What you eat can have a huge impact on your fertility. If you have been trying to get pregnant yourself or are thinking half of a couple that is thinking about it, you should be mindful that your diet can help or hinder your fertility. Long before we had the scientific knowledge that we have now, people were making connections between food and fertility. Foods that were shaped in suggestive ways were thought to enhance the sexual organ functioning, and certain foods were also thought to be aphrodisiacs for other reasons. With the knowledge we have now, we have actually proven that some foods do enhance fertility in both men and women.

For starters, women who are undernourished and skinny often have a hard time getting pregnant. At the same time, obese women have the same problem. Women that are within a healthy weight and maintain a balanced diet are most fertile. Where men are concerned, an adequate amount of zinc is needed in their diet to ensure that they produce the right amount of semen and also to keep their testosterone levels healthy. Calcium and Vitamin D may also play a role in men’s fertility. It is very important for men and women to eat a very healthy and mostly plant based diet rich in vitamins and minerals. This is not to say that you should not eat meat and in fact, many women who are vegetarians can have a hard time getting pregnant. Doctors believe that this is b use vegetarians usually do not have enough iron in their body.

Along with eating the right foods, it is important for both women and men to eat regularly to promote fertility. Going long periods in between meals puts your body into starvation mode and possibly making it harder for your body to function in normal ways, including promoting fertility. In addition- never do diets! Dieting is very unhealthy and most are based on restricting certain nutrients which can be good in moderation. When we limit certain nutrients, our bodies will alter its functions in order to adapt and this can result in the breakdown of our basic fertility functioning.