Are Fruits and Veggies Fertility Foods? (The Answer May Shock You)

Looking for the best fertility foods to help you conceive a child? Discover what to eat – and what to avoid – for a healthy pregnancy.

For years you’ve been told that eating more fruits and vegetables is (unquestionably) the path to better health…

You’ve been encouraged to “Eat the rainbow”… “Drink green smoothies”… “Get your 5 a Day”… and make sure there’s something green on your plate at every meal!

But what if I told you that eating more fruits and vegetables could seriously disrupt your hormonal systems? In fact, that’s exactly what was discovered in a recent study of 325 women, published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association.

The scientists discovered that the more fruits and vegetables these women consumed… the more infertile the women became and the more likely they were to experience complications with pregnancy.¹

Perhaps you’re not interested in becoming pregnant (or maybe you’re a man). The reason this should concern you is that if the compounds in these fruits and vegetables could disrupt pregnancy for young women – it could cause even more serious complications for you!

Of course, many nutritionists tout the abundance of antioxidants and key nutrients (like folate) in plant foods. They point to these compounds as the key drivers by which plants help protect against disease, improve energy and even boost fertility.

But if you’ve been reading my articles, you’ve learned that many plants – including so-called “superfoods” – can “bite us back” when it comes to our health.

In fact, there are dozens of compounds in plants that can cause serious health issues for some people. These can include lectins, oxalates and goitrogens (just to name just a few), which have the ability to compromise your gut, weaken (or overstimulate) your immune system, and disrupt your hormones.

Today, we discuss another risk factor associated with plant foods that is often overlooked. You’ll discover that some plant foods can hamper fertility and a family’s chances of conceiving and delivering a healthy baby.

Only in this case, it is not the compounds within the plants that are to blame… it is what modern agricultural companies are spraying ON our plants…

Fertility Foods: More Plants, More Pesticides

If you’ve turned on the news lately, you’re familiar with the string of lawsuits – now totaling more than a billion dollars – against a well-known herbicide and pesticide manufacturer. Thankfully, it’s becoming better understood that biocidal agents can harm human health – even in minute doses.²

We’ve long known that common pesticides can easily disrupt your endocrine system – the complex network of glands and organ tissues that secrete hormones.

You see, hormones are chemical messengers. They send signals from one part of the body to another with instructions on what functions to carry out. And these are vital functions, affecting growth, metabolism, reproduction and more.

The endocrine system is finely tuned and highly sensitive. Endocrine disruptors – even in very small amounts – can upset hormonal balance by blocking the right signals and by sending the wrong ones.

And the results can be a disaster to your health…

Research shows that consumption of pesticides (in amounts that are common on non-organic foods today) has been associated with:

Cancers of the breast, liver, brain, bladder, blood, colon and thyroid^{3,4,5,6,7,8,9}
Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease ^10,11
Multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions^12,13,14,15
Thyroid dysfunction¹⁶
Diabetes and obesity ^17,18,19,20
Gut dysbiosis ²¹
Pregnancy complications and infertility in both men and women^22,23,24

Pesticides & Pregnancy: What You Can’t See Can Hurt You

Considering just how delicate the miracle of conception is, it should be no surprise that even very small hormonal shifts can disrupt this fragile process.

And that’s exactly what the recent study in JAMA showed. Women who ate more conventional fruits and vegetables had a lower chance of pregnancy and live birth.²⁵

In fact, the researchers discovered that women eating the most fruits and vegetables (more than 2.3 servings per day) had an 18% lower probability of pregnancy and 26% lower probability of live birth.

Let that sink in: The women who were doing the “responsible” thing during pregnancy – eating the most fruits and veggies – had the worst fertility outcomes!

The great news is that consumption of organic produce and plants with low-pesticide residues did not negatively impact fertility and live birth outcomes!

The bottom line: Eat organic if you want to increase your odds of conceiving and delivering a healthy baby.

Fertility Foods for a Healthy Pregnancy

Enjoying a diet that mimics that of our ancestors – one that is rich in healthy fats, clean-sourced proteins and low in toxins – provides a woman’s body with the building blocks for healthy hormones, healthy pregnancy… and healthy progeny!

Here are five simple tips to keep fertility-hampering pesticides out of your body (and eliminate the ones you may have already accumulated):

Choose Organic Produce: Always choose organic for fruits and vegetables known as the “dirty dozen” (Google: EWG Dirty Dozen). The list includes all leafy greens, berries, celery, apples, peaches, and other thin-skinned produce that aren’t peeled before eating.
Opt for Pastured & Wild: Endocrine disruptors are often lipid-soluble. That means they are stored in fat tissue (yours AND the animal’s that you’re consuming). Choosing pastured and wild meats, fish and eggs helps to reduce your risk of exposure to pesticides. If you must choose conventional, opt for leaner cuts.
Drink Clean Water & Eliminate: To help rid your body of toxins, it’s important to keep your “channels of elimination” open. This means regular bowel movements, urination and sweat. Drink ample amounts of filtered water, exercise and use an infrared sauna to help rid your body of accumulated toxins.
Lose Excess Body Fat: Because toxins are stored in fat, losing excess body fat can help rid your body of endocrine disruptors. What’s more, losing weight can reduce your risk of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) – one of the key causes of infertility.
Detox from Pesticide Exposure: Bentonite clay is a powerful adsorbent that has been found to counteract pesticide and herbicide exposure. Look for a reputable brand, like Great Plains, and take between meals (away from food and supplements).