Researchers from Harvard University have suggested that your diet plays a role in whether or not you get pregnant. They have compiled a “Fertility Diet” that you can follow to improve your chances of conceiving.




The Nurses’ Health Study II was an eight-year-long research project that followed 18,000 women who are aged between 25 and 42. The result was that there was a clear correlation between diet, exercise, weight, and conception. Scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health took the research data and used it to put together the diet book The Fertility Diet.

The Fertility DietThe Fertility Diet offers food guidelines that are designed to help women conceive and to fight off ovulation problems and infertility. The researchers that compiled it believe that the food a woman eats affects her ability to conceive.

What Foods Aid Conception?

Harvard researchers were able to compile the data from the Nurses’ Health Study and turn it into a “fertility diet”. The diet contains the foods that a woman should eat to have better odds of conceiving.

The Fertility Diet recommends that women trying to conceive make the following dietary changes:

Avoid eating trans fats

A woman trying to conceive should avoid eating trans fats. In fact, there are studies showing that a correlation exists between trans fats and ovulation disorders. Trans fats can be found in most fried and baked foods including pizzas, cakes, burgers, and doughnuts.

Eat Unsaturated Fats

Unsaturated fats are the fats you find in plant-based foods and oils. These dietary fats are healthier for you. They improve your cholesterol levels, help control your blood sugar levels, and offer protection for other health problems. Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are healthier fats that boost your fertility. These fats are found in olive oil, safflower oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, and cold-water fish like salmon and sardines.

Get your protein from vegetables

While animal protein is beneficial, vegetable protein is the way to go when you want to conceive. These are things like beans, peas, nuts, tofu, and soy-based products.




Drink more whole milk

If you’re a milk drinker then go for whole milk. Skim milk seems to hamper your chances of becoming pregnant. So if you want to conceive then you should go for full-fat milk.

Get more iron using plants

Getting extra iron from plant sources has been shown to improve fertility. If you want to conceive then you should eat whole grain cereals and bread, along with beans, tomatoes, spinach, and beets.

Eat carbohydrates that are rich in fiber

While there are diets that call for you to cut out carbs, the fertility diet says that you need carbohydrates in your diet. You need to find carbs that are digested slowly such as fiber-rich carbs. So you should eat plenty of vegetables, whole fruits, beans, and whole-grain products. Avoid processed carbs that are digested quickly. Carbs that are digested slowly boost your fertility as they control blood sugar and insulin levels.

Take multivitamins that have folic acid

Nutritional deficiencies make it hard for your body to function properly. It can lead to problems with ovulation and reproduction. To ovulate properly you need to ensure that your body has all the vitamins and nutrients that it needs. You can take multivitamins to boost your body and reproductive system. Folic acid is an essential nutrient that prevents defects in the neural tube that also aids conception.



Take in lots of water

Every diet calls for drinking plenty of water. Drinking copious amounts of water keeps blood circulating properly and keeps you healthy. Dehydration leads to a large number of health problems. The fertility diet calls for you to avoid sugary drinks when you’re trying to conceive. Sugary sodas are found to cause infertility. So avoid soda and drink water. It’s always been best for you and your body.

In order to ovulate properly and keep your reproductive system healthy, it’s important that you eat a healthy and balanced diet. You can tell from the fertility diet how important it is that you eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. They are filled with healthy antioxidants, iron, folic acid, and all the other essential nutrients that help you conceive faster. Remember that moderation is also important though. When trying to conceive, whether following a fertility diet or not, you need to stay patient. If you’re really having trouble conceiving and it’s been more than a year since you started you should consult your doctor.




Last updated : Jun 16, 2020 @ 3:00 am