That’s why a diet to increase fertility is about more than just calories or macronutrients. It’s about deeply nourishing your body with the foods it was designed to thrive on. Real, nutrient-dense ingredients that support hormone production, balance blood sugar, regulate cycles, and create an optimal environment for conception.

If you’ve been wondering what diet actually helps increase fertility, you’re in the right place. Let’s walk through the key principles, highlight foods to emphasize (and avoid), and even share a couple of my favorite recipes you can try at home today.

Why Your Diet Matters for Fertility

Fertility is a reflection of your whole-body health. Hormones like estrogen, progesterone, FSH, and LH all rely on nutrients from your diet to be produced and regulated.

If your blood sugar is constantly spiking and crashing, your body perceives stress and downregulates reproduction. If you aren’t getting enough healthy fat, your body won’t have the raw materials it needs to make hormones. If your minerals are depleted, ovulation may not happen consistently.

That’s why shifting your diet is often the most powerful step you can take to increase fertility. It directly impacts egg quality, sperm health, cycle regularity, and even your nervous system’s resilience to stress.

Key Principles of a Diet to Increase Fertility

Here are the foundations I teach my clients when building a fertility-friendly diet:

1. Prioritize Nutrient Density

Your reproductive system needs an abundance of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Think: pasture-raised meats, eggs, raw dairy, seasonal vegetables, fermented foods, and traditional fats like ghee and coconut oil.

2. Embrace Healthy Fats

Cholesterol is the backbone of hormone production. Without enough fat in your diet, fertility hormones can plummet. Avocados, grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, egg yolks, fatty fish, and nuts/seeds should all play a starring role.

3. Balance Blood Sugar

Irregular cycles, PCOS, and unexplained infertility are often linked to blood sugar imbalances. Focus on pairing protein, fat, and fiber with every meal to keep energy stable and reduce stress hormones that interfere with reproduction.

4. Support Detox Pathways

Your liver clears excess hormones and environmental toxins that can interfere with conception. Bitter greens, cruciferous vegetables, herbs like milk thistle, and plenty of hydration all support gentle daily detoxification.

5. Eat Seasonally and Traditionally

Our ancestors thrived on foods that were local, seasonal, and minimally processed. Returning to these rhythms helps the body regulate naturally. Seasonal soups, broths, and stews are not just comfort food, they’re fertility food.

Fertility Superfoods to Focus On

Here’s a snapshot of foods that are particularly powerful in a diet to increase fertility:

• Egg yolks: Packed with choline, B vitamins, and healthy fat to support egg health and hormone production.
  
• Pasture raised and organic meats: Some of the most nutrient-dense foods on earth are animal foods – meats are loaded with iron, zinc, B12, CoQ10and most of all protein, all essential for fertility.
  
• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel): Rich in omega-3s for reducing inflammation and supporting hormone balance.
  
• Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables: Help the body metabolize estrogen and clear excess hormones. The ones I recommend are ones low in oxalates – arugula, collards, mustards, boy choy, tat soi, cabbage, broccoli, brussels, lettuces of all kinds
  
• Bone broth: Supports gut health, immune balance, provides minerals essential for reproduction and most of all provides collagen and gelatin – easily assimilable protein that supports joints, bones, ligaments, skin, eyes, connective tissue – all helpful for getting pregnant and growing baby
  
• Fermented foods: Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt support the microbiome, which is now understood to impact fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
  
• Traditional fats: Ghee, grass-fed butter, beef tallow, coconut oil stabilize blood sugar and fuel hormone pathways. I also love high quality olive oil, unrefined avocado oil in very small amounts, and actual avocados.
  

Two Fertility-Friendly Recipes

Ready to put this into action? Here are two of my recipes that embody the principles of a diet to increase fertility:

1. Nutrient-Dense Lamb Patties with Liver
   This recipe combines the richness of lamb with the unparalleled nutrient density of liver. It’s a fertility powerhouse, delivering iron, B vitamins, and zinc, all great for ovulation and hormone balance.
   
