- The story begins well before the baby is born
- Dietary variations on the theme of boy/girl diets
- Other methods to influence your baby's sex
The time has come, you feel it, you know it—your couple is ready to become parents. You’re already picturing yourself with your child. But will it be a boy or a girl? Blue room or pink room? (Or a green, gender-neutral decor!) Still, you’d like to know—or better yet, decide. At least try. And, since before getting a room at home, your baby will settle into the cozy space inside your belly, maybe that’s where you should start. We tend to forget, but for a pregnancy filled with calm and serenity, the focus should be on your body, well before conception. How? By taking care of your diet, for example. Vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and everything needed for a healthy mom-to-be… and to try to choose your future baby’s sex with a suitable boy/girl diet!
The story begins well before the baby is born
You're in love. You want to have a baby. You are overjoyed. But for now, all the attention should be focused on you, future mom. Because you, as a whole, will make an immeasurable effort to conceive, carry, and give birth to this long-awaited child, it’s important to prepare yourself well in advance.
Taking care of your health every day
Often, pregnancy begins at the appearance of the little “+” sign on the test. You quit drinking and smoking, start on supplements, rest as much as you can, and indulge in wellness sessions… Nothing is too good—or too beneficial—to take care of yourself and the life you’re carrying. But what if, even earlier, much earlier, since your own birth and throughout your life, long before you became pregnant, your health was determined by something common to every age? That element could be your diet.
Increasing self-kindness when trying for a baby
What we do know is that good overall health boosts fertility and favors conception, as well as helps with healthy fetal implantation and development. A positive approach is, from the first questions about wanting a child, to show a special kindness to yourself, your body, and your metabolism.
Organic fruit and vegetables or straight from your garden, gentle but regular physical activity, plenty of mineral water, listening closely to your body and its reactions, skipping processed meals… The aim is to regain or maintain vitality, notably by avoiding processed foods and endocrine disruptors, which are often responsible for longer conception times.
But the little extra, the clever trick, could come from certain types of diets, those famous boy/girl diets that are said to help nature decide the baby's sex. A challenge to take on—and meal plans to try out—for fun, curiosity, or just to see your loved ones’ stunned reactions when you announce your success.
Dietary variations on the theme of boy/girl diets
Science has shown for many years that a future mother’s diet, before conception, can influence the ratio of boy and girl births. A subtle balance of minerals could therefore boost your chances of conceiving a girl, or increase the likelihood that you’ll have a boy.
Sodium and potassium to conceive a boy
To maximize your chances of having a baby boy in a few months, focus on foods rich in sodium and potassium, and their acidifying power. If you have a salty tooth, you’re going to love this.
Stock up on dried fruits—pick carefully among prunes, golden and regular raisins, or dried apricots and bananas, great for snacking. At mealtime, choose salted or smoked meats and fish like canned tuna, sardines in oil, cod, herring, or deli meats, washed down with sodium-rich spring water, fresh-pressed fruit juice (about 25 ounces/day if possible), tea, and coffee in reasonable amounts. For sides, enjoy lamb’s lettuce as much as you like (for its potassium), plus legumes and any vegetables except green leafy ones.
Calcium and magnesium to have a girl
On the other hand, the ideal diet for conceiving a girl is more alkalizing.
The key food here is milk, about 25 ounces (3 cups) a day if possible for its high calcium content. You can also enjoy any milk derivatives, like unsalted butter, cream, plain yogurt, or fromage blanc—but don’t eat cheese. You’ll also find calcium in green vegetables, cabbages, spinach, watercress, beans, leeks, cucumbers, and peas, as well as carrots, tomatoes, and eggplants. Add in unsalted meats and fish, fresh fruit, salt-free bread and toast, and pasta.
One of the two diets may be easier to follow than the other. We’ll let you guess which one!
No matter which you choose, don’t forget these are preconception diets. As soon as your pregnancy is confirmed, return to a rich, balanced, and varied diet all the way to baby’s birth.
Baby’s sex: just a matter of pH?
The future mother’s diet does indeed play a role in conception. By changing the body’s pH, what we eat also alters the consistency of cervical mucus, which in turn impacts how easily sperm can move. A high (acidic) pH favors male (Y) sperm. On the other hand, a low (basic) pH makes it easier for female (X) sperm to get through.
Other methods to influence your baby's sex
Beyond boy/girl diets, the Shettles method states that female (X) sperm are slower but more resilient than male sperm. Thus, if a couple has intercourse two or three days before the expected ovulation date, the only sperm remaining may be X sperm.
The Roberte method relies on both civil and menstrual calendars. Using the almanac approach from our grandmothers’ era, author Roberte de Crève-Cœur creates an annual calendar of pink and blue days to guide future parents. Depending on the mother’s ovulation date and the color of the day, your chances of conceiving a girl or a boy may be higher.
The Chinese calendar lets you cross-check your age and the month of conception for a result—boy or girl. Similarly, some sexual positions are thought to favor boy or girl conception. Deep penetration is generally recommended if you want a boy, once again to help Y sperm get where they need to go.
Enjoying your pregnancy and embracing happiness as it is
Whatever your path, once pregnant, you’re free to wait for birth or the ultrasound scan at 6 months to see whether your gender selection method worked!
If it did—congratulations! If not, don’t be disappointed. Talk it over with your loved ones or your OB-GYN and keep things in perspective. It’s hard to outsmart nature! The birth of a child is always a biological miracle, always with its share of randomness.
