Get healthy, get pregnant

Believe it or not, your kitchen is as important as your bedroom when it comes to getting pregnant. We quizzed fertility expert Zita West on what to eat for optimum ovulation.

Food and fertility are linked for one simple reason: "You need healthy eggs and sperm to conceive and a balanced body environment to encourage pregnancy - and your diet plays an important role in achieving this," says Zita. "The problem is that nutrition has become a complicated issue for many of the couples who come to see me. People often go to extremes - cutting out whatever they perceive as unhealthy and worrying about eating anything that's not organic. This creates more stress, which isn't good for you as you need to relax when you're trying to conceive." This is especially the case if it's taking a while, or if you're undergoing fertility treatments that can put your body under added pressure. Because of this, the most important diet rule, according to Zita, is to keep things simple.

The list of specific vitamins and minerals that are needed for fertility is seemingly endless. Vitamin C, for example, can aid sperm function, while a study by Yale University School of Medicine found that 93 per cent of women with ovulation problems had low levels of vitamin D. However, rather than trying to boost individual nutrients, Zita suggests following four main rules that can help optimise fertility functions, minimise stress and provide you with all the nutrients you need. However, before you start this, Zita recommends following a short four-day detox.

The four-day detox

Extreme dieting is, of course, not recommended when you're trying to conceive, but in her book 'Zita West's Guide To Getting Pregnant' (Thorsons, £14.99), Zita believes a short detox can help. "Hormone production starts with a good digestive system. This can help in rebalancing your body and hormone function."

How it works

For days 1, 2 and 4, eat foods only from this list:

● Any vegetables

● Any fruit - except dried fruit

● Fresh herbs - particularly chives, parsley and coriander, which are natural detoxifiers

● Beans and lentils

● Wholegrain, wheat-free cereals, such as oats, quinoa, rye, barley and wholegrain rice

● Nuts, seeds and seed oils

● Dairy-free milk, such as rice milk

● Fruit and herbal teas, mineral waters

On day three, you can add foods from this list:

● White fish, such as cod, haddock, plaice or sole

● White meat, such as chicken, turkey

● Eggs

● Live/natural yoghurt

● Manuka or organic honey

● Nuts - particularly almonds, brazil nuts and walnuts

● Dried fruit

The must-eats

While simply following these rules will help put your body in good fertility shape, there are also some foods that Zita believes you should eat regularly. But don't obsess about these just enjoy them in normal quantities.

For her....

Omega-3 rich foods

These include small oily fish such as mackerel, herrings, sardines and organic or wild salmon, which is also a good source of vitamin D. You should have 2-3 portions a week. Also, tuck into healthy fat-containing foods, such as avocados, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed. "Omega-3 fats help make cell membranes more permeable - and that includes those of your eggs," says Zita.

Cooked vegetables

"Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that warming (or ‘yang') foods are better for fertility - and that too many raw foods are hard to digest, especially in the evening," says Zita. Try steaming vegetables to retain their nutrients.

Dairy products

"The Nurses Health Study in the US has shown that if you're having trouble getting pregnant, a daily serving or two of whole milk (or food made from it) seems to offer some protection against ovulatory infertility," says Zita. She recommends full-fat yoghurt and cottage cheese, as your body needs a little fat to absorb important nutrients for fertility.

For him...

Citrus fruit

These are high in the antioxidant vitamin C. "Sperm are vulnerable to free radical damage in the body," says Zita. The most important role for this in male fertility is the prevention of agglutination, where sperm clump together, making it impossible for one to break free and penetrate the egg. Tuck into kiwi fruit, blackberries, red peppers and broccoli too.

Brazil nuts

These contain vitamin E - the main antioxidant in sperm membranes - and are rich in selenium, which is "essential for healthy sperm formation," says Zita.

Pumpkin seeds

An excellent source of zinc. "A zinc deficiency decreases both testosterone and sperm counts. It's highly concentrated in the seminal fluid and seminal plasma and is strongly correlated with sperm density and viability," says Zita. Other sources of zinc include meat and chicken, but these are also highly acidic so they should be limited to small portions.

The four rules

Eat an alkaline diet

"Most people I see have acid levels that are far too high and I'm convinced that many of their fertility problems are caused by too much acidity," says Zita. "Research has shown that high acidity in your uterus can stop the implantation of a fertilised egg." Foods that increase high levels of acidity are meat and dairy products, fizzy drinks and refined carbohydrates, so these should be limited. Foods that decrease acidity include fruit and vegetables. Try to aim for 80 per cent alkaline foods and 20 per cent acidic every day.

Boost your antioxidant levels

Tuck into as many different coloured fruits and vegetables as you can every day. Each colour of fruit or vegetable means it will contain a slightly different antioxidant profile.

Stick to low GI foods

A Harvard study in the US found that women eating a high GI diet were 92 per cent more likely to have problems ovulating than those on a low GI diet, while high blood sugar levels can aggravate conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome. Stick to low GI, alkaline carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, oats, wholegrain pasta and wholegrain bread. "And avoid carbohydrates in the evening," says Zita.

Improve your digestion

If you're not digesting food properly you won't be absorbing nutrients from the foods you eat, as they pass too quickly through the gut. Take time over your meals: relax, eat slowly and chew well. Zita suggests you eat your biggest meal in the morning when your digestion is at its peak and progressively shrink your meal sizes as the day goes on.

Should you take supplements?

Zita doesn't believe that supplements should be used to replace a healthy diet, but they can help enhance one. "Theoretically you should be able to get all the nutrients you need from a healthy balanced diet, but studies show that only 15 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men manage the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, not to mention two portions of fish a week," says Zita. That's why she tells couples trying to conceive to take a supplement - but don't pick up any multivitamin, as some contain high levels of nutrients that can be detrimental to fertility. For example, high levels of vitamin C (over 1,000mg) can have an anti-histamine effect, which can dry up mucus secretions. Instead, choose one of the specially formulated supplements below.

Supplements for her

Zita West's Vitafem (£18.50 for 90 capsules; www.zitawest.com) is high in antioxidants, B vitamins and coenzyme Q10, all of which are designed to help maximise fertility functions. It also contains 400iu of folic acid, important for when you do become pregnant.

Vitabiotics Pregnacare Conception (£9.74 for 30; Boots or www.vitabiotics.com) includes folic acid, antioxidants and inositol, which helps to support ovarian function. It also contains n-acetyl cysteine, which is linked to healthier cervical mucus.

Viridian Nutrition's Fertility for Women (£12 for 60 capsules; www.viridian-nutrition.com) contains basic fertility-boosting nutrients and blood sugar-balancing nutrients like chromium and alpha-lipoic acid.

Supplements for him

Zita West Vitamen (£18.50 for 90 capsules; www.zitawest.com) has high levels of antioxidants, zinc and selenium and herbs such as ginseng to help improve vitality.

Vitabiotics Wellman Conception (£9.74 for 30; Boots and www.vitabiotics.com) includes 400mcg of folic acid, which has been linked to healthy sperm counts. It also contains antioxidants, zinc and l-carnitine.

Viridian Nutrition Fertility for Men (£12 for 60 capsules, www.viridiannutrition.com) contains nutrients, including vitamins C, E and B12, zinc, selenium, l-carnitine and l-arginine.

A supplement for both

Sanatogen Mother & Father To Be (£12.99 for 60 tablets; Boots) is a multivitamin and multimineral food supplement containing the recommended level of folic acid to help promote the healthy growth of a baby and zinc to help maintain a healthy male reproductive system.