Over the last several years, little by little, I’ve made gradual changes to my diet. If you would have asked me six or so years ago — when we first started trying to get pregnant — I would’ve told you that I ate pretty healthy, and what I thought was a relatively decent fertility-friendly diet. And I still don’t think my diet was awful by any means, but I’ve realized that I’ve made some subtle kitchen swaps over the years that have really made a difference in a fertility-friendly diet. When I opened my fridge the other day, it occurred to me how much has changed from even a few years ago!
Many of these things are things you are already buying, most likely, so there is not a big change in what you have to buy (although, admittedly, some of these items are more expensive — although #4 is actually cheaper!).
Here are eight easy kitchen swaps for a more fertility-friendly diet:
[Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical practitioner. Any medical information is strictly my opinion based on research and personal experience, and not to be taken as advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed physician for your medical needs. Read my full disclaimer here.]
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1. Low-fat dairy for full-fat dairy
This is one of the first swaps I made when trying to get pregnant. I think there’s a big misconception regarding dairy and the idea that “low fat” equals “better.” Growing up, I remember when my parents made the switch from 2% milk to low fat milk, with the goal of eating healthier. Now they’re back to 2%. I buy whole milk — and yogurt — now. I’ve recently read the phrase, “Eating fat doesn’t make you fat.”
The research: To see why full-fat dairy is better, check out this research study. My functional medicine doctor recommended full-fat dairy as well. Although this research article argues that not enough research has actually been done to recommend full-fat dairy for fertility, other articles like this one suggest that full fat dairy is just healthier in general. (That being said, I think the part that is sometimes a concern for dairy in general is that it can be an inflammatory food for some people, which obviously would not be good for fertility…if you don’t feel well after consuming dairy, this would be a pretty good indicator that dairy is not a good choice for you!)
The bottom line: I buy whole milk now, as well as Stonyfield plain, whole milk yogurt. For added protein, do Stonyfield plain, whole milk greek yogurt (16g protein vs 6g!). If you don’t love yogurt, you might have to start with a flavored one, like vanilla or strawberry. Those have quite a bit of added sugars, so I’ve since switched to the plain variety. Besides, when you put it in something like overnight oats, you don’t even need flavor since you add it yourself! Try this recipe here.)
2. Salt without iodine for salt with it
This might seem like a weird one, but I recently became aware of the importance of iodine for thyroid function. (I believe my thyroid is in part to blame for my infertility in the first place.) Not only did I used to rarely salt anything (like full-fat dairy, I think there is a misconception out there that all salt is terrible for you), but the salt in my cupboard did not even contain iodine.
The research: This abstract and this study highlight the importance of iodine. This article reaffirms it too. (Scroll down to table 3. As a side note, this table is also where it talks about full-fat dairy not being necessarily recommended for pregnant women. As I said earlier, I think the concern is if it is inflammatory for you and affect other parts of your body.)
The bottom line: I threw out my old iodine-free salt and bought a new canister. (It tastes and looks the exact same — why they even have iodine-free salt, I don’t know, and I think I probably bought it by accident. Here is the salt with iodine.)
3. Certain non-organic fruits and veggies for organic ones
Sometimes I feel like “organic” is just a trend and I have to question — does eating organic really matter? Does it even make that big of a difference really? Admittedly, I don’t claim to be well-informed on all of the research. Logically though, it does seem that toxins and pesticides would create some sort of inflammatory response in the body.
The research: Again, I am not fully knowledgeable, but I did read this article that was a review of all of the most recent studies done on this. Interestingly enough, the improvement of fertility was one thing that was specifically mentioned as having support in the research studies.
The bottom line: Eating organic is tough, and expensive. What I’ve decided to do is at least try to buy organic when it comes to the Environmental Working Group’s yearly list of the Dirty Dozen — the produce with the highest incidence of pesticides. They also have a Clean Fifteen list — so I don’t worry about buying organic for those produce items. See the list here.
4. Store-bought salad dressings for homemade ones
Now here is one way to actually save money by eating healthier: Stop buying salad dressings! Homemade salad dressings are simple to make and so much healthier, too.