2. Cleansing Spring Soup & Salad
   This light yet nourishing meal helps the body gently detoxify while providing antioxidants, minerals, and fiber. It’s perfect for supporting estrogen metabolism and keeping digestion smooth during your cycle.
   
3. Fertility Smoothie
   Sometimes you need quick, energizing nourishment. This fertility smoothie is packed with healthy fats, protein, and micronutrients to fuel hormone production and brain health. It’s simple, delicious, and one of my go-to fertility staples.
   

Both of these recipes show how delicious and approachable a fertility diet can be. You don’t need complicated superfoods or expensive powders, just real food cooked with intention.

Foods to Limit or Avoid

Just as important as what you add in is what you leave out. Some foods create inflammation, disrupt hormones, or deplete the body of nutrients. If you’re focusing on a diet to increase fertility, try to minimize:

• Processed seed oils (canola, soybean, corn, cottonweed, safflower or sunflower)
• Refined sugar and excess sweets
• Processed carbs (white bread, crackers, boxed cereals)
• Excess caffeine – more than 1 cup or coffee or caffeinated tea/day
• All alcohol
• Non-organic animal products (which may contain hormone-disrupting residues)

These foods can burden your liver, spike blood sugar, and interfere with the delicate balance of reproductive hormones.

Lifestyle Habits That Pair with a Fertility Diet

Food is foundational, but it works best when paired with supportive lifestyle habits:

• Cycle syncing: Adjusting your food, movement, and rest to align with menstrual phases can reduce stress and improve hormone balance.
  
• Stress reduction: Chronic stress can suppress ovulation. Daily rituals like teas, baths, and breathing exercises help calm the nervous system.
  
• Sleep hygiene: Hormone regulation depends on restorative sleep. Aim for 7–9 hours in a dark, cool room.
  
• Movement: Gentle, consistent exercise like walking, yoga, or strength training keeps circulation flowing without stressing the adrenals.

My Approach to Fertility

In my practice, I help women and couples rebuild their health in a way that feels doable and grounded. Through my Super Baby Program, we dig into diet, lifestyle, and root causes to prepare the body for conscious conception. For women who want to restore balance before pregnancy, my Radiant Woman Program provides step-by-step support for hormones, energy, and nervous system health.

Your fertility is not random or out of your control; it’s deeply connected to how you nourish your body. By focusing on a diet to increase fertility, you’re giving yourself the gift of hormone balance, stable energy, and reproductive health that will support not only conception but also a healthy pregnancy.

The beauty of this approach is that it’s never wasted effort. Even if you’re not trying to conceive right now, eating this way will enhance your energy, mood, and overall vitality.

Start small. Try one new recipe. Add one more nutrient-dense food into your week. And notice how your body responds.

As a holistic practitioner, I’ve seen firsthand how small daily choices, like starting the morning with a fertility smoothie, can make a profound difference. By incorporating nutrient-dense fats, proteins, and phytonutrients, this simple practice gives your body the building blocks it needs for healthy hormone production and reproductive health.

Whether you’re preparing for pregnancy, working on hormone balance, or simply wanting to feel more grounded and nourished, this fertility smoothie recipe is one of my favorite go-to’s.

Why Fertility Smoothies Work

The word “smoothie” might make you think of something light, fruity, or even sugar-heavy. But a true fertility smoothie is different. It’s designed to stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and fuel hormone production. Here’s why each element matters:

• Healthy fats like coconut oil, ghee, and nut butters provide the cholesterol your body needs to create hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Without enough fat, your cycles can become irregular or ovulation may not occur.
  
• Protein from collagen, yogurt, or egg yolks helps repair tissues, regulate hormones, and fuel egg and sperm health. Protein is essential for stabilizing blood sugar, which directly impacts fertility.
  
• Antioxidants from berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or cherries) protect egg and sperm cells from oxidative stress, one of the leading causes of fertility challenges.
  
