Diet

Although many women are aware of the fact that maintaining a well-balanced, nutritious diet is important to their overall health, it is a lesser known fact that a healthy diet is crucial to your reproductive health and your chances of getting pregnant. Whether or not you maintain a healthy diet can greatly impact your odds of getting pregnant. Certain foods can increase your chances of getting pregnant while others can lead to or exacerbate problems trying to get pregnant.

Foods to Consume While Trying to Get Pregnant

When you're trying to get pregnant, it is essential to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet that will give your body the nutrition it needs to stay strong.

Balance is the key to any getting pregnant diet. By choosing foods that are rich in the following ingredients, you can greatly increase your odds of getting pregnant:

  • Folic Acid. Folic acid is important to your reproductive health and also prevents a variety of birth defects including spina bifida. It can be found in leafy greens such as broccoli and lettuce
  • Iron. Low iron levels have been linked to an increased risk for ovulatory infertility, making it an essential part of any getting pregnant diet. Iron-rich foods include lentils, soy beans and spinach
  • Calcium. Calcium is important to your health and also helps the proper development of healthy bones and teeth in a developing fetus. Sources of calcium include milk, cheese and fresh dill
  • Zinc. Zinc keeps your immune system strong, which is essential when trying to get pregnant. Zinc also helps the production of healthy eggs, as well as healthy sperm. Foods that are rich in zinc include asparagus and summer squash
  • Fiber. Fiber flushes a variety of toxins from the body, thereby increasing your chances of getting pregnant, and can also reduce the risk of pregnancy complications, like gestational diabetes. Foods that are excellent sources of fiber include beans and collard greens
  • Unsaturated Fats. These healthy fats are good for your immune system. Sources of unsaturated fats include extra virgin olive oil, canola oil, fish and flax seed oil
  • Water. Water flushes toxins from the body, which is helpful when getting pregnant

Foods to Avoid When Trying to Get Pregnant

There are also certain foods that you should avoid when trying to get pregnant. These foods include:

  • Foods High in Saturated or Trans Fats. These foods include fast foods. Foods high in fat hinder your odds of getting pregnant because a high consumption of them can lead to being overweight or obese, which affects fertility. Such foods can also lead to hypertension, which is known to lower male fertility
  • White Flour. White flour leads to constipation and this hinders the expulsion of toxins from the body, thereby reducing fertility. Switch to whole grains which promote the digestive system functions and which can therefore improve fertility
  • Caffeine. Caffeine has been linked to decreased fertility
  • Alcohol. Alcohol also reduces your chances of getting pregnant and when pregnant, increases the risk of birth defects and low birth weight
  • Fad Diets. Never try fad dieting when trying to get pregnant. Always maintain a well-balanced, healthy diet in order to improve your chances of getting pregnant

It is also important to remember that a healthy diet goes hand-in-hand with regular, moderate exercise.

Being either underweight or overweight can also reduce your fertility. An irregular BMI can lead to infertility by causing irregular ovulation and menstrual cycles.

How Your Diet Can Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant

Certain reproductive health issues can impact your fertility and hinder your chance

 of getting pregnant. However, by maintaining a healthy diet and including certain foods in your diet, you can relieve these reproductive health issues and improve your fertility. The following foods can help these reproductive health issues when trying to get pregnant:

  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): foods rich in vitamin B6, such as yams should be consumed while foods high in dioxins, such as aspartame, meat and dairy should be avoided
  • Endometriosis: foods rich in vitamin C like oranges and whole grains high in fiber in vitamin B can reduce the effects of endometriosis on your fertility
  • Irregular Ovulation: consume foods rich in vitamin B like yams, as well as soy and whole grains
  • High Prolactin Levels: reduce your intake of protein and increase your consumption of foods rich in vitamin B6
  • Fibroids: avoid meat, alcohol and sugar. Increase your consumption of fiber. If bleeding is heavy, take an iron supplement

For healthy breakfast tips that can improve your chances of getting pregnant, click here.  Also check out our pregnancy videos to get up-to-date information about your pregnancy health.

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