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While not a scientific reason to indulge in pomegranates, it's certainly an interesting one. As for science, pomegranates are loaded with antioxidants which may improve sperm quality. Pomegranate seeds make for a delicious, healthy snack on their own, but also make for a great topping for yogurt, oatmeal, and even salads and quinoa bowls.


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Walnuts are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This is part of what led researchers to consider whether they might support fertility. In a small study, men were split into two groups: one would avoid eating tree nuts and another would eat 75 grams of walnuts every day. After 12 weeks, the group who ate walnuts saw in improvement in sperm vitality, movement, and shape.

They also saw fewer chromosomal abnormalities in their sperm samples after eating the walnuts.

Prepregnancy Diet: Best Foods to Eat When You're Trying to Get Pregnant

The control group experienced no changes. A small handful of walnuts makes for a great afternoon snack. Or you can try adding walnuts to chicken salad, oatmeal, or even a little ice cream for a nutritious crunch. Egg yolks supply almost all of the egg's iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B Another good reason to eat eggs: They are an inexpensive source of lean protein, which has also been found to be good for fertility in both men and women.

Eggs also contain choline, which may reduce the risk of some birth defects. However, not all studies have not found this benefit. In the past, egg yolks had a bad rap mainly due to concerns about dietary cholesterol. But more recently, nutrition experts have embraced the yolk for its nutrient density and balance of healthy protein and fat.

Eggs are extremely versatile. Whether enjoying hard-boiled, scrambled, poached, or fried, embrace the whole egg—yolk included. There is not enough science to back this practice that up. For one, pineapple is a great source of vitamin C. Pineapples also contain bromelain, a natural enzyme that has an anti-inflammatory and anticoagulation blood-thinning effect.

Bromelain encourages your immune system to move away from an inflammatory state. Inflammatory foods can impede your fertility, and chronic inflammation may actually encourage the body to suppress ovulation. This tropical fruit can satisfy your sweet tooth naturally. Choose fresh pineapple whenever possible as most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process. Eat it alone or added to salsa or even grilled. Salmon is on just about every superfood list—fertility focused or not. And for good reason. Salmon is rich in essential fatty acids and omega-3s, which have been shown to be beneficial to fertility in men and women.

It is also a great source of selenium and vitamin D. Selenium is a vitamin essential for healthy sperm, and low vitamin D levels appear to be associated with poor fertility in men and women. In fact, salmon is one of the best places to get your daily recommended value of vitamin D. Invest in wild-caught salmon rather than farm-raised, when possible, to avoid mercury contamination, antibiotics, and toxic food dyes.

Taking cinnamon supplements can help jumpstart irregular menstrual cycles in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome PCOS , a common cause of female infertility.

In a small but interesting study, women with PCOS reported nearly twice the number of menstrual periods while taking a daily cinnamon supplement than women given a placebo. And as you know: More ovulatory regular cycles mean more opportunities to conceive.

There's no need to "eat for 2"

Sprinkle cinnamon on your morning oatmeal, on top of your yogurt, or into your tea or coffee. The spice can also be taken in supplement form, but be sure to consult your doctor before starting a new supplement. Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Dietary patterns, foods and nutrients in male fertility parameters and fecundability: A systematic review of observational studies.

Foods That Can Affect Fertility

Hum Reprod Update. Seeds, sunflower seed kernels, dried. FoodData Central. Department of Agriculture. Published April 1, Polyamines on the reproductive landscape. Endocr Rev. Food and Drug Administration. Grapefruit juice and some drugs don't mix. Updated July 18, A prospective study of dairy foods intake and anovulatory infertility. Hum Reprod. Lycopene and male infertility.

Asian J Androl. Protein intake and ovulatory infertility. Am J Obstet Gynecol. An extract of pomegranate fruit and galangal rhizome increases the numbers of motile sperm: A prospective, randomised, controlled, double-blinded trial.

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PLoS One. Walnuts improve semen quality in men consuming a western-style diet: Randomized control dietary intervention trial. Biol Reprod. Maternal choline concentrations during pregnancy and choline-related genetic variants as risk factors for neural tube defects. Am J Clin Nutr. Oxidative stress indicators in Chinese women with PCOS and correlation with features of metabolic syndrome and dependency on lipid patterns.


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Arch Gynecol Obstet. Males with low serum levels of vitamin D have lower pregnancy rates when ovulation induction and timed intercourse are used as a treatment for infertile couples: Results from a pilot study. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. Nutritive Value of Foods. Beltsville, MD: U. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Preliminary evidence that cinnamon improves menstrual cyclicity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

Sunflower Seeds. Citrus Fruits. Mature Cheeses. Full-Fat Dairy.

Cooked Tomatoes. The diet and exercise tactics are aimed specifically at ovulatory infertility, which is the type of infertility you have if your ovaries aren't producing mature eggs during each menstrual cycle. This type of infertility affects around one-quarter of couples who have trouble getting pregnant. Many of the recommendations will sound familiar to people already well-versed in healthy eating, and the authors speculate that some of the strategies might help to improve fertility in men, as well as in women.

The diet fertility diet isn't specifically a weight loss diet. However, the authors' research found that women who had body mass indexes between 20 to 24—the range that's considered normal body weight—were least likely to have infertility. Therefore, The Fertility Diet includes tips for losing a modest amount of weight. Willett and Chavarro believe there are 11 key diet and exercise changes women can make to improve their chances of getting pregnant. The changes emphasize switching from certain foods they believe might impede conception to foods that could help conception.

These changes include:. The diet recommends replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. These types of fats are considered healthy.