Fertility Nutrition When Your Job Is Full-On: In Conversation with Jen Walpole
I’ve always been a big fan of Jen’s simple, additive approach to fertility nutrition while working so I was delighted she agreed to answer a few questions for me about eating for fertility with a busy job. Follow Jen on instagram for more advice and food that will make your mouth water.
Tell us a little about you and how you came to specialise in fertility nutrition.
I’m a BANT Registered Nutritionist specialising in fertility and pregnancy nutrition, supporting individuals and couple's that are looking to optimise their fertility for conception, whether naturally or via IVF. I predominately work online but am also based in a London clinic alongside a team of Consultant Obstetricians at Bliss - Chelsea Clinic for Women & Children, consulting with their patients for nutrition support from preconception and throughout pregnancy.
It was my personal journey that led me to re-train as a nutritionist in 2017, after discovering the benefits of diet and lifestyle to support my hormones and PCOS/PMOS. Nutrition was something that helped me massively, but I felt like no-one was talking about how important it was in relation to PCOS/PMOS and I wanted to change that! Once I completed my nutrition qualification in 2020, I started supporting women with PCOS/PMOS, many of whom were coming to me as they were struggling to get pregnant. In a strange twist of fate, it coincided with my husband and I struggling to conceive, which only furthered my desire to expand my knowledge in this field and here we are 6 years later having supported into the hundreds of individuals to conceive!
You navigated secondary infertility yourself while building your career. Many of my clients are trying to balance a demanding job with fertility treatment. How did you approach your own work during that time, and what did leaning into your career give you?
I was originally a high street fashion buyer for 15 years before following my passion for health and wellbeing and moving towards nutrition almost 10 years ago now. I’ve always been very career driven and I feel incredibly fortunate to have carved out roles that I’ve been passionate about, which I think has made it easier for me to really lean into it. Passion has always driven my careers and despite going through fertility challenges, work helped distract me during the hardest of times. I’m sure there is an element of wanting to help others succeed and achieve pregnancy, where I felt like we were ‘failing’ too. Supporting individuals and couples to conceive, often after long and challenging journeys is incredibly rewarding. We often get told to reduce our stress or exercise less during fertility challenges or IVF treatments, and we can equate this to taking on less work or pulling back from our career. However, I’ve always felt intuitively that it was important for me to keep busy and stay focused on my career. Leaning into this and supporting other couples gave me hope that we would get there and it also expanded my own understanding of fertility challenges, which is incredibly nuanced.
For a woman trying to support her fertility through nutrition while holding down a full-on job, where would you start? What are the few changes that make the biggest difference without becoming another full-time job in themselves?
Meal prep for fertility is absolutely essential and it’s something I talk to all my clients about. I recommend doubling up dinner recipes so that you and your partner have leftovers to take for lunch the next day. You can also make three days of breakfast in one go to save time – things like egg muffins, frittatas, overnight oats or chia puddings work well here. Essentially, cooking once and eating 2-3 times is a real time saver and means you can spend more time focusing on what you’re going to make, ensuring its balanced, nutritious and ticking all the fertility boxes. Another hack is to plan your meals out a week in advance and create your food shopping list or online basket alongside. Having a meal plan for the week means you more in control of what you’re eating, less likely to go for a takeaway or ultra-processed food, and it will save you money in the long run too.
So much of the working day is outside our control, with back-to-back meetings, skipped lunches and food grabbed between calls. How can someone eat to support their fertility when their schedule dictates the day?
Packing food puts less reliance on buying on the go and is really helpful here for nutrition during IVF at work. But, if you are buying on the go, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Most eateries and supermarkets have a good selection of healthier options now with helpful labelling around protein and fibre so you can make better choices. For those days you do end up skipping lunch, it can be helpful to have some snacks on your desk that are supportive of fertility. Nuts for example are a real fertility superfood, rich in antioxidants like vitamin E and healthy fats such as omega 3. You can keep a bag of mixed nuts in your desk drawer for those times you are caught short.
If you could leave our readers with one nourishing habit they could fit around even the busiest working week or when they feel a bit rubbish, what would it be?
It can feel overwhelming knowing where to start but one simple consideration is to increase your antioxidant intake by ‘eating the rainbow for fertility’. Simply put, focusing on eating more colour throughout the day and the week will mean you are obtaining many of the nutrients to support your fertility – from vitamin C, A, E to folate and zinc. This could be swapping out a white potato for a sweet potato, adding berries to oats rather than a banana and making sure you get 1-2 green veg in per day.
Jen Walpole is a BANT Registered Nutritionist specialising in Fertility and Pregnancy nutrition, supporting individuals and couple's that are looking to optimise their fertility for conception, whether naturally or via IVF. She explores various aspects of their health including the reproductive microbiomes, nutrigenomics, the role of gut health and the immune system in relation to their fertility. Jen also works alongside Consultant Obstetricians at Bliss - Chelsea Clinic for Women & Children, consulting with their patients for nutrition support throughout pregnancy. Outside of her 1:1 practice at Bliss and online, Jen also works with brands, creating marketing content and collaborates with leading fertility clinics to deliver events, talks & retreats. This year, Jen launched a women’s health and fertility podcast with her friend and fellow nutritionist Richa Puri, which aims to bridge the gap between holistic care and evidence-based science in the women’s health space. She has been featured in Sheerluxe, Stylist, The Independent, The Telegraph, The Express, Glamour magazine, Hip & Healthy and Women's Health Magazine.
Website:https://www.jenwalpole.com/
