For some reason, when I hear the word “diet” it kind of makes me feel uncomfortable. Probably because when I hear diet it is often associated with losing weight. Well, I am talking about changing your diet to increase your fertility. Oh, that diet! Yes, that diet might actually help you conceive the baby you have been dreaming of. I am not referring to losing weight, but if you need to, this might help you as well. The foods you eat today can affect your egg health 90 days from now. So if you have been having a difficult time getting pregnant, it might be a good idea to re-evaluate your diet and the foods you are eating.
What Is A Diet
Simply put, a diet is the foods you eat on a regular basis. Pretty basic right? When I was actively trying to get pregnant, I was at a healthy weight and never considered what I was eating could be hindering the process. When my doctor mentioned adding and removing foods from my routine, a light bulb went off! I quickly realized my doctor wasn’t trying to tell me to lose weight in a nice way. His actual words to me were “Tiffany, you need to change that diet!”
I am going to let you know what “that diet” consists of, but first I just wanted to let you know that no matter how healthy you are, there is always room for improvement. Exercise is good and sometimes crucial in order to relieve the stress that trying to conceive can have, but a few dietary changes can do wonders to your fertility. Knowing you are improving your fertility can provide you with a peace of mind and less stressing about what to do next!
My Favorite Fertility Foods
There are several foods that are great for boosting and improving fertility, but I would like to focus on a few that I personally love! I will also take the time to explain what they are good for. They are: grapefruits, eggs, cheese, blueberries, yogurt, salmon, spinach, avocados, walnuts, beans, and turkey.
Grapefruits are a great source of Vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts fertility by improving hormone levels. If you suffer from a short luteal phase (luteal phase defect), vitamin c may help you! Of course there are other foods that contain vitamin c, but grapefruits are also high in folates. Folic acid helps reduce the risk of pregnancy complications. During pregnancy it is important to get your folic acids via supplements or bioavailable to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects and neural tube defects.
Eggs are high in nutrients and contain Vitamins B12, D, Protein, and much more. All of these vitamins and nutrients play a big part in your fertility. Since eggs are high in protein, they can give you more energy. Energy you probably need if you have been working extra hard at getting pregnant!
Cheese is high in Vitamin B12 which is believed to help your uterine lining especially during egg fertilization.
Blueberries are high in antioxidants which help protect the body from free radical damage. Eating a cup a day makes them a good source of fiber as well!
Yogurt is packed with zinc which is very important in regulating estrogen and progesterone production. Both are essential in the female reproductive system. Zinc also helps your cells divide properly. Low levels of zinc have also been linked to early miscarriage.
Salmon is good for it Omega 3 Fatty Acids (DHA and EPA) which are important for promoting ovulation, regulating hormones, and increasing cervical mucous. During pregnancy, DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is important for fetal brain and eye development.
Spinach is a great source of iron. Iron is needed to promote ovulation as well as egg health.
In addition to tasting great, avocados are great for hormone balance and enabling your body to absorb nutrients properly.
Walnuts are great for Vitamin E, zinc, Protein Omega 3 and Magnesium. As mentioned earlier, these vitamins and nutrients are important for hormone regulation, ovulation, energy, and more. Magnesium is necessary for progesterone production so low levels wouldn’t be good for your reproductive health! During pregnancy, magnesium may also help morning sickness.
Beans, beans, they’re good for your heart! This is true, but they are also good for your reproductive health. They are packed with fiber (no duh), folate, and vitamin B.
Turkey contains Vitamin B6 which helps regulate blood sugar and may help with Luteal Phase Defect. Turkey may also combat PMS. Like walnuts, it may also help morning sickness during pregnancy!
Of course these aren’t the only foods that can boost fertility. They are just a few that I really enjoy. The important thing is that you get all the proper nutrition you need to give your body the best chance at getting pregnant!
