Eating good stuff to help you conceive - tips!

[hairytriangle]

Hi I'm currently reading a really great book called 'Fit for Fertility'.

I thought maybe for those of us interested we could have a thread to exchange ideas on how to build the recommended foods into our diets?

I've started having organic milk only (to avoid the hormones in 'ordinary' milk, and I eat organic meusli, with added nuts, 'food doctor omega three seeds' and organic sultanas every day for breakfast.

The book recommends lots of green stuff (brocholi is particularly good, apparently), lentils, limit tinned tuna, but two portions of oily fish per week.

Two brazil nuts a day will give you added selenium which will assist attachment after conception!

Also diluted fruit juice and lots of water (two litres per day - don't know how I'll manage that!)

It also recommends avoiding processed foods or 'ready meals' and making stuff fresh, but I do struggle with recipes sometimes!

Anyone else got any ideas?

Hi hairy triangle,

you helped me lots the other day on a m/c thread so I was interested to see your post here.

its still early days for me after m/c but have decided to really make an effort to get back to better health as soon as I am over this.

I will dig out my zita west book and see what she says, lots of stuff on healthy eating in there I seem to remember.

Otherwise I would add about no caffeine and alcohol...especially important at the time of conception I think and in the early days of pg. I also have a vague thought that almonds are good for vit e which is helpful in preventing m/c...but I might have dreamed that up.

Not really diet related but I found yoga and accupuncture really helpful when ttc DD. have fallen off the wagon with both lately must get back on...

Oh and my best top tip is to use a warm hot water bottle on your tummy after doing the deed and around the time of implantation...sounds daft but I am sure this helped with DD.

Are you taking any supplements at all? I have a prenatal multi vitamin but am wondering if I need to top that up with anything.

good luck! I will be back if I can find anything helpful to contribute.

I saw a nutritionist recently and she recommended 5 veg a day and 2 fruit. Easiest way to get loads of good stuff is a smoothie in the morning. I chop up two or three different fruits together, chuck in some berries if I have them, add four tbs bio yoghurt, a handful of rolled oats, some nuts (and/or seeds)and fruit juice ... then blend. Seriously easy and yummy and healthy! First time in my life I have fruit in the house

Would also be interested in easy fast recipe ideas, I'm a bit stuck in the rut with oatcakes, hummous and seeds for lunch every day.

On vitamins, I was told some brands are much better than others. I was taking pregnacare at the time which she said was 'just ok'. Now swapped to 'Higher Nature' Mum-To-Be which is taken 3 times a day. I'm also taking fish oil supplements three times a day, CoQ10, and Vitamin E. If you want the dose levels and brand names let me know.

A few years back I watched Oprah and she had a nutritionist on who said you should always chop your one-a-day multivit in half and take one half morning and the second later. Apparently your body wees out a tonne of the good stuff if you have too much in on go - so the Higher Nature vits seem to be along that line of logic (I assume).

She said to try and have a dark green leafy veg every day ... the one thing I'm failing a bit on!

Been doing this for a month and feel amazingy better for it.

hairytriangle Interesting about only needing two brazil nuts - I had about 10 in my smoothie this morning Maybe I can scale back and save myself some money!

gruffalomum So sorry to hear about your MC. I've had two and like you determined to be as healthy as possible to avoid any more if I can. Interesting tip about the hot water bottle - but what's the rationale behind that? I've never heard of it before.

Hi Gruffalo good to see you - it's early days for me to, and I have to wait til sept now to TTC but see it as an opportunity to get by body in optimum condition

hope you are feeling better - hard isn't it!

Hi justshaggy - yeah I was eating brazil nuts by the dozen too - trouble is I really like them, so can't stop at just two (but at least it's not chocolate, which is the same for me!)

I also have Zita West here somewhere I'll dig her out too

I've been making lentil curry - it's quite nice actually (despite looking a big 'gucky') and you can shove a load of brocholi/spinach in for good measure.

oh and Grufallo because I had to have methotrexane to complete a partial miscarriage, I can't take any supplements or folic acit at all now for a little bit, but I have my Zita West supplements at the ready for when I can again

a lovley spinach dish is palak paneer - with cottage cheese, so contains calcium too lots of recipes on google

hairy I've never tried lentil curry, but I do make huge batches of lentil chilli (and add in kidney beans and black beans) - so it's pulse-tastic. I then freeze batches to have on days when I can't be arsed cooking and am most inclined to eat junk.

I can imagine lentil curry would be just as good.

Another lentil thing I do is just loads of veg, with lentils, cooked in a tin of tomatoes, some vegie stock and a bay leaf. Very earthy and yummy. Served with grated cheddar and brown rice. Also freezes brilliantly.

'in a tin'...?? WITH a tin of chopped tomatoes added (and some fresh)

I'm now salivating - I'll try those

I have had a whispa bar AND a snickers today blush

hairy chocolate, as far as I am concerned, is as critical as folic acid.

sounds lovely Lunatic

oooh, spinach and chickpea balti!!! yum!

