Have you ever wondered if you can influence your chances of becoming a parent? Yes, you can! And it's easier than you think. And let's start right in the kitchen. All you have to do is focus on the proper diet and treat yourself to the foods that will help you conceive or even guide you through a healthy pregnancy. 

Nutrition is not just about calories 

For once, don't just look at food from a caloric point of view. Instead, focus on what the food brings to our body. In nutrition, we should now focus on hormonal balance and involve estrogen and progesterone and other hormones such as insulin, cortisol, and androgen. In a healthy diet, we should avoid industrially processed foods that contain hydrogenated hardened fats. Instead, include so-called "good fats" and essential fatty acids from fish and olives into your diet. Virgin cold-pressed olive oil is especially beneficial for the female body. And don't worry too much about its dosing. Just listen to your body, which will give you a clear signal if you consume too much, for example, with nausea. If you are not a fan of olive oil, try some alternatives such as sesame, linseed or hemp oil. 

Beware of intolerance and indigestion 

It often happens that some foods do not do us any good and cause us digestive problems. But we should be cautious about these now. If our digestive system does not work correctly, it may not properly absorb the vitamins in food, and our body has no chance to use them. In addition, inflammation of the intestines can directly affect our reproductive organs. So if you suspect a food intolerance, focus on finding a specific food causing intestinal or other problems and eliminating it from your diet. 

Food will help you conceive 

If you are actively trying to have a baby or are waiting for infertility treatment, it is the best time to support your body with the right foods. These include avocado, eggs, beans, green tea, salmon, walnuts, olives, figs, maca or coconut oil. The vitamin that should become part of your diet is B9 or folic acid, which is essential for the baby's development. You can find it in spinach, asparagus or fresh yeast. Drinking coffee at this time is also a frequent topic to discuss. Coffee itself is not harmful to the body. But if you are often stressed, a cup of coffee and a dose of adrenaline can make your condition even worse. Likewise, drinking coffee is not recommended for those who have heartburn problems. In such a case, we can replace classic coffee beans with barley or chicory. 

The right food at the right time 

But can we go even further and adjust our diet according to what stage of infertility treatment we are in? Definitely yes. In this case, it is time to work with food associations. This means that we use the properties of each food to achieve a specific effect in our body. For example cheese rich in calcium can slow down our metabolism. If a woman eats it during ovarian stimulation, she may feel swollen and retain water in her body. At the time of stimulation, we should reach for foods that dehydrate the body and are diuretic. If we want to stimulate metabolism, we serve broccoli. On the other hand, eating spinach can slow our metabolism down again. When nesting a fertilized egg in the uterus, we should avoid foods that stimulate the uterus. These include parsley, pineapple, asparagus or mushrooms.