Pre pregnancy diet is an important part of childbearing. Factors like your weight, height, and what you eat will play a vital role in your health throughout your physiological state and the health of your developing baby.
Following a healthy diet before your pregnancy will facilitate your fertility. It also decreases the chance of congenital disabilities like congenital disorders and even reduces your probability of developing physiological conditions such as toxemia of pregnancy throughout pregnancy.
You can use this nutrition guide of Hipregnancy to set up your meals. Let’s continue to learn more about the importance of nutrition before pregnancy.
Importance of pre pregnancy diet
One of the nutritionally demanding phases is pregnancy. Your biological needs increase drastically compared with a non-pregnant woman. Your diet provides all the nutrients needed for the expansion and development of your baby. In other words, your pre pregnancy nutrition is directly linked to your baby’s health, growth, and development during pregnancy.
Inadequate nutrition consumption throughout this period creates gaps in your biological process bank. Therefore, pregnant women may deal with negative consequences. Hence, following a good diet throughout the pre pregnancy will facilitate and keep your biological process on track.
Also Read: Best Foods For First Trimester
There are several factors to consider while choosing a pre pregnancy diet. The following will explain what you might need to include in your diet before pregnancy.
1-Folic acid
This B9 vitamin is among the most important nutrients available before and during pregnancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), women should take 400 mcg of folic acid daily for at least a month before becoming pregnant. Not only is folic acid important for the formationing of healthy cells, but it can also prevent congenital disabilities such as anencephaly. Folic acid can be found in the following foods:
- Beans and nuts
- Vegetables such as Oranges and strawberries
- Fortified cereals like breakfast cereals that contain 100 percent of the recommended daily value
- Leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, bok choy
Recommend you read on article “Folic Acid Before Pregnancy“.
2-Iron
Iron carries oxygen throughout the body and is vital in delivering oxygen to the baby. If you are planning for your health, ask your doctor if you need to check for iron deficiency. Remember that too little iron can increase your underweight and premature birth risk. Females need about 18 mg daily, but the daily iron requirement increases to 27 mg if pregnant.
It is better to know that your body absorbs iron better from food. Good sources are:
- Lean meat like chicken, turkey, and beef all have about 1 mg of iron per 3 oz.
- Spinach. Spinach is a good source of iron for nutrition before pregnancy.
3-Calcium
Your reproductive system functions very well and easily with calcium, and it can even assist you in conceiving faster. This nutrient is essential to save your baby’s life because you’ll want a strong delivery for the baby’s destiny enamel and bone fitness and development.
If your calcium’s storage is low during pregnancy, your body will extract the calcium from your bones and supply it to the growing baby, increasing the risk of osteoporosis. Hence, calcium should be a part of your pre pregnancy diet if you don’t want to put yourself at risk of health issues like osteoporosis. Try to get approximately 1,500 mg of calcium every day. The most important sources of calcium are:
- Milk. Milk is the most important source of calcium. It also contains vitamin D.
- Cheese
- Broccoli. Broccoli is a good non-dairy source of calcium.
- Yogurt
Also Read: Pre-Pregnancy Planning
4-Protein
Protein will make you deliver your infant with vital nutrients and must be included in your diet before pregnancy. But some proteins are more important than others. If you’re looking to get pregnant, stick with 3 servings a day, one of which needs to be plant-based (think: nuts, seeds, and legumes). Full of protein foods that can be added to your preconception diet are:
- Lean Meats
- Fish
- Black Beans
5-Fibers
Fibers are also one of the important parts of a pre pregnancy diet. You can add this slowly-digestible carbohydrate to your pre pregnancy food plan. Fibers make you feel full for longer. You can use 10 grams of fiber daily and decrease the risk of gestational diabetes by 26 percent.
Some good sources of fiber include:
- High-fiber cereals
- Whole grains
- Fruit and vegetables such as Peas, corn, and broccoli
- Beans and legumes You can add them to stews or salads.
6-Omega-3 fatty acids
Omega-3 fatty acids can regulate key ovulation-inducing hormones and enhance blood flow to the reproductive organs. In other words, this is a vital fat that you may need to include more of in your pre pregnancy diet. Although you can benefit from many prenatal vitamins that contain omega-3s, it’s also important to get them from whole foods like:
- Fish high in fat, including salmon, anchovies, sardines, and herring, are all good sources of omega-3s.
- Beef from grass-fed cows
- Nuts and seeds such as walnuts, flaxseed, and chia seeds
- Seafood
Also Read: What Can Pregnant Woman Eat
Healthy eating tips for nutrition before pregnancy
If you try to prioritize healthy habits concerning nutrition before pregnancy, you will pass this period more easily. Remember the following tips carefully to have a healthy diet plan before pregnancy.
- Pay attention to sugar in the prepregnancy diet.
You must limit your sugar intake before and during pregnancy. Added sugar can impede your chances of getting pregnant. So always be aware of the sugar consumed.
- Contain more fruits and vegetables in your diet.
One of the vital parts of pre pregnancy diet is eating more fruits and vegetables. You can eat 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 3 to 4 servings of fruits daily.
- Stay away from contaminants.
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), contaminants can harm a baby’s developing nervous system before conception.
- Limit alcohol and Smoking.
Smoking can make it harder for you to get pregnant and increase the risk of miscarriage. Too much alcohol can also make it harder to conceive; therefore, it must be omitted from a pre pregnancy diet for females.
- Limit Caffeine.
Having more than 200mg of caffeine daily harms a baby in the womb, so it is safer to avoid caffeine as soon as you stop contraception.
Too much caffeine can also enhance your risk of miscarriage.
conclusion
A healthy pre pregnancy diet gives your body what it needs to stay healthy. Your body needs carbohydrates, proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, calcium, and minerals.
In the end, if you’re trying to conceive, it’s a good time to focus on healthy eating habits and includes the key nutrients mentioned above in your nutrition before conception. Are there any missed points or tips related to nutrition before pregnancy? If yes, share your ideas with us and other expecting mothers.
FAQ
What to include in before pregnancy diet?
The nutrition for pre pregnancy should include healthy food options, including fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish, dairy products, etc.
