The condition of your partner’s sperm is every bit as important as your eggs. Sperm should be plentiful, mobile and properly shaped if you want the best chances to conceive. Though there are many contributing factors to male infertility, one of the ones that’s easiest to remedy is vitamin deficiency. Plan your guy’s diet to boost his fertility.
Significance
Male fertility issues play a role in about 50 percent of couples who have trouble conceiving. In 30 percent of the cases, the problem comes solely from the male half of the couple, while in 20 percent of the cases, the issues arise from both the men and the women. Vitamin deficiency and celiac disease could be the cause for infertility.
Features
A male fertility diet should include the vitamins and minerals that help support a healthy reproductive system. Vitamin C and vitamin E will protect the DNA encoded in the sperm. Additional zinc can help with sperm mobility. Selenium, arginine and L-carnitine can also help improve male fertility.
Meal Suggestions
Plan meals that include the appropriate vitamins and minerals. For example, he could start the day with an orange juice-based smoothie for vitamin C and whole wheat toast with almond butter for vitamin E and selenium. A bowl of chili for lunch will give him more zinc and a handful of nuts as a snack will provide arginine. For dinner, serve a real “meat-and-potatoes” type of meal, with steak, baked potatoes, broccoli and salad. This menu incorporates just about everything he needs. He may need to take a pharmaceutical quality L-carnitine supplement.
Considerations
Eating healthy foods will help in situations where diet is a contributing factor to fertility problems. If the reasons for his infertility are from stress, sperm duct defects or hormone imbalances, for example, then changing his diet may not improve the situation. Additionally, drinking alcoholic beverages and smoking cigarettes could also have a negative impact on fertility.
Celiac Disease
For some men, celiac disease is a major contributing factor to infertility. Celiac disease requires a modified diet. Those with this disease should follow a gluten-free diet, eliminating grains and other foods that contain gluten.
Photo Credit
- sperm and egg 4 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
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