Why You Need Fruit for Fertility and Pregnancy

Today, we’re beginning a series where we are going to discuss foods to add in for fertility and pregnancy, and clearing up some diet culture myths about them. The first blog post of this series is going to highlight fruit.

Why? Fruit has developed a bad reputation because of the amount of sugar it contains. Unfortunately, it’s a popular opinion MYTH that sugar in any form is “bad” and should be avoided or limited. Bananas, grapes, and mangoes are some of the fruits being targeted due to having a “higher sugar content” when being compared to berries.

What Is Sugar?

So what exactly is sugar? In a simplified explanation, sugar is just carbs. And if you’ve read any of my other blog posts, then you’ll know that carbs are extremely beneficial for our bodies. Sugar is naturally found in fruits, vegetables, dairy, and nuts. Starch is a string of sugar molecules and is found naturally in grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables like potatoes.

There are different types of sugars that you may have heard of before such as sucrose, fructose, lactose, and galactose. The main difference between these types of sugars is the number of sugar molecules they contain. For example, glucose, fructose, and galactose are all monosaccharides which means they contain one sugar molecule and cannot be broken down any further during digestion, while sucrose and galactose can be broken down a bit more. The cool thing is that no matter how many sugar molecules your food may have in it, our bodies know what to do to allow the food to give us energy.    

Let me go ahead and be very clear, there is no need to eliminate any type of carbohydrate from your diet. Now that we have that settled, let’s move on to why fruit is such a great food to add in!

Why Should We Add-in Fruit:

1. Fruits provide more nutrients than only carbohydrates.

Fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals are some of the additional nutrients that fruit can give you! Here’s a brief nutrient breakdown of some fruits that are often demonized by diet culture:

• Bananas:

  • Rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and magnesium

• Grapes:

  • Rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B6

• Mangoes:

  • Rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, and calcium

As you can see, these fruits give your body amazing nutrients that are beneficial for fertility and pregnancy!

2. Your body needs carbs to function properly.

Have you ever felt shaky, hangry, or tired when you haven’t eaten in a while? These are signs that your blood sugar is low and your body needs carbs. Carbs are our body's preferred source of energy which is a fancy way of saying it takes less work to digest carbs to make fuel for our organs to function and body to move. Check out this blog post if you’re wanting to learn more about why eating carbs, protein, and fat is beneficial for fertility and pregnancy.

3. Fruit isn't the only food with naturally occuring sugars or carbohydrates.

Like we said earlier, sugar is just carbs. Some other foods that naturally contain carbs that you may not think of when you hear “carbs” are beans, lentils, peas, corn, carrots, and oats. Many of the previously listed foods are praised by diet culture when in reality, they contain similar amounts of carbohydrates compared to fruit. Bananas, grapes, and mangoes provide nutrients that support fertility just like lentils, carrots, and oats. 

With all of that being said, there is no fruit that is superior to others. What is important is that you’re eating fruits that you enjoy! All fruits contain nutrients that will support fertility and pregnancy, and each kind will provide a different set of vitamins and minerals - getting a variety can help you get the benefits of all different kinds of fruit. What doesn’t support fertility and pregnancy is restriction, so I encourage you to practice giving yourself permission to enjoy your favorite fruits. 

Are you struggling with restricting or limiting fruits during your fertility or pregnancy journey? Click here to apply for 1:1 nutrition counseling or learn more about my online program Fully Nourished Pregnancy!