# Eating plans and recipes for IVF



## Mooncat (Oct 26, 2012)

Hi ladies,

I'm starting my third treatment (second full IVF) towards the end of July. For my first IVF I didn't really change my diet, other than the obvious (no alcohol or caffeine, cut down on processed stuff) but this time I'd like to make more effort to up my protein intake and incorporate recommended foods. Sooooo, I'm looking for advice on what I should be eating and what I should be avoiding. Then following on from that, some recipes for the good foods would be great - doesn't have to be full recipe, just a rough description, or a link if it can be found online. Recipes for IVF-friendly 
evening meals that freeze well would be particularly appreciated (don't ask for much do I?!)

Thanks for reading and good luck for your treatment


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## littlewhisper (Feb 28, 2013)

Hi Mooncat,
I have a favourite recipe which is grilled fish ( I use hake) with green lentils cooked with red onion, garlic, anchovy and chorizo with a squeeze of lemon. It's delicious and really nutritious, full of protein. you can add fresh chilli and capers too if you like.

Also as a snack I love raw carrot, celery and broccoli with a hummous dip, really tasty and you keep all the good stuff in the veg.

I guess in terms of foods to avoid its the usual stuff, fast food ( high salt) , fried or deep fried food, cakes, sweets etc.

This a good idea getting a food thread started. Hope you get lots of recipes we can all steal! 

LW x


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## Babyjellybaby (May 11, 2012)

Hiya I found this a few weeks ago

Think yo will go crazy if you try everyone but gave me some good ideas

http://waywardstork.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/fertility-foods.html?m=1

Hope it helps

Bjb x


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## Bumble Bus (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi mooncat,

I have no success yet to back up what I am doing but I am also eating super healthily.  I was told to eat protein with every meal and have upped my nut/yoghurt/milk intake and eat meat/fish/pulses every day.  Obviously lots of fruit and veg too.

I have a freezer full of home cooked meals that I basically treat like ready meals in the evening courtesy of my slow cooker.  I am a slow cooking fiend.  I will do a 'slow cook' 2 to 3 times a week and get 5/6 individual portions out of each one (2 of which get eaten by me and DH and the rest get frozen as individual or double portions.

The ones I do a lot are chunky chilli, beef goulash, beef stew, Italian chicken, fish stew, salmon in miso, Thai red chicken curry.

Slow cooking is amazing as you get it all done in the morning too and then it just cooks away all day and all you need to cook is rice/pasta/potatoes in the evening.  It means you can load the meals up with veg too and can choose as good quality meat as you can afford (eg it's better to use chicken thighs in the slow cooker which are cheaper and I buy organic).

Hope that helps, I am happy to PM you over a couple of recipes if you like?  Or maybe we should start a recipes thread in the fertility foods section?!

x


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## goldbunny (Mar 26, 2012)

when i got my bfp i ate plenty of fish, milk, and kiwi fruit... (NOT all at once!)  

i think it's important to get plenty of fibre as it helps with hormone balance.

as for evening meals it's a good idea to spread your calories through the day and keep an evening meal light, bit of oven baked fish (wrap in foil, season/butter) and vegetables, some fruit..maybe some wholemeal pasta..

i'm finding it hard at the moment to stay off the processed food it is very addictive. 

ice-cream or rice pudding and fruit make good desserts since they have protein and calcium.


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## Mooncat (Oct 26, 2012)

Fabulous, thanks ladies! I didn’t know there was a fertility foods area on here – maybe I should be posting there but anyway…

Littlewhisper, your fish and lentils recipe sound delicious, will definitely give that a go. How long does the lentil part take? Could it be cooked in advance and chilled/frozen do you think?

Babyjellybaby, that’s a great list. For lunch I’m thinking salads, as easy to take to work – will be adding avocado, boiled egg, tuna, walnuts… And I’ve been meaning to try quinoa for ages, as an alternative to rice/pasta/potatoes with evening meals. Might even have a look for some quinoa salad ideas that I could do for lunches.

Bumble Bus, slow cooking is a great idea. I have a slow cooker but don’t use it much, mainly because I leave the house at 7am so struggle to make time to do the prep beforehand. I like to cook when I have time and portion up for the freezer, but I don’t tend to be very adventurous, mainly sticking to chilli, curries etc. Some of your ideas sound delicious, will google for details.

Goldbunny, I agree about fast food being addictive, I seem to have developed a particularly sweet tooth in the last year or so, so loving your dessert suggestions! Also agree about fibre, I wouldn't function correctly without my morning bowl of bran flakes (TMI?!)

Before FET my sister lent me a Moroccan tagines book – lots of lean meat, chick peas, cinnamon, ginger, honey... I had a bit of a Moroccan cooking frenzy my favourite was a chicken one with chilli and apricots that froze really well. Will post recipe later. I also developed a habit last time of having a mug of warm milk and five brazil nuts before bed. If nothing else I found it very comforting and I think it helped me sleep!


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## Rp2210 (Aug 1, 2016)

Loved this thread... 
One thing I am hooked to is my morning smoothie... I try green mostly... One green (spinach or kale), some ginger, mint, celery and a fruit....


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