A fascinating new study* on fertility (and on health generally) in Newsweek is guaranteed to surprise you. Here are highlights … To increase the chances of pregnancy:

Go for “slow” carbs and dump the “fast” ones
Decrease rapidly digested fast carbs (white bread, potatoes, sugared sodas) and instead eat slow ones (brown rice, pasta, dark bread).

Eliminate — totally — all trans-fats
What’s important is not the total amount of fat but the split between trans-fats (bad) and unsaturated fats (good). Only a small shift towards trans-fat – a doughnut, medium order of french fries, 2 tablespoons of stick margarine – has a dramatic negative effect.

Drink whole rather than skim milk
Have one to two servings of dairy products a day, but — and be sure to note — the more low-fat dairy products the more likely to have trouble getting pregnant.

Move towards beans, nuts & vegies
Go for less animal proteins (beef, pork, chicken, turkey) and more plant proteins (beans, nuts and vegetables).

Exercise by aiming for your “fertility zone”
If you’re lean do less exercise; if you’re heavy do more – don’t under-do or over-do. Go for 4 types: aerobics, strength training, stretching, daily living.

To learn more read Newsweek’s December 11 issue. You can purchase the book the article is based on. Click The Fertility Diet, to purchase via Amazon.

*The Fertility Diet by Harvard researchers Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D. and Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. Ph.H. who are in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health; and writer Patrick J. Skerrett, editor of the “Harvard Heart Letter.”