Fertility Diet
Eating healthy is a lifestyle choice and a fertility diet is no different. It is important to get the daily recommendation of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to maintain good reproductive healthy. As I mentioned, the foods that I chose are just based on my preference. You can choose anything you like (organic when and if possible). You can also find more foods here. To maintain good reproductive have you will need a diet that consists of:
- Vitamins C, D, E, B6, B12,
- Protein
- Folic Acid/Folates
- CoQ10
- Selenium
- Iron
- Zinc
- Fatty acids
A Sample Diet
Not only are the foods I mentioned good for you, they can help detoxify your body. Before I got pregnant with my daughter, I changed what and the way I was eating. It was hard at first, but I knew it needed to be done in order to improve my chances of getting pregnant.
Breakfast: 2 Hard Boiled Eggs (eat the yoke) and a medium grapefruit. Some days I would have yogurt, granola, and blueberries
Snack: Walnuts, cheese, and sometimes strawberries.
Lunch: Turkey wrapped with lettuce and kale chips (doesn’t sound too appetizing, but it did the trick!)
Dinner: Baked or grilled salmon w/lemon, fresh spinach salad, and a baked sweet potato
Dessert: Ice Cream! There isn’t enough research to support whether ice cream can boost fertility so proceed with caution on this one.
I also want to add that the nuts and fruit need to be eaten in raw form in order to reap the benefits of their vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So put down that blueberry pie! Now, I am not telling you to change your whole entire lifestyle and that diet completely, but do what you can! It will be well worth it.
Again, these aren’t the only foods out there that are beneficial to your reproductive health. I haven’t even touched on the super foods or supplements in this post! As with anything new that you are ingesting, be sure to consult you doctor. This is especially true for grains in your diet. Certain grains and gluten products can actually inhibit fertility. So it is best to get the advice from your physician whether this dietary change is appropriate for you.
If you have a specific fertility diet that you follow, I would love to hear about it! If you followed a fertility diet and got pregnant, please leave me a comment as well. We love hearing positive stories. Good luck and baby dust!
Hi Tiffany!
It was great to run across your site here as I have a friend who is looking to start a familty and have a child. She has been discussing a better “diet” to insure that her future pregnancy/baby is getting all the nutrition needed. Diet simply meaning better eating as you put it so well here. I love the specific info you provide. It’s perfect and I am passing your site to her. I know she will appreciate this very much! Just what she’s been looking for I’m sure.
Thank you.
Mark,
Thank you for reading. Yes, changing our diets can really help fertility for both women and men (male fertility diet coming soon). With anything, change can be scary. However, when it comes to something you really want, like a baby, most welcome the opportunity in order to have a successful pregnancy. I wish your friend the best of luck!
Take care
Very interesting info. And all the food sounds delicious too. What about those vitamin shakes? Would they do the same thing as the foods you mentioned?
Hi Angeligue!
The vitamin shakes will do as long as you are eating raw fruits and vegetables. I know it is sometimes easier to drink your fruits and veggies than eat them. So by all means, shake it up! I hope that helps and thank you for reading!
Tiffany,
Thank you for all the good food suggestions!
When I was pregnant with my son, I just felt icky no matter what I ate, and I was an avid protein eater and took good pre natal vitamins. What helped me the most was a change in the kind of water I drank. I changed from drinking just filtered bottled water to an alkaline water. It is less acidic and more alkaline – pH of 7 – 9.5. Once I switched over I felt much better and functional! I am also a firm believer in eating organic foods and uncured meats as well.
The worst part though about it all is the cravings and I wanted McDonalds french-fries with my son it was bad but they were so good!
Missey,
Thanks for stopping by. It is very interesting that you mentioned switching water. I will look into that. With my daughter, I really craved healthy foods so that was nice. It was also nice to be able to eat things that I normally wouldn’t!
Thank you Tiff for the info. I will share this with my wife because soon we might be on that path again, we had an ectopic pregnancy a couple months back and we still recovering from the shock. Allow me to share this on my Facebook as well Thank you once more.
James,
I am so sorry for your loss and understand the recovering process. That is a shock and sometimes can take a while to fully recover or accept what has happened. I do discuss loss in hear because it is a very real and difficult part of trying to conceive. Thank you for sharing this with your wife and Facebook. If I can help in any way or provide you with any information, don’t hesitate to reach out! I wish you both the best of luck!