Fertility-enhancing foods are those that help produce sex hormones, as well as form eggs and sperm. Foods that increase male and female fertility are:
- Oysters, meats, dried fruits, egg yolks, rye and oats because they are foods rich in zinc, which is an essential mineral in the reproductive health of man and woman;
- Cauliflower, watercress, banana and broccoli as they are foods rich in vitamin B6 and this vitamin works in team with the mineral zinc, producing the appropriate levels of sex hormones;
- Fatty fish and seeds that have omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, which are required for healthy functioning of hormones;
- Sunflower seeds, which are especially rich in vitamin E, are important for improving the health of ova and sperm.
These are good foods to boost fertility, but there are other foods that should be avoided, such as alcoholic beverages, which can reduce fertility by half, coffee and caffeinated beverages, since a cup of coffee a day can halve the chances and foods with flour and refined sugar, such as cakes and cookies, because they use large amounts of vitamins and minerals to be processed by the body, reducing the use of these nutrients for the production of hormones.
Foods to boost female fertility
Foods to increase female fertility, in addition to those described above, are the antioxidant foods that improve fertility and are necessary for the growth and development of the eggs.
Antioxidant foods are rich in:
- Vitamin A or beta-carotene, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, pumpkin and watercress;
- Vitamin C such as green vegetables, peppers, kiwis, tomatoes and citrus fruits;
- Vitamin E, such as dried fruits, seeds, fatty fish, avocados, beans and sweet potatoes;
- Selenium, such as Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, tuna, sprouts and whole grains;
- Zinc, such as meat, fish, oysters, seeds, nuts, eggs and green leafy vegetables;
- Phytonutrients present in fruits and vegetables of all colors, such as red beets, blueberries, orange apricots, yellow peppers, pink grapefruit and green leafy vegetables.
In a diet to increase female fertility, you should eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruits of different colors per day, in addition to eating dried fruits and seeds once a day.
Foods to increase the fertility of man
The foods to increase the fertility of man, in addition to those on the first list, are: whole wheat or rye bread, potatoes, green peppers, eggs and chicken, as they are rich in chromium, an important mineral for making sperm.
Other important foods for men are those rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, as this vitamin protects sperm and helps increase their numbers.
To increase fertility naturally, see several tips for making a homemade fertility treatment for women.
