Our genetic material is like a recipe book, telling the growing cells, step by step what to do, how to create a bouncy, smiling infant…..all from a single egg and a single sperm the size of a pinhead.
Optimising our egg health prior to conception is essential. The healthier that your eggs are, the greater chance that you have of conceiving. In fact, one of the key reasons that some women struggle to conceive is unhealthy eggs. This can be caused by a poor diet, medical conditions which impact the health of your eggs or age.
Unfortunately, the older that we get, not only do we have fewer eggs, but there is a higher likelihood that the eggs that we do have will have chromosomal damage. The chromosomes are the genetic material in our eggs. It’s like having an old recipe book that has been damaged through time and neglect, where pages are stuck together and other pages are torn, so you can’t read the recipes properly. Instead of making a delicious soft, fluffy muffin, you end up with a bowl of slop.
Good nutrition protects our eggs in the following 3 ways:
1. Good nutrition provides the nutrients for cell upkeep
Just as your car needs petrol and oil, our cells require fuel to enable them to be able to function. And, remember that your eggs are cells too! Micronutrients such as folic acid, iron and thiamine are all essential to fuelling your eggs so that they can undertake their important job of converting into a baby, so ensure that you have the right amounts of micronutrients.
2. Good nutrition reduces inflammation
Your eggs are surrounded by follicular fluid. Foods high in ‘bad’ saturated fats and sugar can cause this fluid to become inflamed, and cause ‘disorganised DNA’. Before conception, optimise your egg health by following an anti-inflammatory diet that ensure that your egg is as healthy and ready to fertilise as possible.
3. Good nutrition provides antioxidants to improve egg health
Just like other cells in our body, our eggs are impacted by toxins in our environment such as pollution, stress and alcohol. Foods rich in antioxidants help to defend against these troublesome free radicals and optimise egg health.
And, not only does a healthy diet boost your fertility, but it also helps to give your baby a head start in life too. Emerging research suggests that the foods that we eat in the lead up to conception can impact the future health of babies!
