After many blissful years together, you and your significant other are finally ready to start a family.  However, you may be concerned about your chances of conceiving due to your age or health problems.  If this scenario sounds familiar, you might improve your odds of getting pregnant by eating the following 4 foods.

Dark Green Vegetables

In order for a couple to conceive, they need to have intercourse during the time of the woman's ovulation.  Ovulation occurs when:

  • A woman's ovary releases an egg each month
  • The egg flows down the female's Fallopian tube
  • The egg rests in an area where fertilization with a man's sperm can happen

Including an array of healthy dark green vegetables into your diet may help the ovulation process.  These vitamin dense foods contain folate.  Folate is a type of B vitamin that can possibly make the ovulation process more successful.  This important vitamin might also aid in creating vigorous sperm.  If you're interested in adding dark green vegetables to your diet, you should stock up on:

  • Spinach
  • Asparagus
  • Broccoli
  • Arugula
  • Romaine lettuce

Salmon

If you want to welcome a baby into your family soon, you might wish to increase your intake of salmon.  This nutrient packed powerhouse is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids.  These acids are believed to improve blood flow in important areas of a woman's reproductive system.  Omega-3 fatty acids are also thought to stabilize reproductive hormones. 

Wild salmon is believed to contain more omega-3 fatty acids than farm-raised salmon.  If you aren't a fan of this pink fish, you can obtain omega-3 fatty acids from other food sources, including:

  • Walnuts
  • Omega-3 enriched eggs
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Trout
  • Shrimp
  • Flounder
  • Flax seeds

Beans

Do most of the protein sources in your diet come from meats?  If so, you may want to incorporate more plant based protein options into your daily meals.  Beans are a healthy source of plant based protein.

Research suggests that consuming too much animal protein may cause ovulation failure.  If a mere 5 percent of your calories originate from plant based proteins, you might be able to cut your risk of ovulation failure in half.  In addition to beans, nuts provide another good source of plant derived protein.

Ice Cream

Do you always look for an excuse to indulge in a sweet treat?  If so, you'll probably be thrilled to learn that full fat dairy options such as ice cream can improve fertility.

Researchers believe that low fat dairy products contain imbalanced sex hormones.  This difference of sex hormones in lighter dairy options can affect a woman's ovulation.  So, if you're trying to get pregnant, you have an excuse to eat a serving of your favorite kind of ice cream each day.

If you're trying to conceive, you probably don't want any road blocks in your way.  However, your nutrition can play a role in ovulation and fertility.  Incorporating the aforementioned foods into your diet may help you become pregnant faster.  To learn more about the role nutrition plays in conception and pregnancy, make an appointment with a healthcare professional practicing obstetrics today.    

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