I have 3 girls and am trying for a boy. Is it true that the diet before conception can influence the sex of my baby?

admin | 11:31 am | November 29, 2011 | Pregnancy and Baby Feeding

There had been no evidence that diet can influence your baby’s gender until recently. Researchers from the universities of Exeter and Oxford in England asked 740 first-time moms in the United Kingdom to keep food diaries before and during early pregnancy. The women didn’t know the sex of their babies, but when researchers reviewed their food plans, they found that moms who consumed more kilojoules of higher quality before conceiving were about 24 percent more likely to give birth to boys than moms who ate less. The average energy intake of women bearing boys was 10135 kilojoules. The researchers found that women who gave birth to boys also had higher levels of protein, potassium, calcium, vitamin C and vitamin B12. There is also some evidence that in developing countries where food is scarce, the amount of boys born is dropping. The research is interesting, but it certainly is not the whole truth and we don’t yet fully understand the nutritional factors that play a role in conception.

Increasing your kilojoule intake does come with risks though, which include weight gain and a high pre-pregnancy weight. It is not advised to gorge out while sacrificing on good nutrition. Also if you are overweight, increasing kilojoules to as much as 10 000 could result in rapid weight gain and a high pre-pregnancy weight if followed for too long. To put this research to the test, start to increase your intake of nutritious foods, like lean protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and wholegrains and exercise at least 5 times a week to compensate for the high kilojoule intake.