Trying to conceive over 35? Here’s how optimising your diet can help

It is becoming increasingly popular for women to wait until later in life to have kids. While women obviously do this for their own personal reasons, unfortunately our ‘biological clock’ is ticking. And while we can’t change the quantity of eggs we have; nutrition can play a vital role in optimising the quality of your eggs and therefore improve your chances of falling pregnant at an older age. Let’s take a look at some of the nutrition strategies you can be putting in place if you are trying to conceive over 35.

Include organic fruit and vegetables in your diet

It may sound simple but, including some organic fruit and vegetables into your diet can help to boost your intake of antioxidants. One of the main reasons women over 35 find it difficult to conceive is because so many of their eggs become unviable due to chromosomal damage. Antioxidants can help to repair cell damage which is great for improving the health of our egg and increasing fertility.

Ensure you are getting enough omega-3 in your diet

Inflammation can affect the health of your eggs and make it harder to conceive. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to help reduce inflammation and is one of the best dietary strategies for boosting the health of our eggs. One of the best food sources of omega 3 is salmon, so try to include this in your fertility diet this week. If you don’t eat fish, plant-based omega 3 sources such as walnuts and flaxseeds are a great option.

Boost your iodine intake

Seafood is also one of the richest sources of iodine which is great for the health of your thyroid hormone. An unhealthy thyroid may cause pregnancy complications and increase your risk of miscarriage. Unfortunately, this is already a big risk for women trying to conceive over 35, so I highly encourage you to include iodine-rich foods in your diet.

Try to include foods rich in polyphenols

Some studies suggest that a decline in a class of proteins, called sirtuins, may be one of the major causes of infertility in older women. There are however foods which you can eat that have been found to activate our sirtuin genes. Extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, dates and spinach are just a few foods which are rich in polyphenols which helps this activation.

So, what should you do next?

To help you optimise your nutrition when trying to conceive over 35, I’ve created a ‘Fertility Boosting Recipe e-book’ which includes over 25 dietitian-approved recipes that are filled with key fertility nutrients. Visit www.melaniemcgrice.com/shop to get your copy today.