If you’re longing to have a daughter, you might be wondering whether the food you eat could help you achieve your dream.

Can following a particular diet help you to conceive a baby girl naturally? Will certain foods increase your chances of having a daughter?

Keep reading to find out what the scientific research – and the old wives’ tales – say about what foods to eat to conceive a girl.

What are my chances of having a girl?

Although there are two possibilities – boy or girl – the chances of having either is not exactly 50/50. In fact, it is slightly skewed in favor of boys.

For every 100 girls born in the world, there are 105 boys born. This means there is a slightly higher chance that each baby born will be a boy.

How can I increase my chances of conceiving a girl?

In truth, the only way to guarantee your baby’s sex is to use sex selection. This procedure relies on scientists selecting a female embryo and inserting it into your womb. This procedure is expensive in some countries, and illegal in others. Many lawmakers deem sex selection to be unethical and have outlawed the practice.

If sex selection is illegal in your country, or not an option you’d consider, you might be looking for ways to conceive a girl naturally. Keep reading to find out whether the food you eat can determine the sex of your baby.

It’s essential to bear in mind that, other than sex selection, there is no guaranteed way to determine the sex of your baby.

You can try the methods listed in this article and they might improve your chances, but there are no guarantees. We believe the most crucial thing is to have a healthy baby.

What foods should I eat to conceive a girl?

It’s important to note there is very little science behind what foods you should eat to conceive a girl.

A lot of the theories out there are based on old wives’ tales and might not stand up to scrutiny.

Here is a list of foods people claim you should eat to conceive a baby girl:

Seafood
Beans
Almonds
Leafy greens
Dairy products
Rhubarb
Amaranth
Edamame and tofu
Berries
Figs
Okra
Citrus fruits
Oats
Eggs
Apples
Seeds
Cashew nuts and peanut butter.

What foods to eat to conceive a baby girl

According to one study, you can do things to increase your chance of having a girl. In a 2010 study researchers looked at whether maternal diet combined with the timing of sexual intercourse could determine the sex of the baby.

In particular, the researchers wanted to know whether a low-sodium, high-calcium diet would make a difference.

172 couples participated in the study. Blood minerals were assessed to determine the maternal diet, and ovulation tests were used to determine when couples should have sex.

Sex was timed to take place well before ovulation in the hopes of conceiving a girl. This is because ‘girl sperm’ has a longer lifespan and can survive for days before fertilizing an egg. ‘Boy sperm’, on the other hand, has a shorter lifespan.

The researchers found that, when used together, a low-sodium, high-calcium diet and sex before ovulation improved the chances of having a girl. Furthermore, they determined that diet had the most significant impact on the success rate.

This was a small study, so it is difficult to draw definite conclusions from the results. However, if you long for a daughter, there is no harm in applying the theory when you try to conceive. You will need to use ovulation tests or natural methods to determine the time ovulation occurs.

Best foods to eat to conceive a girl

The diet followed by the participants in the study mentioned above was low in salt and high in magnesium-rich foods. All meals had to be prepared without salt, and women consumed plenty of dairy products.

Participants ate bread, fruit, vegetables, meat, rice, and pasta. Potatoes were limited because of the high potassium content.

Study participants took daily food supplements of magnesium, calcium, and Vitamin D.

Blood values were carefully monitored throughout the study to ensure participants consumed the right amounts of vitamins and minerals.

Acidic foods to eat to conceive a girl

Some people believe eating an acidic diet can help improve your chances of conceiving a girl naturally. Some believe that boy sperm are not as able to survive in a more acidic environment.

One popular theory states that consuming acid-producing foods can increase your chance of conceiving a daughter.

Acidic foods to conceive a baby girl

The following foods are believed to make the body more acidic and therefore less welcoming to boy sperm, giving girl sperm more of a chance:

Fish
Meat
Dairy products
Grains
Olives, plums, and blueberries
Walnuts, peas, and peanuts
Vinegar
Mustard.

How to conceive a baby girl naturally

There are several things you can do to improve the chance of conceiving a baby girl, including:

Avoid sex when you’re ovulating

It doesn’t sound like a great way of getting pregnant, but abstaining from sex on the day of ovulation could help you to conceive a girl. The sex of the baby is determined by the sperm that fertilizes the egg.

If the fertilizing sperm carries a Y chromosome, the baby will be a boy. If the winning sperm carries an X chromosome, the baby will be a girl.

Male-producing sperm swim faster but die sooner, so they have an increased chance of success on the day of ovulation.

Female-producing sperm, on the other hand, can lie in wait for days for an egg to fertilize. For this reason, having sex before conception could increase your chance of having a daughter.

Opt for shallow penetration

If you were hoping for a bouncing baby boy, you would want the sperm deposited as close to the cervix as possible to give those fast-swimming Y chromosome sperm a head start. For a daughter, however, you want the opposite.

Shallow penetration means the sperm will have to travel further to reach the egg, giving plenty of opportunities for the male sperm to run out of energy and give up, while the female sperm power on and find the prize.

The missionary position is ideal for shallow penetration.

Hold off on the female orgasm

During orgasm, the female body releases an alkaline secretion that many believe benefits male sperm. This alkaline secretion is thought to create a more hospitable environment for boy sperm, increasing their chances of reaching the egg.

Avoiding a female orgasm could help keep the vagina inhospitable to male sperm and improve your chance of conceiving a baby girl.

Have sex more often

Regular sex might help you to conceive a girl. In the days leading up to ovulation, you should have sex frequently.

The more sex you have, the lower your partner’s sperm count will be. The lower the sperm count, the fewer fast swimming male sperm will be racing towards the egg.

Baby girl diet for father

Many people wonder whether paternal diet can influence the sex of the baby. At the moment, there is no research to suggest this. However, we do know that diet can affect both sperm quality and sperm quantity.

To have as many of the best swimmers possible, you should be sure to eat a healthy, balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals.

It’s essential to cut out the unhealthy things, too. For example, smoking, drinking alcohol, and eating junk food can reduce sperm quality.

To have the best chance of conceiving, both parties should enjoy a healthy lifestyle and eat a well-balanced diet.

Supplements to conceive a girl

Many couples wonder whether daily supplements might help them to conceive a girl. In the study mentioned above, women took daily supplements, including magnesium, Vitamin D, and calcium, to ensure they had enough of these vital vitamins.

A daily multivitamin might also help build good levels of these essential vitamins.

Some women take cranberry supplements when trying to conceive a girl. It is thought that cranberry supplements can alter the pH levels inside the vagina and create an environment more welcoming to female sperm. This has not been scientifically proved, however, and seems to be an old wives’ tale.

Folate or folic acid plays a vital role in fetal development during early pregnancy. For this reason, you should start taking folic acid as soon as you start trying for a baby.

How do I get over my gender disappointment?

Gender disappointment might be taboo, but it’s not uncommon. Many parents experience a twinge of disappointment when they learn the sex of their baby.

Gender disappointment is not a sign you are a bad parent, and it’s not something you should feel guilty about. You can’t help how you feel.

Unfortunately, the stigma associated with gender disappointment leaves many feeling guilty and ashamed of this common parenting experience.

Talking to non-judgemental friends and family members might help you to process your feelings. If there’s no one in your everyday life you can trust, a counselor might be able to help you.

For some great advice about dealing with gender disappointment and some real-life experiences, take a look at the BellyBelly article How To Deal With Gender Disappointment.