8 Foods to Eat to Get Pregnant

Are you trying to get pregnant? One great way to boost fertility is to improve your diet! Certain foods are great for menstruation, protecting reproductive cells and encouraging healthy ovulation. Here are the best eight foods to help give your body what it needs to make a baby!

Beans: Throwing some extra beans onto a salad is easy enough and can seriously increase your chances of conceiving. According to Parents.com, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health looked at nearly 19,000 female nurses who were actively trying to get pregnant and found that infertility was 39 percent more likely in women with the highest intake of animal protein. But women who ate a lot of plant protein were substantially less likely to have trouble trying to conceive. Try this Healthy Bean and Bulgur Salad next time you need a new way to eat beans!

Oysters: Oysters are one of the best ways to to give your body zinc. Zinc deficiency can cause your body to slow the production of high-quality eggs and mess with menstruation. So not only will it help get you pregnant, but it's a great aphrodisiac, so it'll get you into the bedroom too! For more aphrodisiacs, click here!

Leafy greens: Eating your greens is always important, and it's a great way to give your body vitamin E, which could improve ovulation. Try adding kale, spinach, arugula or other dark leafy greens like broccoli to your diet. We recommend this Green Power House Salad because it's tasty, fresh and a great way to get your healthy veggies!

Non-Heme Iron: Non-heme iron is found in plants and is absorbed faster than heme iron. One great way to get non-heme iron is pumpkin seeds, which can be prepared in a variety of ways. You can also get it from beans, peas and lentils. Because many women are iron deficient, you may want to consider checking your iron levels and taking a supplement.

Berries: Raspberries and blueberries are your best bet for fertility boosting, but other berries, like strawberries, will work too. They are high in antioxidants, which protects cells from aging and damaging (including reproductive cells like eggs). Even if berries are out of season, you can get them frozen!

Full-Fat Milk: Dairy is a good source of calcium and can be a good assistant to ovulation. Usually we'd recommend a low-fat milk, but if you want to have a baby, stick to full fat. A great way to get dairy is in your yogurts and cheeses!

Fatty Fish: Salmon (wild preferably), herring and other fatty fish are a great source for omega-3 fatty acids, which is great for fertility. It can help increase blood flow to reproductive organs and balance hormones. If you don't like fish, try getting omega-3 from flax seeds, almonds, walnuts or pumpkin seeds!

Complex carbs: Pretty much everyone wants to load up on carbs, but we know that cutting carbs is good for weight loss. If you're trying to have a baby, choose complex carbs, like in whole wheat bread. A complex carb is also found in fruits and vegetables and won't spike insulin levels like a refined carb will. Insulin spikes and high blood sugar disrupt reproductive hormones and could mess with menstruation.