• Micronutrients like vitamins A, D, and E, along with minerals such as zinc and selenium, all show up in the nutrient profile of this fertility smoothie. They’re essential for cycle regulation, thyroid heatlth and conception.
  

By combining these powerhouse ingredients, you create a meal in a glass that not only tastes amazing but also deeply supports your reproductive health.

Fertility Smoothie Recipe

Place the ingredients below into a blender:

• 1/2 cup organic frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or cherries
• 1/2 banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup (8 oz) organic whole milk yogurt (White Mountain is my favorite) or whole cow milk kefir, goat yogurt or kefir, or coconut milk, coconut water, or water
• 3 tablespoons grass-fed collagen (I like these brands: Optimal Collagen by Biotics, Whole Body Collagen by Designs for Health)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon ghee (favorites: Pure Indian Foods Ghee or Simply Ghee)
• 2 pasture-raised, organic egg yolks (only the yolks)
• 1–2 tablespoons organic and/or sprouted nut butter of choice
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 8 drops stevia extract (optional)
• 1 dropper full Radiant Energy Lotus Wei Flower Essence (optional, use code Amanda10 for 10% off) – Amazing for womb health
  

Blend until smooth and enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Kelly Brogan’s famous KB Smoothie and has become a staple for my clients.

When you commit to nourishing yourself daily with a fertility smoothie, you’re not just filling your body with calories, you’re fueling your hormones, balancing your blood sugar, and creating a foundation for reproductive health. It’s a small, daily act that signals to your body: I am ready, I am supported, and I am nourished.

If you want to dive deeper into food, fertility, and natural health, I’d love to support you. Through my Radiant Woman and Super Baby programs, as well as my new membership options, I walk alongside women and couples to restore health, rebalance hormones, and prepare the body for healthy conception.

I’m a holistic nutritionist and functional medicine practitioner who loves real food, mineral balance, nervous system care, and good old-fashioned kitchen healing. I also use targeted supplementation when it makes sense. Food is the base layer. Sleep, sunlight, following circadian rhythms, and reducing toxic inputs are the daily medicine. Supplements are the “helping hands” that can speed repair, bring a sluggish system back online, and give your tissues the specific support they’ve been asking for.

Below are four supplements I reach for often when I’m supporting fertility. They’re not random bottles from a big box store; they’re practitioner-grade formulas that I trust, and I make them available through my Fullscript dispensary so you know you’re getting the best quality. As always, the right plan is personal. This is not medical advice and it isn’t a one-size-fits-all protocol. It’s an invitation to understand how strategic support can help your body feel safe, nourished, and ready.

Why Supplements Matter for Fertility (and why they’re not the whole story)

Fertility is a whole-body conversation. Ovaries, liver, gut, thyroid, adrenals, brain, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids and your nervous system talk to each other all day long. If any one of those has been running on fumes, your body will often down-shift fertility to protect you. That’s not failure; that’s wisdom.

Thoughtfully chosen supplements can help you:

• Replenish nutrients and co-factors that are tough to get enough of from modern food systems
• Support hormone metabolism so estrogen and progesterone can find their balance
• Calm an over-triggered stress response that steals from your reproductive hormones
• Nudge ovulation and cycles toward a steadier rhythm
• Make you feel like yourself again while you do the foundational work

What they cannot do is fix a chaotic lifestyle, sugar crashes, three hours of sleep, or a kitchen cabinet packed with endocrine-disrupting products. Pair these allies with protein-rich meals, mineral-rich veggies and carbohydrates, healthy fats, restorative movement, better sleep, and kinder self-talk. That’s where the magic happens.

My Four Favorite Fertility Allies

1) Cytozyme-F

This is one of my go-to supports when I want to nourish the entire female endocrine system at a cellular level. In plain words, I use it to bring gentle, targeted nourishment to reproductive function and rhythm. This product has activated animal glandulars from female ovaries, adrenals, thyroid and pituitary. It helps get the whole symphony of these endocrine glands playing together in harmony. This product is amazing for helping all things hormone including getting a period back as well boosting fertility. 

