According to Chinese medicine theory eating a lot of raw and cold foods could be a mistake!
Cold foods and drinks chill your body, promoting mucus, congestion, fatigue, depletion, abdominal pain, poor appetite and bloating after meals. As well as causing your body temperature to drop and your circulation to slow. To boost circulation and maintain optimal body temperature, your heart must work harder. For good general health, and particularly if you are trying to conceive or are already pregnant, try not to consume any foods or beverages cooler than room temperature.
Even more so as we move into fall and winter, our bodies need a warming, enriching diet to balance cold, damp, and windy weather. Look for warming recipes to add to your fall/winter rotation. Great choices are soups and stews, they pack a nutritious punch when laden with vegetables and made with bone broth . If you are looking to boost your fertility look for recipes that include:
- Carrots contain beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. That helps to produce the female sex hormones important for ovulation. Carrots have also been found to boost sperm quantity and quality by up to eight percent.
- Leeks are rich with carotene, vitamin C, calcium, iron and other nutrients and help stabilize blood sugar levels (so important for women with a hormone imbalance). It can also help to boost libido and promote fertility in men.
- Green beans are rich in iron and folate. According to Harvard Medical School consuming more iron and folate from plant sources such as green beans appears to promote fertility. One cup of green beans provides approximately 10% of daily folate needs and 6% of iron.
Soup is like a hug in a bowl, something we all need at the moment and, don’t forget soup works great for breakfast too!
