Conception Diet - How Your Diet Can Aid in Conception

Some foods can significantly lower your chances of getting pregnant, while others up the chance of pregnancy happening.

What to eat/include in your conception diet

To improve your chances of getting pregnant and keeping healthy during pregnancy, the following steps should be taken:

• Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables.
• Up your intake of plant-based proteins and reduce the consumption of meat. Sources of plant protein are nuts, peas and beans.
• Consume lots of whole grains. This is especially important for women with polycystic ovaries.
• Eat calcium-rich foods such as dairy products but include sources of calcium from plants as well to minimize the amount of saturated fat being consumed. Some good non-diary sources of calcium include kale, oranges and broccoli.
• Vitamin B6 is also said to improve the chances of getting pregnant.
• Folic, folic, folic: it is already well-known that this is an important part of the pregnancy process to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects. Recent studies have indicated that even the 400mg that is recommended may not be enough. Women who are trying to conceive should begin getting adequate folic acid for at least three months before trying to conceive. Some folic rich foods include vegetables from the cabbage family such as cauliflower and broccoli. Fruits such as oranges, bananas and cantaloupe are also great sources of folic acid.
• Water: drink as at least the recommended 8 glasses per day.

What to avoid while trying to conceive

While on the TTC path and when pregnant, there are certain foods that it is best to avoid. These include:

• Processed foods of any kind; these lack nutrients and contain lots of preservatives.
• While the debate rages on, err on the side of caution and try to kick the caffeine habit.
• Anything that is high in trans fat and saturated fat.

While generally healthy, women on vegetarian diets need to ensure that they are getting enough iron.

The role of diet in improving your fertility rate is not a fad. A study published in the November 2007 issue of the journal, Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that diet and lifestyle habits improve fertility rates. The authors of the study found that the highest fertility rate among the study group was for women who did not eat a lot of “Trans fat and sugars from carbohydrates, eat mostly plant protein, eat fiber-rich foods, and take multivitamins and iron” among other factors.

In addition, eating properly help cut body weight which is known to also impact fertility rates. Having the ideal pregnancy weight helps in fertility. So, if you are trying to get pregnant, improve your chances by eating right to improve your fertility.