Amidst the stressful life, erratic food and sleep cycles, we often forget to take care of the well-being of the body. And sometimes, when the external body starts giving signs, we wake up to healthy habits.
But what about the internal mechanism? One of the most common problems that the younger generation is facing is fertility and hormonal imbalances, which often results in irritation and anger.
Recently, nutritionist Shikha Gupta, who runs the Instagram page @nutritionist_shikha_ shared a list of superfoods that can actually boost fertility. In the same post, she also mentioned the foods one should avoid to boost hormone levels.
Scroll down to read the details.
Take a look at superfoods that can boost fertility.
Omega 3: We all know that hormones are made up of fats, so eating healthy fats definitely supports hormonal imbalance issues and reduces inflammation. As per Shikha, it is good to add walnuts, almonds, salmon, mackerel, sardine, flaxseed, and chia seeds to your daily diet.
Leafy vegetables: They help cleanse the body and also help with better blood circulation, liver functioning, gallbladder, bone health (vitamin K), and blood purification too.
Greens like spinach, fenugreek leaves, Brussels sprouts, amaranth, radish leaves, and beetroot leaves are good for the human body.
Sea vegetables: They help provide iodine, which improves thyroid function and prevents miscarriages. One can include sea vegetables like seaweed, kombu, and wakame.
Vitamin D3: As per studies, vitamin D3 helps improve hormonal imbalance and is crucial for bone and teeth health, emotional well-being, healthy birth weight, immunity, and mineral absorption.
It is said that taking a morning walk in sunlight, cod liver oil, and supplements are the best sources of vitamin D3.
Probiotics: Probiotics like fermented vegetables, kefir, homemade pickles, carrot kanji, sauerkraut, and kimchi help improve digestion and gut lining too, apart from improving fertility and a healthy pregnancy.
What to avoid?
As per Shikha, the following foods should be avoided at all costs to improve fertility rates:
Alcohol: Too much alcohol can lead to estrogen dominance, liver damage, hormonal imbalance, and a disturbed sleep cycle.
Caffeine: Too much caffeine intake can leach minerals, thin the gut lining, and cause side effects.
Sugar: Excessive sugar intake is also proven to have major side effects like fatty liver disease and the risk of diabetes, which can affect the fertility rate.
Toxic products: Many food products contain xenoestrogens, which mimic estrogen, interfere with hormones, and have adverse effects on fertility.