Infertility affects about 10 percent of the population. While couples cannot control all of the reasons for infertility, they can control their eating habits. And, nutrition and a healthy body mass for both partners can have a fundamental impact on the ability to conceive.
Women and Fertility
To prepare for pregnancy and enhance fertility, maintain a healthy weight and choose foods that will generate a safe and supportive place for your baby’s nine-month stay.
Men and Fertility
Men should also try to maintain a healthy body weight and follow a balanced eating pattern, since male obesity may change testosterone and other hormone levels. Plus, low sperm count and poor sperm motility are popular in overweight and obese men. When it comes to diet, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that will help create strong sperm.
The Fertility Diet
According to a research team women with ovulatory infertility who followed this eating plan had a 66 percent reduced risk of ovulatory infertility and a 27 percent lower risk of infertility from other causes than women who did not follow the diet closely.
Women following the fertility diet chose:
- Decreased transfat and increased monounsaturated fat (from foods like avocados and olive oil)
- Decreased animal protein and increased vegetable protein
- Increased high-fiber, decreased-glycemic carbohydrate-rich foods (including whole grains)
- More vegetarian sources of iron and lesser meat sources
- High-fat dairy in place of low-fat dairy
For more information on foods for fertility and creating a personalized eating plan, talk to our experts.
