Why You Should Eat With the Seasons for Fertility

Do you find yourself eating the same fruits and vegetables everyday? By doing this, you may be missing out on essential nutrients. Our bodies benefit from variety, and eating a wide range of colors ensures you are receiving a diverse range of nutrients. Each fruit and vegetable contains different phytochemicals, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which help keep the body healthy, youthful and helps to lower risk of disease.

Variety is also extremely important for a healthy gut microbiome. One of the largest gut microbiome studies showed that people who eat at least 30 different plant foods per week had a more diverse gut microbiome than those who ate less than 10. The more diverse range of fruits and veggies we feed our good gut bacteria, the more skilled they become at increasing our resilience to infections, training our immune cells, protecting the lining of our gut and even balancing blood sugar.

The gut and vagina microbiome communicate and affect one another. This is why a healthy gut microbiome is essential for a healthy vaginal microbiome. Having a healthy vaginal microbiome is essential as this is what sets the stage for your baby’s gut microbiome for their life. As your newborn passes through the vagina they become covered in your vaginal bacteria. The state of your gut microbiome will therefore impact your child microbiome. A child’s microbiome has influences on their general gut health, immune system and chances of developing allergies later in life.

So what is the best way to incorporate more variety? Try eating with the seasons! This ensures you are continuously changing up your fruits and vegetables, eating the freshest and most nutrient-dense produce, is better for the environment and is usually cheaper than what’s not in season. You can start by introducing a new fruit and vegetable into your diet each week!

What’s your favorite plant food? 🥑🫐

Written by: Melissa Mastroberardino, RHN