Eating To Conceive

Eating Right Before You Are Pregnant

Eating right before you get pregnant, is one of the best ways to improve your chances of conception.  Given the most critical days for human development are the first few days post conception, a properly balanced and nutritious diet before you are pregnant can help to ensure implantation and a healthy pregnancy. Another benefit, you probably won’t know you are pregnant until 6-8 weeks into pregnancy, eating right for yourself will provide your growing baby with good nutrition right from the start.

A healthy, balanced diet includes controlled portions of fresh veggies, fruit, whole grains, dairy products, and lean protein. Professionals recommend minimizing saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, and added sugar as well. Being healthy also means getting adequate exercise. If you don’t exercise regularly, talk to your health care provider, they’ll provide you with tools and referrals to help you get started.

A few things to include in your diet:

Prenatal Vitamins- Get into the routine of taking a daily supplement before you are inundated with all the baby stuff.  It’s a sensible way to provide you and your baby with key nutrients especially if your current eating habits are poor, or if you are experience morning sickness when you become pregnant. Evidence shows that prenatal vitamins may also lower the risk of childhood cancers like leukemia (Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics).

Folic Acid- Since Folic Acid was added to cereals, the rates of serious- even fatal- birth defects has decreased. Loading up on Folic Acid before pregnancy and during, can reduce your chance of delivering a baby with neural tube defects and other serious defects to the spine or brain by 50%. Food sources of folic acid include legumes, dark leafy green veggies, citrus fruits, and whole wheat bread.

Omega-3’s- Essential fatty acids, DHA and EPA are commonly found in fish. Omega-3’s are essential to human health but cannot be manufactured by the human body. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids must be obtained from food or supplemented by vitamins.

Zinc- This trace mineral plays a huge role in reproductive health. It helps with ovulation and fertilization in women and maintains correct semen level and testosterone levels in men.

Chasteberry- Talk to your physician about Chasteberry before taking this herb.  It has been indicated in at least one study to help regulate ovulation and resolve hormonal imbalances. However, if you suspect you might be pregnant, stop taking this herb at once. This herb should NOT be taken during pregnancy or breastfeeding!