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Egg quality is just one piece of the trying-to-conceive puzzle, but it is an important one. While supplementation is a good way to help improve egg quality, it should complement a healthy lifestyle and a fertility-friendly diet. As a registered nutritionist specializing in fertility, here are 5 foods I recommend eating to improve egg quality through diet.
Fish
Oily fish like sardines and salmon are packed with a potent antioxidant called Coenzyme Q10. CoQ10 can protect oocytes (egg cells) from oxidative stress. Unfortunately, oxidative stress is unavoidable (thanks to our environment, stress, and pollution), but it can be combatted with antioxidants. Plus, CoQ10 supplementation can help your outcomes when pursuing fertility treatment; it can improve ovarian response to stimulation, and improve egg and embryo quality.
What is CoQ10—and Why Do I Need It? →
Berries
Another way to combat oxidative stress is by eating foods rich in flavonoids (plant compounds) like berries. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries help to neutralize free radical activity caused by poor diet and lifestyle choices, and exposure to environmental pollutants.
Grapes
Resveratrol is another plant compound that has a positive impact on cellular health. It can help neutralize oxidative stress and also help regulate inflammation. While inflammation in the short term is necessary and normal, when it hangs around for long periods, inflammation can impact reproductive health, including egg cell quality, ovulation, and implantation.
Broccoli
Folate plays a role in egg maturation and embryogenesis (embryo development) and broccoli is full of it. It’s a nutrient that gets talked about a lot in relation to pregnancy, but it’s important pre-pregnancy too, because of its ability to reduce the rate of neural tube defects when taken in early pregnancy.
Folate vs Folic Acid vs 5-MTHF: What You Need in Your Prenatal Vitamins →
Brazil nuts
Add Brazil nuts to your diet for a dose of Selenium, a nutrient that supports a healthy follicular environment, which is important for developing eggs. Selenium can also reduce oxidative stress. Just 2 Brazil nuts per day can cover your dietary needs for Selenium.
What food to avoid for egg quality
If you’re worried about egg quality, try reducing the amount of white processed flours, sugars, artificial colours, and sweeteners when trying to conceive. This also goes for seed oils and foods that have been heated to high temperatures (like fried foods).
Eating to support egg quality shouldn’t be an added stress to your day. Fresh, colorful, whole foods are what you want to focus on.—
Michelle Strong is a registered dietitian and the founder of MindBodyBaby.
