Do we have to give up rice to get pregnant? No. Here's what matters.

No. Rice is not bad for fertility; what matters is how much of the plate it fills and what comes with it.

A plate that is mostly white rice with a little sambar is heavy on quick carbs and light on protein and fibre. The same meal with more dal, a vegetable poriyal, curd and a smaller mound of rice is a different meal for your body. You can also swap some white rice for hand-pounded, red or brown rice, or for millets such as ragi, thinai or kambu. The ICMR-NIN Dietary Guidelines for Indians ask for exactly this: more whole grains and millets, more pulses and vegetables.

It looks like a normal home meal with more vegetables and protein, some whole grains, and less sugar, maida and fried food.

Build each meal around a vegetable and a protein: dal, sundal, eggs, fish, chicken, paneer or curd. Idli and dosa are fine; have them with sambar and a protein, not only chutney. Whole wheat roti and millet dosa count as whole grains. Cut back on biscuits, bakery items, fried snacks and sweets made with sugar and maida. Studies of couples trying to conceive link this kind of pattern, rich in vegetables, whole grains, fish and pulses, with better fertility in women and better semen quality in men.

No. Carbs are not the enemy in PCOS, but refined carbs and sugar are the ones to cut, because they push insulin up.

Many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, which disturbs ovulation. Swapping white rice, maida and sweets for whole grains, dal and vegetables helps steady blood sugar. You do not need a no-carb or keto diet; the international PCOS guideline found no evidence that any one type of diet works better than another. Very strict diets can backfire, and eating too little can stop ovulation on its own.

Yes to whole fruit, including mango and banana in normal servings; the ones to cut down are fruit juice, sweets and sugary drinks.

Whole fruit comes with fibre, which slows the sugar. Juice, even fresh juice, does not. Festival sweets now and then are part of life and will not change your fertility. Daily sweets, sweetened coffee and tea, and soft drinks add up, and the ICMR-NIN guidelines advise keeping added sugar low. Keep tea and coffee moderate too.

Ripe papaya and pineapple, eaten as ordinary fruit, have not been shown to stop conception or implantation, and 'heat' and 'cold' foods are a belief, not a medical effect.

These fears are passed on with love, and they cause a lot of worry. No good study shows that ripe papaya, pineapple, mango, jaggery or any 'heat' food prevents pregnancy. Once you are pregnant, raw green papaya is better left out, as many doctors advise. If a family member worries, it is fine to say: 'The doctor says normal fruit is safe.' You do not have to eat anything that makes you uneasy; you also do not have to feel guilty for eating it.

Yes. Sperm take about two to three months to be made, and the same healthy pattern is linked to better semen quality.

Fewer fried snacks, sweets and sugary drinks, more vegetables, pulses and fish, no tobacco and less alcohol help sperm as much as they help her. It is easier to change food in a home when both of you eat the same way. And if a doctor has talked to either of you about weight, the target is set with your doctor, not from a chart or a diet app.