Kids eating right starts from the VERY beginning, before our children are even conceived. The importance of nutritional intake in the pre-conception period has not only been linked to fertility and pregnancy outcomes, but has a direct impact on our children’s health through what is called Epigenetics; a change in DNA function without a change in DNA sequence. In other words, nutritional intake can turn genes on or off, altering the way a gene is expressed and therefore changing genetic potential for weight, chronic health conditions, mortality and more.
So, lets think more into this Epigenetics thing. Women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, so when your mother was born, the egg that would one day create you, and the genetic material inside of that egg, was already created (SO HEAR ME OUT, the things you are struggling through may be so far embedded in your genetics, but I’m so grateful that the Lord created us with genes that can be overcome or expressed differently with lifestyle changes and medications). The best part about this is that while we work on our health and fertility, the changes we make are influencing the genes that will one day make up our children and may very well change your child’s health and fertility journey.
Okay, okay. Enough about women because men’s nutritional intake and health are JUST AS IMPORTANT. They are providing 50% of the DNA! Sperm takes 74 days to mature and therefore nutritional intake during that period (AT MINIMUM) is very important. Male fertility is correlated with weight, chronic disease conditions, alcohol intake, etc. that can result in changes to more than just sperm count (sperm morphology, motility, vitality, and fragmentation are all important considerations in fertility and genetics of offspring).
Research shows that following a Mediterranean Diet pattern is the best general recommendation for couples who are preparing to conceive. A Mediterranean Diet is rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and seafood. These foods are not only rich in important vitamins and minerals for conception (zinc, iron, folate, etc.) but are also anti-inflammatory.
While this general recommendation is a great guideline, nothing substitutes the for PERSONALIZED nutrition recommendations where individual diet changes and nutritional supplements can be made based on YOU. Our fertility dietitian takes pride in meeting couples where they are to create a plan not only for conception, but for pregnancy and beyond. Book a pre-natal nutrition visit today to help your #kidseatright journey start off on the best foot!
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