Photo: Diane Murphy
About 50% of all infertility can be traced to male causes; the good news is there’s something you can do about it it.
In two separate studies, Spanish researchers compared the diets of men with normal sperm with those with poor semen quality to determine to what extend diet affected male fertility. The first found that men who ate more meat and dairy, and less lettuce, tomatoes, and fruit were more likely to have poor semen quality. The second study showed that men with normal sperm consumed more carbohydrates, fiber, folic acid, vitamin C, and lycopene, and less fat and protein. Men with poorer semen quality had diets containing fewer antioxidants.
Tips for top notch semen
If you smoke, quit now. In addition to the myriad of ill health effects from smoking, cigarette smoke contains dozens of chemicals known to interfere with fertility.
Eat your antioxidants:
Lycopene is found in watermelon and tomatoes. Tomato paste and sauce have much more lycopene than fresh tomatoes. Cook tomatoes in olive oil for the best lycopene absorption and keep watermelon at room temperature to preserve the most lycopene content.
Peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, kiwi, kale, and cantaloupe are rich sources of vitamin C.
Zinc is another antioxidant nutrient known to enhance male sperm function. The best non-meat sources of zinc are pumpkin and sesame seeds.
Fertile summer salad
8-ounces baby spinach (high in folate and antioxidant vitamins A&C)
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (high in zinc)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (fiber and vitamin C-rich)
1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans (packed with folic acid and fiber)
Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T local raw honey
1/4 tsp tomato paste
1 clove fresh garlic, crushed
Grinding of fresh black pepper
Dash salt
Pinch ground cumin
Wisk dressing ingredients together and toss with salad just before serving.
Serves 4
(Fertility and Sterility; May 2009)
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