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10 Food Rules To Live By If You're Trying To Get Pregnant
Written by
Medical review by
Wendie Trubow, M.D., MBA
Functional Medicine Gynecologist
Wendie Trubow is a functional medicine gynecologist with almost 10 years of training in the field. She received her M.D. from Tufts University.
October 11, 2019
As a licensed acupuncturist specializing in women’s health, I can tell you from personal and clinical experience that you have tremendous influencing power on your hormones simply through the food you choose to put in your body. In Chinese medicine, we treat food as medicine. And so can you!
Whether you're trying to get pregnant or you just want to regulate your menstrual cycle and/or minimize PMS, follow these dietary recommendations for a more harmonious feminine existence.
- Eat blood-nourishing foods during menstruation week to replenish blood loss: clean meat, fish, eggs, black beans, lentils, kelp, beets, dark leafy greens, broccoli, cherries, red grapes, raspberries.
- Increase vitamin C intake during menstruation week to help absorb iron: citrus, mangoes, cherries, potatoes, tomatoes, cantaloupe, strawberries, peas, and watercress.
- Eat yin-nourishing foods during pre-ovulation week to support the yin phase of the menstrual cycle: clean meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, and a moderate intake of organic dairy products.
- Eat foods rich in vitamin E during pre-ovulation week to nourish the developing follicle: nuts, seeds, whole grains, sweet potatoes, cold-pressed oils, leafy greens, and avocados.
- Eat foods high in vitamin B 1ovulation week to assist the release of your egg and implantation (if pregnancy is your goal): leafy greens, whole grains, eggs, and clean meat.
- Eat foods rich in zinc during ovulation week to help with cell division and progesterone production: clean meat, fish, poultry, wheat germ, eggs, whole grains, and figs.
- Eat cooked food the week before your period or possible pregnancy like soups to keep your uterus warm (an indication of reproductive health in Traditional Chinese Medicine) and progesterone levels high.
- Avoid processed foods, refined sugar, coffee and alcohol the week before your period or possible pregnancy, especially if you have PMS symptoms.
- Increase your water and fiber intake the week before your period to help the liver metabolize estrogen, which is one of the main causes of premenstrual symptoms like cramps, bloating, and moodiness. Work on constipation if present, too to assist with hormonal balance.
- Avoid fish high in mercury. High levels of mercury can build up in the bloodstream and affect the development of your baby’s brain and nervous system when you become pregnant. While fish can be a great source of iron and omega-3 fatty acids, larger fish like swordfish, shark and tilefish can have unhealthy levels of mercury. The FDA created this2 list so you know which fish to eat and which to avoid before and during pregnancy.
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