Who I tend to consider it for:

• Irregular cycles after long-term birth control
• Women doing deeper rebuilding work who need steady, subtle support
• Women trying to conceive
• Women in peri-menopause or menopause trying to boost the hormone system 

How I think about it

This is not a stimulant and it’s not a band-aid. It’s food-like support for organ systems that have been overworked or under-fed. I usually layer it with dietary nourishment, good sleep hygiene, and mineral balance so the body has what it needs to respond.

2) Cytozyme-O

I often pair this with Cytozyme-O when assessment points toward extra help for endocrine communication. In simple terms, I’m supporting the “conversation” between brain, glands, and reproductive rhythm so signals get where they’re going and the monthly dance can organize itself.

Who I tend to consider it for”

• Women aiming to or preparing to conceive to super-charge the ovaries
• Too long, too short or lack of cycles
• If a woman has been on hormonal birth control and is trying to get the ovaries back on line
• Naturally boosting or balancing out estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels

How I think about it

I like to use it as part of a broader plan that includes blood-sugar stability, nervous system care, overall endocrine system support (like Cytozyme-F) and liver support. When the background noise calms down, hormone communication always improves.

3) LivCo®

I call this one “liver love in a bottle.” A well-cared-for liver is non-negotiable for happy hormones because your liver helps metabolize and clear them. When the liver is burdened by stress, toxins, plastics, alcohol, poor sleep, or just life, estrogen levels can be  unpredictable. Bloating, mood swings, breast tenderness, stubborn weight, and PMS can pop up.

LivCo blends herbs that help the liver process what it needs to process while offering antioxidant support. When the liver can clear yesterday’s hormones, today’s cycle feels clearer and more easeful. Cleared pathways equal calmer cycles.

Who I tend to consider it for

• Estrogen-dominant patterns or “PMS that makes no sense”
• Skin issues that flare with your cycle
• History of chemical exposures, birth control, or simply a lot of life
• PMS and difficult periods
• Anyone – this formula can benefit anyone as a gentle liver support which we all need for the rest of our life.

How I think about it

I always pair liver love with nourishment. Your detox system is nutrient-hungry: protein, choline, B vitamins, magnesium, and minerals. LivCo is a beautiful helper when the food foundation is in place.

4) Free and Easy Wanderer

I love this classic Chinese herbal formula for women who are carrying a lot. Modern life asks us to do so much while pretending we don’t have feelings or cycles. Your nervous system hears every request. It’s hard to ovulate consistently when your body feels under threat all month long. This formula has a long history of helping smooth emotional edges, ease irritability and stuckness, and support a more rhythmic cycle. This formula also supports both liver and adrenals. 

Who I tend to consider it for:

• The high-functioning, compassionate woman who is exhausted inside
• The woman that is wired and tired
• The woman who releases stress with rage,  anger or irritability
• PMS that feels more like “pre-menstrual truth telling” with no place to land
• Cycles that go late when stress goes up

How I think about it

When your system feels safer, it can shift out of survival and into creation. This ally helps create that “softening” while we also work on protein-rich meals, blood-sugar balance, sunlight, and rest.

How I Combine These in Real Life

Every woman is different, which is why I personalize. That said, here are example scenarios that might help you picture how this works. These are not prescriptions. They’re illustrations.

