Jul 4, 2008 7:14 pm US/Eastern
Some Foods May Boost Fertility
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
One in seven American couples grapple with infertility, often with no explainable medical cause. But, a new book by Harvard researchers called "The Fertility Diet," claim fertility may be boosted by food.
They recommend a few quick dietary fixes that will help get the baby on board.
First, doctors suggest eating carbohydrates that metabolize slowly like nuts and whole grains which are thought to promote ovulation. That's opposed to "fast carbs" like white rice and potatoes that spike blood sugar which decreases fertility.
"I would cut back on juices, cut back on simple sugars and the easy explanation is, it avoids those peaks in sugars that go into your body." Gynecologist Dr. Jacques Moritz told CBS 2.
Moritz also explained to CBS 2 why women who ate animal protein were 39 percent more likely to have ovulatory infertility than women who ate the least. "A lot of the beef that we're eating has chemicals inside, has antibiotics, may have even estrogen and things like that. Some studies have shown that you may want to decrease your consumption of chicken and regular meats." So experts say reach for the protein in beans or tofu.
Women who are trying to get pregnant should also avoid artery-clogging trans-fats. Skip the doughnuts that have four grams of trans-fat, and instead go for healthy fats in foods like avocados.
Believe it or not, doctors also recommend mommy wanna-be's drink whole milk rather than the lower calorie and fat skim milk, because whole milk helps with vitamin absorption. But it's not recommended for women with diabetes or obesity.
Finally, for a caffeine fix, skip the soda and grab a cup of coffee. Doctors say caffeine in moderation doesn't seem to interfere with becoming pregnant, but the high sugar in soda can diminish fertility.
The best beverage for the burgeoning baby, of course, is water.
Keep in mind severe weight loss or gain could also negatively affect fertility.
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