Fertility Dietary Tips For Women – Foods to Avoid When You Plan to Get Pregnant Diet and fertility are closely associated. The types of food you eat, the quality of your food, and how you prepare your meals can all have an effect on your hormonal system, and thus your fertility level. While there are certain diets to help your conceive faster, in this article we’re going to take a look at which foods to avoid, since they are generally bad for your health and can have a negative impact on your fertility. Refined starches and simple sugars Refined starches and simple sugars (e.g. processed breakfast cereals, cakes and biscuits, soft drinks, table sugar, honey, etc) cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate dramatically. This can lead to hormonal imbalance and affects your fertility. Fluctuation in blood sugar levels may also lead to panic attacks during the day, waking up from sleep in the middle of the night, heart racing and sweating. You’ll also feel lack of energy during the day. Tips: Avoid sugar (including honey) in your foods. If you need to fulfill your sweet cravings, fresh fruits are your best option. Bad fats Bad fats are saturated fats, which are abundantly present in dairy products (e.g. cheese), animal fats (e.g. lard), fatty meat, coconut oil or palm oil. Trans-fats (i.e. hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils), such as found in margarine, packaged foods, fast food, toppings and dips, are also bad fats. Tips: Replace bad fats by using small amounts of polyunsaturated oils, for example, canola or sesame oil for cooking. Use olive oil, which is a monounsaturated oil, for your salads. You can use flaxseed oil as salad dressing. These are the beneficial fats – they absorb and store the right amounts of fat-soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamins A, D, E and K) needed for reproductive health. Coffee Some studies reported that drinking one or two cups of coffee every day is not likely to hamper your fertility. On the other hand, it was also reported that if more than 300 mg of caffeine is consumed daily, then it will take you a longer time to get pregnant. Also, it may increase your risk of miscarriage. In men, on the other hand, moderate coffee consumption seems to improve sperm function. Tips: Replace coffee with green or black tea. It is speculated that there is something else, and not necessarily caffeine, in the coffee that has an effect on fertility.