Warming Winter Foods for Fertility
With the snow and cooler weather finally settling in, let’s chat about ways you can use seasonal foods and spices to support fertility. Just as your body starts to crave more warming foods during the cold winter months, your reproductive system and fertility benefit from them also. Grab a warm tea and let’s jump in!
Culinary Herbs & Spices For Fertility
Warming herbs and spices are a great addition to dishes to help warm you from the inside out during the winter, but they can also aid fertility. Spices like cayenne and cinnamon help to promote blood flow and circulation, while cinnamon also supports blood sugar regulation, which is essential for healthy fertility. Try using a variety of herbs in your cooking such as basil, cardamom, cumin, curry, dill, garlic, ginger, oregano, thyme and turmeric. Keep things interesting and fun by trying new recipes!
Eat More Warming Foods & Soups for Fertility
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, warming foods are wonderful for fertility, as they support the movement of energy and blood throughout our bodies. Try experimenting with different dishes containing wild-caught salmon for omega-3s and protein, and make more stews and soups with hearty root vegetables like squashes, beets and sweet potatoes and a variety of leafy greens for added fibre such as collards, beet greens and bok choy. Don’t forget to focus on proteins like organic chicken and grass-fed/finished beef.
Additionally, a highly nutritious, collagen and gelation-rich bone broth helps boost minerals, while supporting the gut lining and connective tissues. It also has added immune-supportive benefits, especially when adding things like garlic, onions and herbs. My favourite ones are from a local Manitoba company called Bones & Marrow. They have highly nutritious and really delicious broths and soups delivered right to your door. You can check them out here and use my discount code: B&M-FLOURISH for 15% off your order!
Tapping Into The Power of The Gut for Fertility
The gut-hormone connection is powerful and we can leverage this important duo to support fertility through food. Incorporating more fermented foods is a fantastic way to bump up the beneficial bacteria in your gut, plus they pack some delicious flavour too. My favourite fermented foods are spicy kimchi and beet kraut and they so easily be added to soups in the winter. Just be sure not to heat it, as you’ll kill a lot of the beneficial microbes. Additionally, foods like blueberries, asparagus, garlic, onions, flaxseeds and grass-fed ghee, if tolerated, are great ways to support a healthy microbiome and hormones.
Don’t Forget To Fill Nutritional Gaps
In the winter months, with the absence of sunshine, we need to put a special focus on vitamin D, especially when it comes to hormone health and fertility, as it helps support healthy progesterone levels. Getting vitamin D from food is challenging, so it’s essential to supplement a high quality vitamin D3 that also contains K2 for proper absorption. We love Emulsi D3 Synergy by Designs for Health.
If you’re looking for more fertility support, check out our FREE Fire Up Your Fertility Guide! Or if you’re ready to prep you and your partner’s body for a healthy pregnancy, book your initial Couple’s Fertility Consult with our fertility expert, Sara now!
Asher Kleiber
Registered Holistic Nutritionist
