It is Chinese New Year once again, which means many days of feasting on all kinds of delicious food! Hence it is natural for many ladies to go on a diet after the festive eating, especially with the rise of many diet trends including:
- Keto Diet – A low carbohydrate, high fat diet to stimulate the body to use its fat reserves as an energy source. Eating a lot of fat and very few carbohydrates puts you in ketosis, a metabolic state where your body burns fat instead of carbs for fuel.
- Paleo Diet – Eating only unprocessed foods that are high in nutrients and based on the foods that were available and eaten by humans in Paleolithic times. Foods such as pasta, bread, rice and dairy are some foods avoided on a paleo diet.
- Intermittent Fasting – Eating for a fixed number of hours and not eating for the rest of the day. One of the more popular methods is to eat all meals within 8 hours and then fast for 16 hours. You can however drink water, plain coffee and tea during the ‘fasting’ period.
Regardless of which diet you choose to follow, there are a few things you need to keep in mind if you are trying to conceive.
- A proper diet is vital if you are trying to conceive as fertility will be affected by excessive weight gain or weight loss. Excessive weight loss can throw your hormones haywire, making ovulation more unpredictable. As a result, fertility becomes trickier as it is more difficult for you to time your sexual intercouse according to your fertility window, which is marked by your ovulation date.
- A balanced diet is achieved by avoiding too much of one type of food. Any food that is high in sugar or carbohydrates (hint: those bak kwa or cookies) should be consumed in moderation. It is alright to indulge in some of them moderately and occasionally as long as you do not overeat. Eating more fruits and vegetables is always a good idea.
Following these simple diet guidelines will ensure that your chances of conceiving are not affected negatively. Baby dust to all ladies who are trying to conceive in this new year and last but not least, a Happy Chinese New Year to all!