I'm going to start this article with an alert for men on raw-foods diets and then go on to show you how a raw-foods diet can, in fact, improve your sperm numbers and viability. The alert: Don't eat soy products (although it is not raw many rawfoodists who eat a little cooked food enjoy adding this item to their diet). Recent research has revealed that the estrogen-like compounds in soy has been demonstrated to lower sperm count. This at a time when the sperm count in America has reached an all-time low. Some have connected it to the increasing epidemic of breast cancer in women. Many things have taken the blame for this phenomenon including jockey shorts, but it appears that many of the chemicals that have been dumped into the environment in a world where we are obsessed with such things as pesticides and industrial production and even plastics. These chemicals, it has been discovered, have effects that are similar to female sex hormones. These mimic of the female sex hormone are potent! Even low exposure kills sperm. For that reason, it would be wise for those men of you who are on a raw-foods diet to eliminate soy products from that diet because soy has been found to be one of those foods that carries high estrogen-like compounds. Now let's get on with the good news.
Increasing Sperm Count
Let's get on with the positive. There are things you can do to increase your sperm count. Having less than 20 million spermatozoa per ml of ejaculate is called oligospermia–what you don't want.
- Exercise. Anything that will reduce stress will help increase your sperm count, and regular exercise is at the top of the list for that reason. However, don't overdo it because it has the potential of working just the other way. If you choose bicycling for your means of getting more exercise, take care because it can negatively impact the testicles.
- Control the number of times you ejaculate. You want the semen to be more dense, so wait three days before your next ejaculation to allow the density to build up.
- Don't smoke. This has been demonstrated to take a toll on sperm count.
- Don't drink. Also takes a toll.
- Try body massage with a herbal oil to improve blood circulation.
- Choose a time for sex when sperm levels are high. Morning is best; afternoon is next.
- Choose underwear carefully. You don't want anything that will bind your testicles.
- Don't overheat the testicles such as in saunas and whirlpools.
- Use natural supplements and vitamins that may assist with sperm count.
- Maintain a high-protein, low-fat diet raw-foods diet.
- Avoid bitter and spicy foods.
A Healthy Raw-Foods Diet to Improve Your Sperm Count
There has been many research projects conducted in recent years on this phenomenon of decreased sperm count in American men. Some have indicated that raw sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds have the potential for helping with infertility. The researchers recommend at least 1/3 cup a day. Many of the same principles with regard to nutrition that apply to women who are pregnant also apply to men who wish to become more fertile. Following is a good plan to follow in order to achieve optimum health on your raw-foods diet.
- Calcium: dark leafy greens and broccoli
- Choline: broccoli or cauliflower
- Docosahexaenoic flaxseed oil, hemp seed oil
- Folic Acid: lentils, spinach, rice, broccoli, orange juice
- Iron: spirulina
- Potassium: winter squash, spinach,, orange juice, broccoli, raisins
- Riboflavin: raisins, mushrooms
- Vitamin B6: watermelon, bananas avocados
- Vitamin B12: hemp seed oil and flaxseed oil
- Vitamin C: sweet red pepper, oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, broccoli, tomatoes
- Vitamin D: the best source is spending some time under the sun, about 20 minutes a day
- Zinc: kiwis, pumpkin seeds, almonds
Also, drink plenty of water–at least 48 ounces a day–and try to eat organic foods.
Bee Pollen
It has been folk knowledge for a long time that bee pollen is a magical potion to solve health problems and to improve fertility. However, in recent years, research has revealed that, as in many other cases, the folk knowledge is right on target. It is now known that this is one of the richest and purest of all natural foods. The grains of pollen have in them the male germ cells produced by all plants, flowers, or blossoms. As we all know, plant life must have this or fertilization and plant embryo formation doesn't happen. The pollen you want is what the bees collect. In the first place, they’re particular about quality: they collect only the pollen that has all the nutrients essential to life. What they collect is the pollen that is the best source for nitrogen, for instance. This pollen is the richest known source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, amino acids, hormones, enzymes, and fats. It even has significant amounts of natural antibiotics. Another miracle: they exist in perfect proportion. Bee pollen contains more vitamin B1, B2, and E than fruits, berries, and green vegetables. It also contains large amounts of vitamin C in addition to a range of other vitamins important to nutrition. It contains from ten to thirteen percent of amino acids, equal to from five to seven times the amino acids found in the same amount of beef, milk, eggs, or cheese. Pollen also contains essential enzymes; however, heating it will destroy them as well as the vitamin C. Honey and royal jelly are inferior to pollen for nutritional qualities.
By TTS Health Consultant Gabrielle Gingras
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