Fertility-Boosting Foods
Let's face it: Everyone knows women whose food choices are awful, but who have no problem getting pregnant. Likewise, there are plenty of women eating healthy meals consistently, yet struggling with infertility.
"It's not clear how what we eat can determine how easily we will get pregnant," says Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and a dietitian with a private practice in Chandler, AZ. Despite that, Johnson adds, "It makes sense to eat a healthy diet while you are trying to get pregnant. It may increase your odds of getting pregnant, but, beyond that, it nourishes your body so that it is at its healthiest the moment that you do get pregnant."
If you're trying to become a mom, Johnson advises focusing on the following foods to help your body function at its peak right now. That will improve your fertility environment as well as create the best nutritional foundation for fetal growth and development:
| Eat more | To gain |
| Whole grains | B vitamins, vitamin E, fiber |
| Fruits, vegetables | Vitamin C, antioxidants |
| Lean meats, beans | Protein, zinc, iron |
| Low-fat dairy | Protein, calcium |
| DHA/Omega-3 (salmon, canned light [not albacore] tuna, some egg brands) | Benefits baby's brain and nervous system development; reduces risk of premature birth |
| Multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid | Reduces risk of spinal cord and brain defects, especially in weeks before conception and first trimester of pregnancy |
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