Can your diet determine the sex of your baby?
Can your diet determine the sex of your baby?
Boy or girl, which will it be?girl you want to take home, try the missionary position. If you want a boy, make sure the father
wears boxers, not briefs. If your hoping for a girl, initiate sex before your partner does. These are just some of the theories that hopeful parents follow when planning their next baby. But what about your lifestyle before conception? Does it have any impact on which gender your baby will be? Many believe that your diet in pre and early stages of pregnancy does indeed have a huge affect on your child?s gender.
Studies have found foods high in potassium and sodium result in a baby boy. So if you’re after a
blue bundle of joy, chow down on meat, fresh or pre-cooked especially beef; salted and smoked
meats; white bread and white-flour crisp bread; all fish, and two eggs weekly. You can also enjoy
white-flour cakes, pastries and biscuits; most vegetables (except forbidden are sweetcorn, popcorn, parsley, mushrooms, courgettes, endive avocado, fennel, raw tomatoes, soya beans, peas and beans, chestnuts; all fresh fruit, particularly potassium-rich bananas and fresh pineapple; pasta, rice, semolina (all without milk); milk-free puddings and sauces; dried prunes, raisins, figs, apricots; sugar, jam, fruit jellies, sorbets; oils and milk-free margarine. The father of the baby can also help prepare for a boy. Many say the father should drink plenty of fizzy drinks, particularly cola and also drink coffee before intercourse. The reason behind this is to pep up the Y chromosomes. A study from Harvard School of Public Health and the Karolinska Institute of Sweden found that women expecting a boy had an 8 percent higher intake of protein, a 9 percent higher intake of carbohydrates, an 11 percent higher intake of animal fats and a 15 percent higher intake of vegetable fats than women carrying a female. Forbidden foods when trying for a boy include milk in any form (butter, cheese, yogurt); shellfish, molluscs (mussels etc.) and wholemeal bread.
A diet higher in carbohydrates, in calcium and magnesium and low in saturated fats is preferable for women wishing to give birth to a baby girl. Good foods include as much milk as possible (770ml per day); fresh cream, yogurt; limited meat or fish (125g per day); unsalted butter, unsalted soft cheese; milk puddings; salt-free wholemeal bread, crisp-bread and pastry, without yeast; rice, pasta, semolina, tapioca; limited amount of potatoes; fresh or frozen carrots, green beans, turnips, aubergines, onions, leeks, peas, cucumber, radishes, peppers, cress, celeriac, celery; unsalted walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts; fresh, frozen or tinned apples, pears, clementines, strawberries, raspberries; tinned only pineapples, plums and peaches, all without syrup; jam once daily, sugar, honey. Forbidden foods when trying for a girl include salt and salt substitute; white bread, pasties and biscuits, unless salt-free; crisps; all salted or smoked foods; coffee, tea, tinned fruit juice, fizzy drinks; wine, beer, cider, liqueurs, aperitifs; all meat and fish, except for daily allowance above; popcorn, sweetcorn, avocados, spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms, courgettes, parsley, endive, fennel, raw tomatoes, soya beans, dried peas and beans; all fresh fruit (apart from allowed fruits from above); dried fruit; chocolates and sweets; bicarbonate of soda and all prepared sauce.
Of course, these suggestions are only guides and are very controversial. There are other methods that can reportedly determine the gender of a child, including the Shettles Method, the Whelan Method, the Ericsson Method and Centrifugation. None of the methods are guaranteed and they all have varied success rates. It is advised that before any change in diet while pregnant, you should consult your doctor.