The research: Not research, per se — but this article from Lily Nichols (author of Real Food for Pregnancy — highly recommend) talks about the importance of full-fat, healthy oil-based salad dressings. She even has a few recipes for salad dressings too.
The bottom line: Try some of the salad dressings from this website (I’ve made several, and have liked them all!), or check out Lily’s article for some salad dressing ideas. Since I usually eat a salad every day for lunch and homemade salad dressing doesn’t always keep well (depending on what you mix together), I also buy Primal Kitchen’s salad dressings to have on hand. I’ve been able to find them at my local grocery store (I’ve tried both the Greek and Italian dressings and like them both), but here is an Amazon link too. Because they are made with avocado oil, the oil can sometimes harden after being in the fridge, so you do need to have it on the counter for a bit after refrigerating it to make it easy to pour on salads.
5. Plastic containers for glass ones
I don’t remember what convicted me to finally get rid of all my plastic food storage containers — and I actually stored some of them for fear I’d miss them — and I’ve never touched them in storage since. (Now that I mention it, I need to go get them out and throw them away.) Like I mentioned earlier when talking about toxins and pesticides in fruits and vegetables, this is one area I haven’t done a lot of research on, but enough to know that it’s worth making the switch.
The research: It’s no secret that storing food in plastic containers can cause toxins to leak into your food. I didn’t read this whole article, because again, I don’t need to be convinced that toxins play a role in decreasing fertility.
The bottom line: As I mentioned earlier, I have thrown out my plastic storage containers. I ended up purchasing two different sets of these glass containers, and I love them. (I bought one set to see if I liked it, and then bought another.) If you do buy them, I recommend not sealing the tops after washing them, as they can be hard to get off. I’ve never had a problem taking off the tops after storing food in them, however. Although I’m not quite ready to completely eliminate all of my plastic sandwich bags, I also bought a pack of these silicone bags — mainly for freezing muffins and ingredients for smoothies in the freezer. (Which also saves money on bags too!)
6. White rice for brown or black rice
I recently read about the benefits of black rice from the book The Longevity Plan (highly recommend this book too!). To be honest, I didn’t even know black rice existed, but it’s become a staple in our house now. Although it takes longer to cook, I like it just as much as other types of rice.
The research: This article from Cleveland Clinic highlights the benefits of black rice. It is higher in antioxidants than even blueberries!
The bottom line: I couldn’t find black (aka Forbidden) rice at my local grocery store, but I did find some at Whole Foods. This is the kind I bought.
7. Any granola bars for Rx bars
If you see me at the grocery store, I am one of those people studying the backs of packages and labels to find the healthiest option. When it comes to granola bars, I used to buy anything that tasted good and seemed relatively healthy– now, I’ve realized I like most granola bars…but some are much healthier than others. My dietician first clued me in to Rx bars, and that’s what I’ve been buying ever since. All you have to do is look at the label to see that there aren’t any unrecognizable ingredients!
The research: Rather than cite any research here, I’ll just tell you the ingredients in a peanut butter Rx bar: Dates, peanuts, egg whites, natural flavors, and sea salt. That’s it.
The bottom line: Although I like other bars, too — like Larabars — you just can’t beat the amount of protein in an Rx bar (depending on the bar, 12g or so!). I actually really like the Minis too, for a small snack.
8. Regular pasta for another variety
Truth be told, I just don’t eat a whole lot of pasta anymore. But besides traditional pasta, I’ve tried several other varieties too. Admittedly I don’t like them as well, they are so much healthier because they up the protein content.
The research: I won’t do the research for you, as you can just flip over the boxes of pasta next time you’re at the grocery store. It’s pretty clear the nutritional differences.
The bottom line: I’ve tried both whole wheat pasta and chickpea pasta, and I have a box of red lentil pasta in my pantry right now that I have yet to try. Although the chickpea pasta wasn’t my favorite in terms of taste, I’ve heard that red lentil pasta is better (and healthier!). I will update once I try it.
Any other easy kitchen swaps for a more fertility-friendly diet? Post in the comments!
