By Sue Bedford (MSc Nutritional Therapy)
Who doesn’t enjoy a fast, healthy, and tasty stir fry? Perfect for the middle of the week when time is limited and a quick and easy way to get most of your daily fruit and vegetable servings in one go! It is a good idea to allow yourself at least a three-month lead time while getting ‘fertility ready’ for many reasons: to ensure that your egg and sperm cells are in the best possible shape, to assist you in losing or gaining
Weight if necessary, and for epigenetic purposes. A good place to start is to eat as many colourful, nutrient-dense whole foods as possible. Here are some pointers on how to make a nutritious and tasty stir fry:
Build on your base – onions, garlic, chilli and ginger are great- containing quercetin a great anti-inflammatory, plus they support a healthy liver, and optimize hormone health due to special compounds called allicin and tannins. They also contain vitamin c and selenium along with a good dose of folate, which is important when it comes to helping prevent neural tube defects and is also important role in sperm formation and DNA synthesis.
Greens are great – these are important as they contain a good amount of folate (think foliage!) as well as being rich in iron (also important when it comes to fertility) and many other fantastic nutrients too -go for broccoli, bok choy, kale, baby spinach
Eat a rainbow– add some more colour – peppers, aubergines, baby corn are just a few examples!
Pick your protein – beans, prawns, chicken ,turkey, tofu, fish all help to balance blood sugar levels – an important factor when it comes to fertility
Sprinkle your sprouts – (bean sprouts are great!)- low in calories, high in vitamin c, fibre and protein to add that extra bit of crunch!
Crisp it up- add some seeds and nuts to benefit from numerous minerals- great for supporting fertility- pine nuts, almonds, cashews.
Careful with your carbs – why not make your own squash or courgette noodles or go for wholegrain, buckwheat, quinoa or black bean to help keep blood sugar levels well in check!
Enjoy!
Tasty Tofu Stir-Fry
Ingredients (serves 2)
8oz Tofu
1 Red Pepper
100g Baby Spinach or Broccoli heads
1 Chilli – finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic – finely chopped
1 Onion – chopped
2 tbsp of Olive oil or Rapeseed oil
3 tbsp of Soy sauce (reduced salt)
Juice of 1 lemon
Handful of nuts/seeds of your choice
Seasoning (to taste)
Method
Heat the oil in a wok, add the chopped onion and pepper along with the chilli and garlic. Fry gently for a couple of minutes until the onion and pepper have softened a little. Add the tofu, spinach, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt and seasoning (optional) and cook for a few minutes giving the ingredients a good stir. Sprinkle in your seeds/nuts and stir in over the heat for another minute. Serve and enjoy with noodles of your choice or organic brown rice – great for a quick lunch or dinner!
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