Scenario A: Coming off hormonal birth control

• Focus: rebuild minerals, stabilize blood sugar, re-establish rhythm
• Often helpful: Cytozyme-F for foundational support, LivCo for gentle hormone clearance support, nutrient-dense meals, early bedtime, morning sunlight
• Add if needed: Free and Easy Wanderer for stress smoothing while your body remembers how to cycle

Scenario B: Irregular cycles with long follicular phase

• Focus: calm the stress response, support endocrine communication, keep blood sugar steady
• Often helpful: Cytozyme-O alongside Cytozyme-F and LivCo, solid protein at breakfast, mineral-rich carbs, nervous system resets mid-day

Scenario C: Clear PMS signs of estrogen dominance

• Focus: help the liver do its job, support the gut, remove estrogen-like inputs from products and plastics
• Often helpful: LivCo, Cyto-zyme-F, Free and Easy Wanderer, castor oil packs over the liver and womb area, switch to unscented and non-toxic home products, stop eating and drinking out of plastic, eat regular meals, eat plenty of fiber such as beans and greens and psyllium to clear excess estrogen

Scenario D: Stress-related late ovulation

• Focus: safety signals, slower evenings, fewer stimulants, deep nourishment
• Often helpful: Cytozyme-O, Cytozyme-F, Free and Easy Wanderer, magnesium at night, device boundaries, gentle walking, more root vegetables and warm meals

Again, these are examples. Your body gets the final say.

The Foundations That Make Supplements Work

Supplements are not magic without the basics. If you want fertility to feel less mysterious, build the following into your life and then layer supplements as needed:

Protein at every meal

Twenty to thirty grams minimum is a good starting point for most women. Eggs, grass-fed beef, pastured chicken, wild fish, broth, and slow-cooked meats stabilize blood sugar, make hormones, and help you feel human again.

Mineral-rich carbohydrates

Fruit, root vegetables, beans, squash, potatoes, and properly prepared grains can calm the nervous system and support thyroid function. 

Healthy fats

Butter, ghee, beef tallow, olive oil, coconut oil and milk, avocado. These are your hormone building blocks and your satiety friends.

Sleep like it matters

Lights down, phone far away, warm bath, magnesium, earlier bedtime. Fertility loves safety and safety loves sleep.

Reduce endocrine disruptors

Fragrances and perfumes, soft plastics, plug-in’s scented things, certain body products, and harsh cleaners can all add to the burden. Swap as soon as you can. Your body notices.

Move your body kindly

Walks outside. Strength training that feels good. Stretch, dance, breathe. Your lymph moves when you do.

Final Thoughts

You do not have to bully your way to fertility. You can nourish your way there. You can rest your way there. You can create a life that feels safe and supportive and watch your body respond with gratitude.

If you want to explore these supplements through my dispensary, here are the direct links:

Cytozyme-F

Cytozyme-O

LivCo®

Free and Easy Wanderer

If you’re ready for a plan that is fully yours, that honors your story, and that moves at your body’s pace, I would love to support you. We can begin with a holistic fertility consultation (virtual or in office) and, if it’s a fit, we can fold you into my membership for steady support as you move toward the future you’ve been dreaming about.

FAQs

When you ignore these shifts and force yourself into a constant grind, you end up exhausted, burnt out, and resentful of your body. When you honor them, you unlock a completely different relationship to yourself; one rooted in ease, alignment, and balance.

This is the principle of cycle syncing. Cycle syncing is the practice of aligning your food, movement, work, and rest with the natural rhythms of your menstrual cycle. 

Let’s break down the four phases of your cycle, how they affect you, and how you can begin to eat, move, and rest in each one.

Phase 1: Menstrual (Winter Season)

Days 1–5 (on average)

Your period is your body’s invitation to pause. Hormones are at their lowest point, and your energy is naturally inward. This is not the time to push. This is the time to retreat, restore, and reflect.

How You May Feel

• Lower energy, desire for solitude
• Increased sensitivity — both physically and emotionally
• Desire for warmth, quiet, and comfort

How to Eat

• Warm, mineral-rich soups and stews
  
• Slow-cooked meats and bone broths for replenishment
• Cooked root vegetables, dark leafy greens, and beets for iron support
• Avoid cold, raw foods that tax digestion

How to Move

• Gentle stretching
• Short, restorative walks
• Rest as much as possible — give yourself permission to do less

How to Rest

• Early bedtimes
• Hot baths, castor oil packs, or simply cozy blankets
• Journaling — what do I want to let go of?
  

