Top Foods to Avoid When Trying to Conceive

Avoid these Foods When Trying to Conceive

Listed below are the foods to avoid when trying to conceive:

• Coffee

Coffee is one of the foods to stay away from when trying to conceive. The compound caffeine in coffee can disturb your menstrual cycle, affecting ovulation and your fertile period. Thus, when trying to conceive, you must avoid coffee.

• Processed Meats

Processed red meats may be high in sodium and contain harmful substances such as nitrates, which may interfere with conception. Therefore, when trying to conceive, you must avoid processed meat like beef, sausage, hot dogs, and deli meats.

• Sugary Drinks

Sugary beverages are also among the foods to avoid when trying to conceive. Sugary drinks, such as soda or energy drinks, can cause glycation and inflammation in the body, deteriorating the quality of the eggs released during ovulation. Poor-quality eggs often reduce a woman's chance of getting pregnant.

• High-mercury Fish & Seafood

High-mercury fish and seafood are also among the foods to stay away from when trying to get pregnant. Consuming mercury-rich fish and seafood like tuna, swordfish, and Chilean Seabass can lead to hormonal and menstrual disorders due to a build-up of mercury in the woman's body. The result could be infertility.

• Soy Products

Soy products, such as soymilk, tempeh, tofu, and soy flour, must be avoided when trying to conceive. Soy phytoestrogens may accelerate oestrogen activity in a woman's body, creating an imbalance of the oestrogen-progesterone ratio, disturbing ovulation, and impairing egg production.