By Lisa Turner

It doesn’t seem all that tricky. But in the US, baby making has turned into one of the most earnest endeavors of the 21st century. More than 6 million women of childbearing age have trouble getting pregnant, and infertility affects an estimated one in 10 couples.

What’s the problem? A number of factors come into play. Environmental pesticides and hormones in food can wreak havoc on hormone production. Modern lifestyle factors—a rushed schedule and chronic stress—can make conceiving difficult. And restrictive diets lacking in key nutrients (and calories) play a part. “In an evolutionary sense, we’re programmed not to have babies in times of famine,” says Jill Blakeway, LAc, author of Making Babies ((Little, Brown, and Company, 2008). “These days, [some] women fake famine with strict dieting. If you don’t have enough nutrients of your own, how can you expect to grow another human being?”

And guys aren’t necessarily off the hook: Dietary factors play a huge role in the viability of sperm, including their number, morphology (shape and size), and motility (their ability to propel themselves through the uterus and fallopian tube to penetrate the egg).

If you’re trying to conceive, it’s essential that both of you start with a healthy diet based on whole foods, preferably organic, that are free of chemical additives. You may also want to add these 10 proven fertility boosters to your shopping cart.

1. Lentils are loaded with iron, which Harvard researchers found reduces ovulation problems in women and enhances fertility. Plant sources of iron appear to work even better than animal sources, says Jorge Chavarro, MD, lead author of the study, and can be as effective as iron supplements. Other good sources of this nutrient: spinach, beans, clams, beets, oysters, and soybeans.
On your plate: Cook red lentils with coconut milk and Indian spices. Combine cooked French lentils with crumbled goat feta and minced mint leaves.

2. Olives have healthy fats, critical for manufacturing hormones and maintaining the reproductive health of both men and women, says Jeremy Groll, MD, author of Fertility Foods (Simon and Schuster, 2007). Other healthy fats include olive oil, canola oil, avocados, wild-caught salmon, and nuts. Meanwhile, minimize saturated fats and steer clear of trans fats, which significantly decrease fertility, though the reasons aren’t yet clear.
On your plate: Puree black olives, garlic, capers, and olive oil for a savory tapenade. Add chopped black olives and diced tomatoes to braised greens.

3. Almonds, like olives, are chock-full of healthy oils; they’re an especially good source of monounsaturated fats, which appear to increase a woman’s chances of getting pregnant, says Chavarro. Ayurvedic medicine recognizes the energetics as well as the nutrients of foods, so almonds strengthen the reproductive system and boost fertility by a sort of “law of similars”—they’re the seed of the plant, and life springs from them, according to Vaijayanti Apte, founder of the Ayurveda Institute of America.
On your plate: Spread almond butter on apple slices for a fast, healthy snack. Add crushed almonds and ground cumin to cooked brown rice.

4. Papaya boasts vitamin C, a crucial fertility nutrient for men that helps improve sperm count, morphology, and motility. Papaya also comes loaded with beta-carotene, another antioxidant that improves