When you want to conceive a child, avoiding certain foods can help the process. Dietician-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier explains which ones.
- Dietician-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier tells us the 3 products to avoid to maximize your chances of pregnancy.
- These are salmon, sugar and sunflower oil.
- In France, one in four couples today have difficulty conceiving a child, a figure that has been constantly increasing for thirty years.
While some foods promote fertility, others can actually harm it! Alexandra Murcier, dietician-nutritionist and co-creator of the BeMum program, tells us the 3 products to avoid to maximize your chances of pregnancy.
1/ Salmon.
Although it is rich in omega 3 beneficial for the conception of a child, this fish also contains a lot of heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, etc.) toxic for fertility and for the nervous system of the fetus. Tuna is also affected by this pollution. “I therefore recommend replacing them with mackerel or sardines, which are rich in omega 3 and have preserved flesh.”says Alexandra Murcier.
2/ Sugar.
“It’s the number one enemy of fertility!” emphasizes the dietician-nutritionist. “It accelerates cellular aging, and therefore that of our oocytes,” she explains first. “It also deregulates blood sugar, resulting in increased inflammation that fuels pathologies such as endometriosis and PCOS,” she continues.
“To improve your chances of conception, I recommend adopting a low glycemic index diet, with legumes, fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” says Alexandra Murcier.
3/ Sunflower oil.
It is too rich in omega 6. “An imbalance in the omega 3 / omega 6 ratio creates chronic inflammation which is harmful to fertility,” explains the nutrition specialist. “Instead, use olive oil for cooking (avoiding high temperatures) and for seasoning choose walnut oil or rapeseed oil, which are very rich in omega 3!” she recommends.
To conclude, “I invite women who want to get pregnant to combine this specific diet with taking food supplements that will boost fertility such as omega-3, vitamins (B6, B9, B12, D, E), zinc and selenium”, concludes Alexandra Murcier.
Increasing difficulties in conceiving a child
In France, one in four couples today have difficulty conceiving a child, a figure that has been steadily increasing for thirty years. According to the Biomedicine Agency, the proportion of children conceived through medically assisted procreation (MAP) among those born each year on our soil has therefore been growing continuously since 2009 (3.3% in 2018 compared to 2.6% at that date).
The origins of this phenomenon are sociological, environmental and biological.