LOL @ shaggy absoflippinglutely!

I bought chic peas and mung beans today - heaven knows what I'm going to do with them, chick pea, mung bean and spinach balti maybe!

Morrisons have organic tinned toms cheap, by the way, at the moment!

This thread is making me hungry.

I eat fairly well but really struggle to have a healthy breakfast and can easily end up relying on toast, especially if I'm in a rush. I've started making a delicious granola that I can just top with a bit of chopped fruit and a dollop of yoghurt and it keeps me going till lunch. It's got all the right nuts and seeds that we should be eating. The oil in it isn't the healthiest thing ever, but I reckon if the rest of your diet is healthy and unprocessed I don't think it's too bad.

Granola

good quality porridge oats
nuts (whole almonds or chopped brazils are good)
seeds (pumpkin, sesame, linseed etc)
vegetable oil
honey
a few drops of vanilla essence and almond essence

Put the dry ingredients in a bowl
stir the oil, honey and essences together and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir well.

Put the mixture in a roasting tin and bake in a medium oven for about 20 mins, turning the mix a few times so it doesn't burn.

When the mix is cool I stir in some dried fruit like cranberries (with no added sugar) and apricots, sultanas etc. and keep it in an airtight tin.

Ooh lovely coconut I'll try that!!

Ooh lovely coconut I'll try that!!

to my great embarrassment, I seem to have survived purely on chocolate and a banana yesterday . i suppose we all need a break.

Question: I soaked the chick peas on Tues night, didn't use them yesterday (but drained them) are they ok to use tonight???

Hi hairy, yes absolutely about the chickpeas, I would use them today though!

I am new here but now that I have figured out what ttc means I'll be checking in regularly I was really really healthy with DD 3 years ago, lots of yoga, fruit and veg but I am struggling to get back to that. Am sitting at my desk now feeling guilty about eating an almond finger (from sainsbury's - are surprisingly good!)
Thanks for starting this thread.

Hello all,

Feel terrible about posting and running the other day...so sorry not sure where the time has gone.

Just sneaking in a cheeky post from work to say hi and to confess to obscene amounts of chocolate eating in the last few weeks I think I must keep green&blacks in busines. Still it is a great source of magnesium right which is important for ttc?!

But I am going to try to get back on track with some of the yummy recipes on here instead. I have also dusted off my exercise gear and tried to plan out some times during the week (mostly DDs naps or after she is bed!) when I will do some cardio, weights and yoga.

Something I used to cook all the time when I was thin and healthy is this red lentil dahl. You can add lots to it to make it more exciting and it freezes really well. It is lovely with natural yoghurt (and grated cheese if you are having a bad day!)

Lightly soften in oil 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped red pepper and some chopped garlic. Add a tablespoon of curry paste (or powder) any flavour is fine. Add in about a cup to a cup and a half of red lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes and 500mls of chicken (or veg) stock. Add in some bay leaves and season. Simmer for about 15-25 mins until lentils are cooked. Add lemon juice to serve.

I usually add a tin of chickpeas and often some sweet potato, cauliflower and broccolli. I serve with steamed brown rice if I am being good

Right, good luck all and thanks for all the top tips. Hairy what did you do with the mung beans?!

Hi Gruffalo good to see you, I too am on a chocolate fest at present! Your Dahl sounds nice

I soaked the mung beans with teh chick peas, then left them on the counter top but am going to bung them in to some passatta, chopped tomatoes and garlic, add some veg and cook them up to have with brown rice later.

Hi Hairy spotted this thread the other day and have picked up some great tips. Am about to cook up Gruffalos lentil dahl. Thank you ladies : )

wave to *Magic8^

Hello Hairy, just popped in from the over forties thread to add my 2 cents worth...

I've read so many books about fertility, I reckon I should get an honorary degree. Having said that I'm still finding it hard to stick to the good stuff!

Here's so stuff that I've heard will help:
-Green tea
-grapefruit juice and evening primrose oil for fertile cervical mucus.
-Sprouted seeds for enzymes. Apparently they will keep you young(and your eggs).So I am sprouting alfalfa,mustard seed and quinoa in a jar on the window sill.
-Fish oil or oily fish.I take 3000 whatsits every evening. Also taking a double dose of folic acid (800mg),b6,coq10.

-I have a "green" drink every morning which is a powder I buy called "vital greens",which has all vitamins I need and a whole lot of other good stuff, plus L-arginine powder,maca powder(supposedly a miracle fertility food) and liquid minerals. I'm hoping that covers all the bits I haven't eaten during the day!

I've also heard that pineapple is supposed to help with implantation.But I ate too much once and made my mouth sore, so haven't really bothered since!

I also have acupuncture and love yoga, but since breaking my toe I haven't done anything - so lazy - I must get back into it!

I love the acupuncture and I think it may have helped me to conceive my DS(21months).