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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Fertility Diet: For MEN

All of you women out there know how important it is to eat a healthy diet while trying to become pregnant (and of course once you are pregnant, too!). But did you know that the diet and other lifestyle choices of your man can also affect fertility and potentially the health of your baby? And of course, writing about babies allows me to post a picture of my little boy, Basil. He is nine months tomorrow!

I just read an interesting article about folic acid and it's importance for men's fertility. We have known for a long time how important folic acid is for women and the prevention of neural tube birth defects. All women of childbearing age are advised, whether you are planning on becoming pregnant or not, to be on a 400 mcg folic acid supplement. Now it sounds like we should be advising this for men, too! Most general multivitamins contain at least 400 mcg of folate. This new study found that folic acid may help men reduce their children's risk of birth defects such as Down's syndrome. This study actually found levels of 700 mcg per day were most beneficial. Since folic acid is fortified into grain products, I still think that a 400 mcg vitamin plus food is likely sufficient (as long as you are not following a low carb diet).

Other tips to improve fertility and the health of your offspring:

1. Do not smoke. Smoking can decrease the number and motility of sperm and may lead to health problems in children.
2. Limit alcohol consumption, especially 3 months before trying to conceive. Having more than 2 drinks per day for men has been linked to lower birth weight babies.
3. Do not use drugs. I don't think I need to go into further detail with that one!
4. Moderate caffeine intake. The research is split on caffeine, some shows it actually helps sperm and some shows it hurts it. I think moderation is the answer. Two cups of coffee or other caffeinated drinks per day is likely fine, but don't down 10 per day.
5. Exercise daily. The healthier your heart, the better your circulation....all over your body!
6. Don't use steroids. Even though this one might also seem obvious, this is the most prominent cause of infertility in men.
7. Keep blood pressure under control. Certain BP meds can affect sperm, so check with your doctor.

Healthy nutrients for men trying to conceive:

1. Folic acid (also called folate). Folic acid is found in grain products (refined and whole grain), asparagus, oranges, beans, green leafy veggies (spinach, kale, romaine, broccoli, etc)
2. Antioxidants. Antioxidants help to keep sperm healthy, preventing defects and increasing motility. All fruits and vegetables are good sources of antioxidants like Vitamin C and beta carotene. Get plenty of whole grains and nuts and seeds to get selenium and Vitamin E.
   
3. Zinc. Some studies show that even short term deficiencies of zinc can reduce sperm volume and affect testosterone levels. If you are meat eater, you are likely getting enough. If not, beans (especially baked beans) are going to be your new friend.
4. Calcium and Vitamin D. You may think this is only for women, but think again. Make sure you get three servings of milk, yogurt, cheese, or fortified foods every day.
5. Omega-3's. They are good for everything else, so why not sperm, too?

While I am normally a food first kind of gal, I think it is really important to make sure you are getting at least the RDA of your nutrients if you are trying to conceive. I recommend eating a healthy diet with the addition of a multivitamin and 1000 mg omega-3 from fish oil. The vitamin does not have to be a mega formula, but a regular Centrum or Men's One A Day will be just fine!

Enjoy the photo of my healthy and happy boys!

Labels: fertility, men's health, Tara Gidus

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Fertility Diet

You may have seen the cover of Newsweek recently with an article on diet and fertility. While that article fully supported a new book called The Fertility Diet by Harvard Medical School researchers, others are skeptical of the research presented in the book. One interesting recommendation they have is to eat more high fat dairy foods, such as ice cream. I remember reading a study about this, and it happened to be authored by these same Harvard researchers. Diet studies are difficult to do because people eat so many different foods and it is hard to know what they ate that really had an impact on what you are studying. I find it hard to believe that ice cream will increase fertility and low fat dairy foods will decrease fertility. Surely there were other factors that may have had an influence.

We (medical community) do not really know what causes infertility and what can really boost fertility, especially in the diet. Limited research exists on this topic, but I think there are some factors that are pretty well accepted.

1. Smoking decreases fertility in men (decreased sperm count) and women
2. Maintain a healthy weight. Being underweight can be just as detrimental on hormone levels and suppressing ovulation as being overweight.
3. Lose weight if you are overweight. Being overweight can make it much harder for women to get pregnant. Even losing 5-10% of your body weight may help increases your chances of conceiving. You will also have a much healthier pregnancy if you are not overweight or obese.
4. Stress can affect hormones in both men and women, suppressing ovulation or decreasing viable sperm.
5. Pesticides can affect sperm count and quality and may affect a woman's eggs. Choose organic and wash all produce well.
6. Sleep can cause leptin levels to fall which has been linked to infertility in women
7. High mercury levels in the blood from eating too much high mercury fish can cause infertility in men and women
8. A healthy diet is vital. We know that folic acid is necessary for prevention of neural tube defects once you are pregnant, but it may also help increase fertility in men and women.
9. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E, and selenium can help fertility in men and women. Eat your fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, and whole grains.
10. Other nutrients like iron, zinc, B-6, B-12, and magnesium are also important for conception. Men and women who are trying to get pregnant should take a multivitamin with minerals every day in addition to eating a well-balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and dairy.

Photo of my son, Basil, when he was about 5 minutes old.

Labels: fertility, pregnancy, Tara Gidus

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