Remember to use different colors of fruits and vegetables daily.Suggested fruits: avocado, berries, oranges, melons, grapes, etcSuggested vegetables: dark leafy greens, peppers, purple cabbage, carrots, etc.

Remember to use different colors of fruits and vegetables daily.Suggested fruits: avocado, berries, oranges, melons, grapes, etcSuggested vegetables: dark leafy greens, peppers, purple cabbage, carrots, etc.
As a fertility nutrition specialist, I get many patients who are obese yet pregnant. It is a well-established fact that obesity increases the chances of pregnancy related complications like, miscarriages, gestational diabetes, hypertension during pregnancy, development complications in the unborn child, etc. For such women, the recommendation is that they should not gain more than 4-5 kgs of weight during pregnancy, but their bodies should use the stored reserves for the growth of the baby.
It becomes a challenging task for these women to ensure that their unborn babies are getting enough nutrients for growth and development and to satisfy their food cravings without gaining too much weight.
To achieve the same, they must keep in mind the following guidelines:
Recent research suggests that there are certain foods or food groups that can increase the chances of a woman conceiving independent of her weight status. Studies also suggest that fertility nutrition has a role to play in how soon a woman can become pregnant, i.e. women eating certain foods become pregnant faster than those who do not eat these foods. This effect of nutrition is the same on women who have infertility issues as well as those who do not.
So, what is the best diet for conception? In this article, I shall highlight some of the food groups that have been found to affect fertility and help you get pregnant naturally:
Whole grains:
Whole grains are grains that have not been processed too much and the bran (outer covering), the germ (reproductive part of the grain) and the endosperm (nutritious part of the seed) are all intact. These grains are high in fibre, complex carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Some examples of whole grains are: whole wheat, quinoa, millets, amaranth, etc.
Pulses:
Pulses are seeds of the legume family. They include dry beans, lentils, dry peas, etc. They are a good source of protein, fibre, minerals and vitamins, and are low in fat. Some examples are: kidney beans, chickpeas, puy lentil, etc.
Fish:
Did you know that there are certain fish that are considered better than others? This is due to the fact that these fish generally have low levels of mercury, are high in omega 3 fatty acids and are not endangered. The list includes: tuna, wild salmon, farmed oysters, sardines and trout.
Fresh fruit:
Recent studies carried out on women wanting to conceive have shown that women who ate more fresh fruits on a daily basis conceived faster than women who ate more processed foods. This was independent of their weight status. The current recommendation is that everyone should eat about 2-3 servings of fruits daily.
Olive oil:
Olive oil is a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids. It is the main source of fat in Mediterranean diets which have been shown to increase conception in women.
If you need more information on fertility nutrition, get in touch with us at Kanupriya!