Fertility diet: 6 amazing recipes to boost fertility in men and women

While fertility depends on a range of factors, eating a balanced diet with the right nutrients can help prepare the body for the pregnancy journey.

Trying to have a baby? Adding the right nutrients to your diet is a great first step to a healthy pregnancy and also a way to improve fertility in both men and women as proven by studies. While fertility depends on a range of factors from age, weight, certain health conditions, and frequency of sexual intercourse, eating wholesome and balanced diet with complex carbs, fibres, millets, protein, zinc, folate can help balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, stabilise blood sugar and prepares your body for pregnancy journey. (Also read: 6 healthy and tasty dips to elevate your monsoon snacking game)

Nutritionist Pooja Kedia shares some recipes that can help expecting parents to conceive and are delicious.(Freepik)

Different nutrients can play different role in pregnancy. Beetroot can help improve blood flow to the uterus to help with embryo implantation, says Pooja Kedia, Executive Nutritionist, Cloudnine Whitefield.

Nuts like almond and walnuts, seeds like sunflower seed, pumpkin seed are excellent source of omega 3, vitamin, folate, selenium and protein which are good for endometrial health and help to boost sperm count and sperm motility. Kedia says avocado being rich in Vitamin K helps body absorb nutrients while maintaining hormonal balance. Beans and lentils as per the nutritionist are excellent sources of fibre and folate helping to maintain healthy hormonal balance. Lentils also contain polyamine spermidine which may help sperm fertilize the egg. Kedia adds that asparagus contains folic acid, vitamin K and Glutathione which can help with improving the quality of the eggs.

Pooja Kedia shares some recipes that can help expecting parents to conceive and are delicious.

1. Quinoa Beetroot Pattie

Ingredients:

Quinoa boiled – 1 cup

Spinach boiled and mashed - 2 cups

Beetroot shredded – 1 cup

Oats Powder – 3 tbsp.

Egg – 1

Almond powder- ½ cup

Flaxseed – 1 tsp

Ginger chopped – ½ tsp

Green chili chopped – 1

Parsley leaves – few leaves

Lemon juice – few drops

Chat masala – to taste

Salt – to taste

Olive Oil – 2 tbsp

Method:

• Combine all ingredients together in big bowl. Add oats powder for binding and make flat patties out of it. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Heat a pan and grease some oil. Put patties in the pan and cook them on all sides till crisp.
• Patties are ready to be served with chutney.

2. Chickpea broccoli soup

Ingredients:

Chickpeas boiled – 1 cup

Broccoli florets – 1 cup

Cinnamon stick – 1

Bay leaves- 2

Onion finely chopped – 1

Garlic cloves finely chopped – 3-4

Vegetable stock – 1 cup

Black pepper Powder- to taste

Salt- to taste

Chili flakes – Pinch

Olive oil – 2 tsp

Pistachio chopped -1 tsp

Walnut chopped – 1 tsp

Pumpkin seeds – 2 tsp

Coriander leaves chopped – for garnishing

Method:

• Half boil the broccoli. Sauté the broccoli florets in 1 tsp oil. Keep aside.
• Heat 1 tsp oil in pan. Add cinnamon, bay leaves, onion and garlic and stir fry for a minute.
• Add vegetable stock, boiled chickpea, and sautéed broccoli in the pan. Add enough water to boil and cook it for 15-20 minutes on slow flame. Set aside to cool down. Take the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks out.
• Blend it in mixer and heat it again. Add salt and pepper powder and add more water to get desired consistency.
• Garnish with red chilli flakes, coriander leaves, olive oil, pistachio, pumpkin seed and walnut. Serve hot.

3. Avocado smoothie

Ingredients:

Moringa leaf powder – 1tsp

Avocado medium size – ½

Ripe banana – 1 small

Almond milk – ½ cup

Honey – 2 tbsp

Chia seeds soaked – 3 tbsp

Pumpkin seeds – 1 tsp

Sunflower seeds – 1 tsp

Flaxseeds – 1 tsp

Method:

Put everything in blender jar except chia seeds and mixed seeds.

Blend everything, Pour in a glass.

Add chia seed and mixed seeds in smoothie.

Seve chilled.

4. Asparagus almond soup

Ingredients:

Asparagus – 300 gm

Almonds- 12- 15

Basil leaves – 4-5

Salt and pepper to taste

Onion finely chopped - 1

Garlic finely chopped - 1 tsp

Black pepper powder – to taste

Milk – ¼ cup

Unsalted butter – 1 tbsp.

Method:

• Soak the almonds in water for 3-4 hours. Peel the almond skins.
• Grind almond and milk in a mixer to make almond milk.
• Discard the shoots of the asparagus. Chop the asparagus in small pieces and blanch using enough water for 4-5 minutes.
• Drain the water immediately and add the asparagus to cold water.
• Put this asparagus in blender with few basil leaves and little water and blend it. Transfer into a bowl.
• Melt the butter in a pan, add garlic and sauté till light brown.
• Add onion into the pan and cook till light brown. Add asparagus paste into it.
• Then add almond milk and little water. Bring to boil.
• Reduce the flame and let the soup cook to semi thin consistency.
• Season it with salt, pepper, sliced almond and chopped basil.
• Ready to serve.

5. Mixed berry yogurt

Ingredients:

Mixed Berries – 4 Strawberry, ¼ cup Blueberries, dry Cranberries

Fruits – 1 apple, 1 pear, 1 plum

Curd- 2 cup

Nuts chopped - 1 tbsp. almonds, pista, cashew

Method:

• Peel and chop all the fruits in small size. Chop the berries.
• Make the flavoured yoghurt by churning strawberry with curd.
• Take a bowl. Pour a layer of flavoured yoghurt. Next put a layer of fruit.
• Freeze to set for 10 minutes.
• Once set, spread berries and nuts on it.
• Serve chilled.

6. Sprouted idly chat

Ingredients:

Moong and moth soaked and sprouted – 1 cup

Semolina – ½ cup

Curd – 1/3 cup

Green chilly -1

Ginger – 1 inch

Coriander leaves – few leaves

Salt – to taste

Fruit salt- a pinch

For chat: curd Beaten – 1 cup

Coriander chutney – 2 tsp

Tamarind chutney – 2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

• Put sprouted moong moth in mixer grinder, green chili, ginger and coriander leaves and grind them together.
• Put this mixture in a bowl, add semolina in same bowl. Mix it well and then add curd and salt in that.
• Add fruit salt in it. Pour in idly stand and steam it for 10-15 minutes.
• Once the idly is ready, Sauté it in2 tsp oil until little crisp.
• Spread them on plate, Put curd and chutney on it one by one.
• Sprinkle salt, red chili powder and chat masala on it.
• Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve.