There are many old wives tales about how to ensure your baby is a boy or girl but a UK study has recently presented the first findings to suggest that what food and vitamins a woman consumes around the time she conceives could influence the sex of the child.

Scientists collected data from 740 first-time pregnancies and found that those women who ate a couple of hundred calories a day more than women in the lower calorie group were more likely to have a baby boy. 

There was also a higher chance of carrying a male baby if the diet was higher in vitamins B12, C and D as well as potassium and calcium.

The report went on to say:

“The consumption of breakfast cereals was also strongly associated with having a male infant.”

The first time mothers kept detailed food diaries for the 12 months leading up to conception.  Whereas throughout the actual pregnancy the diet’s of the mothers of both boys and girls were relatively similar, this wasn’t found to be true prior to conception.

A leading researcher, Fiona Mathews said:

“These women also have, on average, an energy intake that’s about 180 calories a day more. Both of those equate to about a banana a day difference.” 

133 foods were tested to see if there was a link to producing male offspring.  The results showed that  59% of women had a baby boy  who ate on average one bowl of cereal per day, This compared with 43% of women who only occasionally or never ate cereal.

Mathews went on to say:

“It’s a bit difficult to know whether it’s just eating anything for breakfast or cereal in particular.”