From baby carrots to pineapple, we ask the experts to weigh in on foods that boost fertility—during each of your four menstrual cycle phases.
You’re already loading up on organic fruits and veggies, staying away from processed foods and making sure you get enough whole grains, lean protein and dairy into your diet, as well as taking a prenatal vitamin for insurance. But can eating certain foods during different phases of your cycle enhance your fertility? Some experts say yes!
“Different phases of the cycle require a woman’s body to produce different hormones and go through separate processes,” says Jill Blakeway, M.S., L.A.c., clinic director at The YinOva Center in New York and co-author of Making Babies: A Proven 3-Month Program for Maximum Fertility. “So if a woman wants to maximize her chances of conceiving, it is possible to eat foods that are advantageous to each phase.
But since many pre-conception eating recommendations are nothing more than wild Internet rumors, we asked the experts to weigh in on what to actually eat during each of the reproductive phases.