Science Says These Foods Boost Male Fertility

It’s no secret that what we eat has a huge effect on our bodies—both in how we look on the outside and how our bodies function on the inside. While my advice on this topic is often to do with weight loss, it can also pertain to another one of my specialty areas: fertility.

A recent study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility at Harvard University studied the effects of integrating a variety of fruits and vegetables into the diets of healthy, young college-age men to determine the effect it would have on their sperm. The results were striking in one area in particular, as the scientists found that foods containing high levels of carotenoid—such as carrots, melons, oranges, yellow and orange peppers  and sweet potatoes—had the effect of boosting sperm by up to 8 percent.

“In a population of healthy young men, carotenoid intake was associated with higher sperm motility and, in the case of lycopene, better sperm morphology,” the report states.

Trying to Conceive & Diets

This just serves as proof as what I always tell my clients and readers: eating certain foods regularly when you are trying to conceive can really help your body’s health and effectiveness and not only improve sperm count but also sperm quality and sperm motility. It’s true, diet can boost male fertility. It’s always good to hear peer-reviewed scientific studies back up what I know to be true. However, I never want my clients to feel as though they have to adopt a strict raw, vegan, macrobiotic diet to get pregnant—especially since protein is so important for both conception and the baby’s development. It’s simply about eating the foods that mother nature provided to you—protein, lots of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds—in order to accomplish want nature wants for you—to get pregnant and grow a perfect baby. Danish studies show that men who eat more fish make sperm with longer and stronger tails that swim faster and straighter boosting conception.

Cutting out foods like hormone-heavy dairy and refined starches and sugars will always have a positive effect on one’s health, but particularly for men and women who are trying to conceive. Reducing stimulants like coffee and alcohol will also help, as those are things are not ideal for boosting fertility when taken in excess.

There are a lot of things to stress about when you’re trying to get pregnant, and diet needn’t be one of them. As this most recent scientific evidence shows, as long as you’re eating the way mother nature intended, you’re doing what’s best for your child-to-be. So feed your guy more fish and more foods that are naturally yellow and orange to boost your baby making success.