How to Get Pregnant - What Foods Help and What Foods Hinder Conception?

So you're trying to get pregnant and want to improve your chances by eating a healthy diet. This is a good start. But do you know which foods will increase your fertility and help you get pregnant and also which foods could make conceiving more difficult? You would think that it was basic common sense, but most people seem to get at least some these wrong.

First off you need to realize that you are about to start the journey of creating another human being. To do this you need to ensure that your body has all the nutrients it needs to both get pregnant in the first place and to ensure that your baby gets the best start in life. If you eat quality, nutrient-rich foods, you will be off to a great start.

So what do you need to eat?

1. Stick to a mainly plant-based diet. This means lots of veggies in your diet and also some legumes, nuts, seeds and grains. If your budget can afford it I would stick to organic foods wherever possible. Cut back or cut out meats. Did you know that The Nurses' Health Study showed that just one portion of meat a day can cause almost a 33% rise in ovulatory infertility?

2. Include healthy fats, but avoid unhealthy fats. This one is confusing to most people, because the press often suggests that all fats are bad. This is completely untrue. Fats are essential and we should be eating an adequate quantity of healthy fats. Healthy fats include avocado, olive oil (uncooked), coconuts and coconut oil, and nut oils. Fish oil is healthy but some fish has high levels of mercury, so is best avoided. Unhealthy fats include most vegetable fats that have been heat treated and animal fats.

3. Eat complex carbohydrates, but avoid processed carbohydrates. This means avoiding things like French fries, potato chips, white bread, white pasta, white rice, etc. and eating veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, etc.

4. Eat foods containing folate and iron. These include asparagus, lentils, chickpeas, spinach, broccoli, beets and oranges.

For an extra fertility boost, why not check out the book Pregnancy Miracle. This is a true story about how a 42 year old woman became pregnant against the odds. The woman in question is Lisa Olson, an alternative health and nutrition specialist. The book has some fantastic tips on how to get pregnant using natural, holistic methods.