10 Foods to Eat When Trying to Get Pregnant

10 Best Foods That Can Boost Your Fertility

Medically Reviewed By
Gayatri Dawda (Nutritionist)
View more Nutritionist Our Panel of Experts

Healthy eating is one of the top priorities for couples who are trying to have a baby. Eating the right kind of food can help boost your immunity and also your fertility. Thus, a healthy diet can increase your chances of getting pregnant. If you have been trying to conceive for a while but haven’t had much luck, you may want to check out some of the best foods to eat while trying to get pregnant. Here’s a list of some of the foods that would prove to be beneficial while planning for a baby.

Video: Top 8 Foods to Boost Your Fertility

Top 10 Healthy Foods to Boost Your Fertility

Some women have a harder time getting pregnant than others. If you have been trying to conceive for long without much success, then you may want to consider consuming some of the foods given below. These foods have the potential to correct/manage hormonal imbalances in the body and provide essential nutrients that could help boost fertility.

Here are some of the top fertility-boosting foods that you can eat while trying to get pregnant:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables

Green leafy vegetables contain essential nutrients that boost fertility. They are rich in iron, folic acid, and antioxidants. If you want to improve your fertility, you should include green leafy veggies in your diet. Green leafy veggies can lower the free radical damage and improve the performance of organs. Green veggies can also help increase haemoglobin levels.

2. Cabbage

Cabbage is yet another superfood that can help boost fertility. It can provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals, and its di-indole methane content can help regulate your oestrogen metabolism. Cabbage also helps prevent the formation of fibroids and prevents endometriosis too (a disorder of the tissue that lines the uterus).

3. Broccoli

Broccoli is rich in Vitamin C, which promotes fertility by aiding in the process of ovulation and brings about maturation of eggs. In addition, broccoli is rich in iron, folic acid and antioxidants which provide your body with essential plant proteins. The iron content in broccoli also helps prevent postpartum anaemia.

4. Eggs

Eggs are a versatile food and super healthy. They even help boost fertility. Eggs are a great source of protein and egg yolk is rich in DHA, choline, and Vitamin B12. All these nutrients help in boosting fertility. However, you should not eat raw eggs as they may harm your baby.

5. Citrus Fruits

If you are trying to get pregnant, then you may want to start consuming more citrus fruits since they contain Vitamin C, which helps facilitate the release of eggs from the ovaries.

6. Banana

A regular menstrual cycle can help boost your fertility and increase your chances of conception by offering a well-marked fertile period. Consuming bananas, which are loaded with vitamin B6, can help regulate your menstrual cycles. Bananas are low fat and contain essential nutrients that provide energy too. They, therefore, make for a healthy snack. A versatile option, bananas taste delectable in milkshakes, ice-cream sundaes, peanut butter sandwiches, and even by themselves. 

7. Pineapple

When it comes to superfoods that can boost fertility, pineapple hogs the limelight because it contains an extraordinary amount of manganese, which aids ovulation. Thus, pineapple helps boost the fertility rate. You can either cut the pineapple into small pieces and eat it raw or blend it and drink its juice.

8. Salmon

Fish lovers can include wild salmon in their diet. Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, which can boost the reproductive hormones in your body. Omega-3 fats lower the inflammation and increase the chances of conception.

9. Complex Carbs

Complex carbs are an important macronutrient and are loaded with essential fats, vitamins and minerals. The reason why complex carbs, like whole-wheat bread and oatmeal, are fertility-boosting foods is that they are very effective in regulating blood sugar levels and body weight. A regular intake of complex carbs can prevent a spike in your insulin levels which can be disruptive to your reproductive hormones. Thus, if you are trying to get pregnant, you should include complex carbs in your diet. Maintaining a healthy weight is conducive to conceiving faster as obesity has been linked to lowered fertility.

10. Colourful Fruits and Vegetables

When you are trying to get pregnant, you may want to include colourful vegetables and fruits, like red and yellow bell pepper, pumpkin, kale, etc. into your diet. These vegetables are loaded with phytonutrients along with plant compounds and vitamins which can help boost your fertility. Remember, the richer the colour of the fruit or the vegetable, the higher the amount of phytonutrients it contains. You can opt to include them with your penne pasta, make smoothies, or just saute them in some olive oil.

These are some of the foods which can increase your chances of getting pregnant. While you may want to include these foods into your diet, you may also be required to stop consuming some of the foods that are always a part of your diet. Let’s take a look at them.

Foods You Must Avoid to Boost Your Fertility

Here are some foods you must avoid or minimise the consumption to boost your fertility.

  1. Caffeine – Caffeine, when had in excess, can affect your fertility to a great extent. Thus, when you fill your stomach with all the healthy foods we spoke about in the article above, you may want to decrease or stop the consumption of caffeine to let the helpful nutrients work their magic. You may speak to your medical practitioner to know how much caffeine is apt for you.
  2. High-mercury Fish – Although certain fish, like salmon, can be consumed to increase fertility, avoid eating fish that can have a high mercury level.
  3. Trans Fats – Trans fats in foods such as processed, baked, and fried foods can directly affect ovulation and lower your chances of getting pregnant. 

Remember that a regular healthy diet not only improves fertility but also ensures the development and growth of a healthy baby. So, if you and your partner are planning to start a family, it may be time to take a closer look at your diet and alter it to include foods that boost the production of fertility hormones and improve your general health. Combine the optimum diet with advice from a fertility specialist to improve your chances of getting pregnant.

References and Resources – healthline, eatright

Also Read:

Caffeine and Fertility
Fertility Foods for Men

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