10 Simple Snacks For Fertility
by Bonnie Burgess
The food you eat impacts your fertility. It can also directly benefit the lifelong health of your future baby. So, what to eat? Focusing on snacks is a great place to begin. A nutritious between-meal snack is a simple yet powerful strategy to optimize your fertility.
Snacking is a valuable tool
Snacks maintain stable blood sugar throughout the day. They can bridge the gap between lunch and dinner or between breakfast and lunch. This is particularly important if there’s a span over 6 hours between meals or if any of those meals are light. Snacking is not only a smart strategy for fertility and hormones overall, you may also notice increased energy and decreased stress.
Snacks provide a boost of nutrients. While trying to conceive, it’s important to take every opportunity to max out your personal nutrient levels. So many nutrients are vital during this time including: B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D, calcium, selenium, iron, iodine, magnesium, antioxidants, as well as healthy fats and protein. Sneaking in nutrient-dense food whenever possible, including snack time, helps to ensure you get what you need. Micronutrients are best absorbed when eaten from food. So, although a prenatal vitamin supplement is helpful, the foundation of a well-rounded diet is vital.
Maximizing snacks’ potential
In order for snacking to be beneficial, “yes” must be the answer to all four questions:
- Is it made from real food?
- Does it contain protein?
- Does it contain fat?
- Does it contain fiber?
Bonus points if your snack also includes one of these fertility superfoods: avocado, egg, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, fermented veggies, leafy greens, sweet potato, blueberries.
10 simple snacks for fertility
Some of these snack ideas require no prep at all and some involve mixing a few ingredients in a bowl. Just be sure to have them on hand when hunger strikes.
SALTY
- Hard-boiled egg and olives
- Hummus and roasted veggies – roast a little extra anytime you’re making roasted veggies and save the leftovers
- Bean dip and Mary’s Gone seed crackers – pulse black or pinto beans with sea salt, a little olive oil, and cumin
- Raw or lightly toasted almonds or walnuts
- Sliced avocado and cucumber sprinkled with Trader Joe’s everything bagel spice
SWEET
- Berries, almonds and toasted unsweetened coconut chips
- Unsweetened dairy-free yogurt with sesame seeds and ground flaxseeds
- Sliced apple or pear with cinnamon and raw or lightly toasted walnuts
- Roasted beets or sweet potato in coconut oil, topped with pecans and hemp seeds
- Mashed banana with almond butter, vanilla, cacao nibs and ground flaxseeds
Replenish & Reset, Burgess Wellness’s 10 day real food reset.
Simply living in the modern world is a burden to the body’s detoxification processes.
We’re overloaded from everyday exposure to toxins by living, breathing and eating. Most of us are also undernourished at the hands of depleted soil and sub-stellar diets. Overloaded and undernourished is a precarious combination that contributes to troubling symptoms, chronic disease and can certainly affect fertility.
Replenish & Reset allows us to reset through a combination of nourishment with the most potent healing foods and rest from processed, inflammatory and toxic ingredients. Join Bonnie for the upcoming virtual group session or download the program for a DIY reset at your convenience.
Bonnie Burgess is a women’s health nutritionist and the founder of Burgess Wellness, where she supports fertility including assisted reproductive technology (ART) to pregnancy, postpartum, and perimenopause. With an evidence-informed and “food first” approach, Bonnie offers one-on-one personalized counseling through a 100% virtual consultancy. She is passionate about guiding clients to their wellness goals with sustainable behavior modifications spanning diet, lifestyle and supplementation for long-term impact.
About The Oldershaw Clinic:
We are an integrative health clinic specializing in fertility, pregnancy, and women’s health. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, we would love to work with you. We can answer your questions and help you get scheduled for your first appointment.
