Food is considered a medicine, and there are a few foods that increase fertility naturally. Food helps with almost all health issues.
If you have been planning your pregnancy for some time and want to know about the foods that help you increase your fertility, you need to read till the end.
Do Foods Increase Fertility?
Yes, food not only helps curb hunger and provides us with essential nutrition for our bodies.
But also treat certain health conditions naturally, like Increasing Fertility.
One of the easiest ways to improve egg quality and fertility is through food.
What are the Best Foods that Increase Fertility Naturally?
Here are a few best foods to boost fertility
1. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruit, Lemon etc. are rich in Vitamin C which helps keep your hormonal levels in check.
They are also rich in Potassium and Folate, which help with the stabilization of your ovulation, thus helping with fertility.
Citrus fruits are also proven to stimulate egg release.
You can consume about 1 to 2 servings of citrus fruits a day
2. Pomegranate
How can we not include pomegranates when talking about fertility-increasing foods?
It is one of the best fruits for fertility. It has a lot of antioxidants and is proven to improve sperm quality.
Pomegranate also helps promote blood flow to the uterus lining, which helps fertility.
It is also enriched with potassium and vitamin C, K, etc., and provides you with a lot of nutrients that are required for your body.
You can consume 1 full pomegranate fruit every day
3. Avocado
Avocado is called the superfood for fertility, as it has a lot of vitamins and minerals that help boost fertility.
It is loaded with Folate and Zinc, which not only help ovulation but also improve sperm count and motility.
It has a sufficient amount of good fat, which is called mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which is one of the best foods to increase fertility.
Avocados contain vitamin E, which helps in the easy movement of the egg and the fertilized embryo.
It is also high in Anti-Oxidants, which help fight free radicals and neutralize them before they cause damage to the body.
Avocados also contain a lot of other vitamins like B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, phosphorus, etc., which offer enough nutrition to the body.
You can eat up to 1 avocado a day to boost your fertility
4. Greens
Green leafy vegetables are important for overall health, especially fertility.
They contain folate, which is very important in producing new DNA and blood.
Leafy greens also regulate your hormones, thus helping with ovulation.
It also contains Vitamin C, E, K, Magnesium etc.
Green leafy vegetables also improve sperm health, thus making them an important food for fertility.
You can consume 1 cup of green vegetables every day to improve your fertility
5. Walnuts
Walnuts are the best nuts to improve fertility because they are a great source of omega-3.
Omega 3, folates, etc. helps secrete progesterone, an important hormone for fertility.
Also Read : Top 9 nuts and dry fruits to should eat during pregnancy
It also helps increase blood supply to the uterus, which is another important thing for fertility.
Apart from these nutrients, walnuts are enriched with antioxidants, which fight free radicals and protect the egg from any damage.
You can consume about
60 g of nuts per day in the 1st trimester
90 g per day in the second trimester
100 g per day in the third trimester
6. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds have loads of Vitamin E, which is essential to increase sperm count and motility.
Sunflower seeds also contain zinc, selenium, folic acid, protein, good fats, etc. These are a few important foods to increase fertility.
It also contains Niacin which is proven to reduce the risk of miscarriage and birth defects in babies.
Sunflower seeds also help prevent cholesterol. Cholesterol is prone to decrease blood flow and reduce the possibility of pregnancy.
Sunflower seeds are also rich in iron, which helps prevent anemia (anemia during pregnancy could cause a lot of complications).
You can eat 1 to 2 tsp of sunflower seeds every day to improve fertility
7. Dates
When talking about foods that increase fertility, we cannot miss out on dates.
Dates are a wonderful source of iron and vitamin C and help with anemia. If you have a low blood count, dates are a great option for you.
Dates are great for regulating and maintaining your hormone levels, which in turn helps with fertility.
You can also use dates as a sugar replacement, as they are naturally sweet and help curb your sugar craving.
Don’t exceed more than six dates a day.
8. Beans/Lentils
Beans and lentils are rich in fiber and folate, which help with hormonal imbalance, digestion, and regulate ovulation.
Apart from this, lentils also contain polyamine spermidine, which helps the sperm fertilize the egg.
Lentils and beans are also great sources of plant protein, which is proven to help with fertility.
You can eat a cup of lentils or beans every day.
9. Eggs
Eggs are another important food to increase fertility. Eggs have a high protein content to help you meet your daily protein needs.
Protein plays an important role in building your muscles, egg development, and embryo development, which boost fertility.
In addition to that, it is also rich in Vitamin B12, which is a form of folic acid that helps boost fertility and regulate ovulation.
It is also high in Vitamin E, which is proven to help with sperm motility and improve sperm quality.
Choline is another important nutrient that is found in eggs and is essential before pregnancy, as low levels of choline can cause birth defects in the baby. And is one of the best foods that increase fertility.
You can have 1 to 2 eggs every day
Make sure to try and add protein to every meal. (10% of your calorie intake should be protein)
10. Pasteurized dairy products
If you are tolerant to dairy, you can go ahead and have high-fat dairy products like ghee, paneer, butter, milk, etc.., as they are high in good fats, vitamins A, E, D, K, etc.
Studies have proven that full-fat dairy products help reduce the risk of ovulatory infertility (which means being unable to release an egg every month) by 27%.
Apart from these nutrients, full-fat dairy products contain calcium, which is much needed to conceive.
Calcium helps with sperm motility, capacitation, acrosome reactions, and fertilization. So, you need a minimum of 1000 mg of calcium a day, and dairy products are a great source.
The easiest way to incorporate dairy, which is one of the few foods that increase fertility, is to drink milk or add curd to your meal.
You are free to include 3 to 4 cups of dairy a day
It is also important to stay away from low-fat dairy products, as they are proven to decrease your chances of conceiving.
These are a few foods that increase fertility and improve egg quality.
Foods that Affect Fertility
You’ve got to stay away from certain foods while planning your pregnancy.
Processed/Junk food
Sugary Foods
Soda/ carbonated beverages
Alcohol
Tobacco
Too much caffeine
High-carb Food without any nutrients (Pasta, Pizza, bread, etc.,)
Processed Meat
Conclusion
When you’re planning to get pregnant, you do not only have to concentrate on eating foods to improve egg quality for pregnancy but also on other factors like getting a full body check-up done and ruling out any complications, getting physically ready for pregnancy, getting mentally prepared, etc.
In that case, it is great to consult with a gynecologist while trying for a baby for their expertise and guidance.
Make sure to include all these, as you need a specific diet to improve egg quality and fertility.
