If you and your partner are trying to get pregnant, your pre-conception diet may be just as important as the diet of the woman who will carry your baby. Certain dietary habits may harm your sperm quality and quantity, making it more difficult to conceive. Eliminate alcohol and junk foods from your daily eating plan. Instead, eat a diet filled with nutritious foods to keep yourself as healthy as possible, but also to boost your odds of creating a baby more quickly.
Fruits
Fruits should be part of your regular diet, but they are particularly important if you and your partner are trying to conceive a baby. The antioxidants in fruits help protect the quality of your sperm so they are healthy and able to swim through the fallopian tubes and fertilize an egg. The vitamin C in citrus fruits will help make your sperm more viable and mobile. Oranges and grapefruits are healthy fruits to include in your pre-conception diet. Pomegranate juice may also boost your sperm count and quality, as well.
Vegetables
Add vegetables to your pre-conception diet because they contain a wealth of nutrients and antioxidants that help protect the health of your sperm. Vegetables with vitamin A, such as sweet potatoes and carrots, may help to encourage your sperm to move more quickly. Leafy greens contain folic acid, which may help prevent chromosomal abnormalities in your sperm so your unborn baby's chance of birth defects is lowered. Vegetable oils may contribute to more viable sperm, so cook your foods in canola and soybean oils to get that benefit.
Meat and Seafood
Zinc is an important mineral found in meat and seafood, and may help boost your odds of conceiving more quickly. This important mineral helps increase your production of testosterone and sperm. Oysters are one of the best seafood sources of zinc, but fish, shrimp, beef, pork, chicken and turkey all supply you with a healthy dose of this important mineral. What to Expect, a website created by Heidi Murkoff, author of the book series of the same name, notes that you should limit your intake of fish with high mercury, including swordfish, tuna steaks and shark. Mercury may decrease your chances of conceiving and may also contribute to infertility.
Nuts and Seeds
Many varieties of nuts and seeds contain omega-3 fatty acids, which may increase blood flow to your sexual organs and improve your ability to perform sexually when your partner is ovulating. Pumpkin seeds and walnuts are among the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Brazil nuts contain a large dose of selenium, a mineral that has been linked to increased fertility.
Member Comments