Phase 2: Follicular (Spring Season)

Days 6–12 (on average)

As estrogen begins to rise, you feel lighter, brighter, and more optimistic. This is the time to plant new seeds — whether that’s ideas, projects, or habits. Creativity flows more easily, and your body feels ready for fresh, vibrant foods.

How You May Feel

• Increased energy and motivation
• More social and open to new experiences
• Brain feels sharper, ideas flow

How to Eat

• Fresh salads
• Lean proteins like fish and chicken
• Citrus fruits and berries for antioxidants

How to Move

• Cardio and flow-style workouts feel easier now
• Try new activities
• Strength training can also be added in gradually
  

How to Rest

• Prioritize creative play and inspiration
• Journal: What do I want to create or call in this month?

Phase 3: Ovulatory (Summer Season)

Days 13–16 (on average)

This is your peak energy time. Estrogen and luteinizing hormone are high, and testosterone gives you strength and stamina. You’re magnetic, social, and vibrant. Use this energy to connect, share, and get visible.

How You May Feel

• Outgoing and confident
• High libido and magnetism
• Peak communication and social skills

How to Eat

• Fresh fruit, smoothies
• Lighter proteins and vibrant, colorful meals
• Cooling foods like cucumbers, melons, and leafy greens
• Hydrating foods to support cervical fluid

How to Move

• High-intensity workouts, group classes, strength training
• Activities that make you sweat and feel powerful

How to Rest

• Social time actually energizes you — enjoy it
• Creative collaborations and teamwork
• Journal: Where am I ready to be seen?

Phase 4: Luteal (Fall Season)

Days 17–28 (on average)

Progesterone rises, creating a natural desire to turn inward and nest. If your body isn’t supported, this is often when PMS symptoms show up. Honoring the luteal phase by slowing down can help you avoid burnout and keep your hormones balanced.

How You May Feel

• Energy gradually declines
• Desire for coziness, slower pace, and comfort foods
• Emotions may feel more raw or intense

How to Eat

• Warm, grounding foods like root vegetables and stews
• Complex carbs like sweet potatoes and squash for serotonin support
• Dark chocolate and magnesium-rich foods for mood and cramps
• Reduce caffeine and sugar to minimize PMS symptoms

How to Move

• Pilates, yoga, barre, strength training with moderate intensity
• Walking outdoors
• Focus on consistency, not intensity

How to Rest

• Prioritize early nights and cozy routines
• Allow extra space for feelings that arise
• Journal: What do I need to let go of before the next cycle?
  

Why Cycle Syncing Matters

When you ignore your body’s rhythms, you end up in a cycle of depletion: fatigue, anxiety, PMS, irregular cycles, and even fertility struggles. When you honor your rhythms, you not only feel better, but your hormones begin to balance naturally.

Cycle syncing shouldn’t feel like you are adding more to your plate. You just want to adjust what you’re already doing so that it flows with your body, instead of against it.

This is the kind of alignment that reduces burnout, stabilizes mood, and brings you closer to your body’s natural design.

Bringing This Into Your Life

Start small. Don’t try to overhaul your entire life in one cycle. Choose one thing from each phase — maybe it’s eating more warm soups during menstruation, adding cardio during follicular, scheduling social time during ovulation, and slowing down caffeine during luteal.

As you practice, you’ll begin to notice patterns. You’ll know when your body wants to say yes and when it needs to say no. You’ll feel less guilt about resting and more energy when it’s time to shine.

Ready for Deeper Support?

If you’re tired of trying to figure it all out on your own and you’re ready for a plan that actually works for your body, I’d love to support you. In a 1:1 consultation, we’ll look at your unique cycle, health history, and lifestyle and create a plan that feels doable and deeply nourishing.

Your cycle isn’t a burden, it’s a map. And when you learn to follow it, you reclaim your power, your health, and your joy.