The fertility diet: myths vs. realities?

When you're trying to conceive you come across a lot of information -- from books, from friends, from the Internet. I am a skeptic by nature, so I have a hard time believing that any single lifestyle choice in general or dietary choice in particular is going to be the secret ingredient for conception. After all, people have been conceiving babies since the dawn of humanity, and most of those people conceived without prenatal vitamins and dietary supplements and even particularly good general nutrition.

So, it can be a little maddening to read about all the dietary choices a woman can try to help her conceive. I'll admit, I've tried some of these, but mostly because I like the food's taste and general nutritional benefits. And, if drinking something or eating something were magically the secret to conception, well, I would have been pregnant in July.

What are some so-called fertility foods?

• Green tea typically tops the list -- I drink de-caf green tea a few times a week now, mostly because I like something warm to drink in the morning, and I've reduced my coffee intake.
• Yogurt and full-fat dairy are also frequently mentioned -- Good news is that I eat yogurt every day at lunch; but full-fat dairy, seriously? I can't stomach whole milk, but instead I go between skim milk and 2% milk. Oh, and I eat A LOT of cheese.
• Folic-acid fortified cereals -- Yup, Kashi, I consume you daily.
• Whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and foods with "good" fats, like salmon, have been a major part of my diet for as long as I can remember
• Pomegranate juice has been in the news for the past several years. While lots of women anecdotally claim it helps female fertility, there is one study that links better sperm quality to pomegranate juice (and Lance Armstrong seems to agree). I'll drink some pomegranate juice a couple times a week because I like the taste.
• You can even listen to those who claim consuming cough syrup will help you conceive.
• Eat pineapple core between 1DPO and 5DPO to assist implantation.
• Take any combination of vitamins (B, D and E appear to be popular ones) in addition to your standard prenatal vitamin that already contains plenty of folic acid to help you get pregnant.

The point of everything above is that there may be one or two studies that add validity to claims of linking fertility to these foods. There may be just as many studies -- if not more -- that negate such claims. My belief continues to be that I'll continue to eat a healthy diet overall. Right now I'm probably eating better than I ever have before. One single food is not going to get me pregnant, and the chances of a single food I eat or choice I make increasing my chances of achieving pregnancy seems dubious at best. And, at a time when I am trying to keep as many chemicals as possible out of my body, I will not be ingesting cough syrup.