How Much Fruit Should You Eat While TTC?

Fruit is generally considered an important part of a healthy diet. But is there such thing as too much fruit for fertility? How much fruit should you eat while TTC?

What Does The Research Say About Fruit Intake While TTC?

Like whole grains, many studies have shown that diets that include adequate fruit, such as the Mediterranean diet, pro-fertility diet and diets following national dietary recommendations, increase fertility and lead to healthier pregnancies.

However, authors of these studies did not evaluate specific components of the diets and so it is hard to know whether the fruit intake or other dietary components are the cause of the associations. 

One study did look specifically at fruit though. They looked at the preconception diet in over 5000 women in Australia and found a 19% improved time to conception in women who ate three or more servings of fruit per day compared to women who ate very little fruit. This is just one study but it is promising.

What To Look Out For

Remember that the carbs we eat (including fruit) impact our blood sugar levels. And maintaining stable blood sugars and preventing insulin resistance is really important for fertility. 

The glycemic index and load of fruit varies but whole fruit has a much gentler effect on blood sugar levels than juice. This is because whole fruit comes with fibre and we generally consume fewer pieces at once. A glass of orange juice may be 6 oranges worth of sugar! So best to go for whole fruit most of the time rather than juice.

To decrease the impact of fruit on your blood sugar even more, it can be good to have it with some fat and protein. Have sliced apple with peanut butter, a banana and greek yoghurt or a slice of blue cheese with your pear.

While the evidence doesn’t give us a clear picture on this, it’s pretty safe to say that consuming the recommended 2 serving of fruit a day is safe and probably beneficial for your fertility.

If you need extra energy (or sweetness), having an extra serve of fruit on top of this is likely to be a good choice too.

Make sure you vary the fruit you’re having on a daily or weekly basis to get a mix of micronutrients in.