make the next one stick. So looking for some inspiration for recipe ideas and foods to eat/avoid in the next month or so to be in tip-top shape for conceiving. (I don't have caffeine, don't drink much alcohol and have cut down on sugar already).

I don't want to break the bank or have to go hunting for exotic or obscure ingredients.

So hit me; what recipes do you recommend? What do you eat when you're being mindful of your fertility? What would a typical day's eating look like for you?

(And yes, I have had various tests at RMC; I have been prescribed progesterone pessaries to take with the next pregnancy and am possibly going to be medicated to treat elevated prolactin levels; just waiting to find out about that treatment before starting trying again).

Sorry to hear about your struggle! I am 35 and TTC for #1 at the moment.

I have introduced 2 vegetarian days a week, I cook with tofu/beans/chickpeas/eggs instead to replace animal protein. It's easier to conceive when getting more of your protein from plantbased sources.

I have also upped veg with every meal (kale, broccoli etc, spinach,dark green leafy ones).
More veg than usual, especially pineapple during TWW as it supposedly helps with implementation 😄

Stopped drinking during TWW. Drinking lots of water. Very little caffeine everyday (max 1 cup of coffee, then de-caf tea).

2 servings dairy per day, should be full fat (Greek yoghurt, feta cheese on my omelette etc)

Have you read/heard about The Fertility Diet? It's by the Harvard Medical School. It's based on a huge study of thousands of people who got pregnant across 10 years.

You can find a summary of the research online in various places (if u search google). I bought the book for a few quid off eBay, which has the recipes in too.

I'm still reading the book but main takeaways so far are: keep your blood sugar steady, so scrap white in favour of wholegrain (pasta, rice, bread). Avoid trans fats like the plague, drink a glass of full fat milk a day (or a few scoops of full fat ice cream as a treat!) increase your plant based meals, increase protein from veggie sources (beans, pulses, nuts) ... I'll see if I can remember any more!

@KnitKitty sorry forgot to say, also almost stopped eating red meat! When I do have red meat it would be a lean steak or similar, not mince. Unfortunately I don't like fish, but I like prawns, so I eat chicken and prawn a lot as it's healthier.