Eat a Banana for a Boy

You know I will look for any excuse to post a picture of my beautiful boy, Basil (10 months tomorrow). So when I saw this story on how the diet of a mother may affect the gender of her baby, I perked up with interest.

The study was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The researchers found a few interesting correlations between a mother's diet and whether she has a boy or girl. Those women who had boys had:

• High potassium intake. On average, they ate 300 mg more potassium than women having girls
• Bigger appetites. Women having boys ate 400 calories more per day than those with girls
• Breakfast cereal. Women who ate a bowl of cereal daily were 87% more likely to have a boy than women who had one bowl or less per week. Researchers do not necessarily think it is the cereal that did it, but rather just eating breakfast that made the difference.

How is this possible?
It is well known that the man's sperm determines the gender of the baby. However, the question is which sperm actually makes it to the egg that is the question. The researchers think that certain nutrients or eating habits make women's bodies "more hospitable to sperm carrying the male chromosome," one fertility specialist said.
How do I get a girl?
Since I have my boy, I keep telling my husband Stephen that I need a girl. So do I swear off potatoes, beans, and bananas and reduce my calorie intake and skip breakfast? Not for this bean queen. I am just going to have to hope and pray that my body is hospitable for those little girl sperm!

Photo of Basil Gidus in March, 2007 at 8 1/2 months old

Labels: fertility, gender differences, potassium, Tara Gidus

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