Fertility Boosting Foods

Most women who are hoping to get pregnant know about charting their temperature, and they know about ovulation predictors. What they may not have considered, however, is their diet. Your diet significantly influences the wellbeing of your body and can have both positive and negative consequences for your fertility levels.

Maintain a Healthy Weight

Being either overweight or underweight can seriously impede your chances of becoming pregnant, because these situations often result in sporadic cycles. If a woman isn't ovulating regularly and consistently, then it is difficult to chart a cycle, to predict ovulation, and to get pregnant at all! Therefore, most nutritionists and dieticians recommend starting with a sound diet when trying to conceive. Cut out caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol and boost your consumption of water, leafy green vegetables and whole grains. Try to exercise regularly and get some sun! These items will all create a foundation and a jump start to your cycle.

In addition to taking overall good care of yourself, there are certain foods that promote fertility - either in you or in your partner. None of these foods are foolproof, of course, and you shouldn't rely on them to become pregnant. However, eating well and incorporating certain foods into your diet certainly can't hurt your chances of becoming pregnant!

Eat Those Grains!

Whole grains should be a large part of your diet for staying healthy. Oats, brown rice, whole wheat and other complex carbohydrates give you energy and are full of vitamins B and E. These vitamins are essential for cellular reproduction, production of healthy eggs and sperm, and hormone balance.

Enjoy Your Protein

Diary products - primarily the full fat variety - are full of calcium which helps to develop your nervous system, your bones and your healthy blood. In addition, researchers have found that women who eat one or more portions of full fat dairy a day seem to have less fertility problems than do those who eat low fat or non dairy foods. So, enjoy some fat for a change! In addition, oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines have omega 3 and omega 6 in them. These help to regulate reproductive health, improve blood flow and enhance the quality and speed of sperm. For those who don't like fish, flaxseed oil is a great alternative. Finally, enjoy your meat for a change! Lean red meat is full of iron which helps to prevent anemia, decrease the risk of ovulation issues and help with red blood cells.

Spinach: Popeye Loves It!

Eat your spinach. Both spinach, and other leafy vegetables, provides your body with folic acid. Folic acid is an essential ingredient for healthy sperm and ovaries and for preventing neural tube defects during the early stages of pregnancy. It also has iron and vitamin C, two items that enhance the quality of sperm and keep you healthy.

Oysters and Fertility

Everyone has heard that oysters are good for the libido - but for fertility? Oysters have a huge amount of zinc in them, a substance that is said to help with both healthy sperm and egg production. If you don't like to eat oysters, look for zinc in baked beans, eggs, nuts, pumpkin seeds and multi-vitamins.

More Getting Pregnant Foods

Both garlic and honey are two fertility items that are often overlooked. Garlic has selenium in it, a mineral that may help to reduce the chances of miscarriage in women and that is said to enhance male fertility. It also contains vitamin B6 which regulates hormones and builds your immune system. Perhaps tasting slightly better, honey has been used for centuries to boost fertility. It is rich in minerals and amino acids that are good for the reproductive system and that help with the function of the ovaries.

Maintaining a healthy diet and a clean lifestyle can only help to promote fertility. You'll find that you have more energy and feel better when you're eating healthy foods that are free of pesticides, sugars, and other processed ingredients. Treat your body right so that it can treat you right - and help you to conceive!