Pre-Pregnancy Nutrition: What to Eat When You're Trying to Conceive

Nutritional Goals for a Pre-Pregnancy Diet

• Maintaining a healthy weight: Try to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. This will keep you healthy overall, while also positively impacting your fertility.

• Get a balanced amount of macronutrients: Make sure that you get a proper amount of proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates. They each serve their own purposes. Proteins are essential for tissue repair, healthy fats help with hormone levels and carbohydrates help keep up energy levels.

• Get sufficient micronutrients: Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals. These help with fertility levels and prepare your body for pregnancy.

• Folic Acid: Folic acid is one of the most important nutrients for both pregnancy and pre-pregnancy. This nutrient helps prevent neural tube defects and supports DNA synthesis. You can find folic acid in citrus fruits, leafy greens, beans, fortified grains and lentils.

• Iron: Iron helps with the transport of oxygen throughout the body and helps prevent anaemia. Anaemia can lead to a loss of energy, pregnancy complications and negatively impact your health overall. Spinach, red meat, fortified cereals, tofu and chickpeas are good sources of iron.

• Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids help with balancing hormone levels, support early foetal development and reduce inflammation. Chia seeds, flaxseeds, salmon and fish oil supplements are sources of omega-3 fatty acids.

• Calcium and Vitamin D: These two nutrients often work together, given that vitamin D helps with calcium absorption. They work together to strengthen the bones, improve muscle function and help with nerve signalling. You can find them in dairy products, plant milks, almonds, kale and fatty fish.

• Zinc and Selenium: Zinc and selenium both help with fertility, cell division and DNA synthesis. You can find them in pumpkin seeds, oysters, whole grains and Brazil nuts.

Foods To Include In A Pre-Pregnancy Diet

• Lean proteins: Include lean proteins like chicken, tofu, turkey and lentils for muscle repair and growth.

• Whole grains: Whole grains are rich in fibre, complex carbohydrates, vitamin B and help stabilise your blood sugar and provide you with energy. You can add items like quinoa, oats and brown rice to your diet.

• Fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These support cellular health and reduce inflammation. Aim for a large variety of fruits and vegetables every day.

• Healthy fats: Include olive oil, avocados, nuts and seeds to improve your hormone levels and help with nutrient absorption.

Foods to Limit or Avoid

• Alcohol and caffeine: Consuming high amounts of alcohol can negatively impact ovulation while consuming too much coffee can get in the way of conception. Limit yourself to one cup of coffee per day.

• Trans fats and deep-fried foods: These are often linked to inflammation and fertility issues. Ideally, they should be avoided.

• Refined sugars and processed foods: These foods lead to weight gain and impact fertility

• High-mercury fish: Specific types of fish like swordfish, mackerel and shark should be avoided due to their high mercury content. High mercury levels can impact fertility and foetal development. Go for low-mercury fish like salmon or sardines.

Lifestyle Changes and Hydration

• Hydration: Make sure you get enough water, at least eight to ten glasses of water every day. It is best to stick to water and avoid sugary drinks. You may, however, make fruit juices at home.

• Lifestyle adjustments: Make lifestyle changes like quitting smoking and consuming alcohol. Additionally, incorporate physical activities like walking, jogging and yoga for stress relief and management.

Seeking Professional Help

• Go to a dietician: Getting an appointment with a dietician is a brilliant way to get personalised advice on your healthcare and nutrition needs. They can provide you with a diet chart tailored to your needs.

• Ask about prenatal vitamins: You do not need to wait till you are pregnant to start taking prenatal vitamins. Ask your doctor about them, and you can start taking supplements like folic acid to bridge the gap in your current diet.

• Ask about health screenings: It is important to be aware of any healthcare conditions you may have before you begin to conceive. Get checked for issues like PCOs or thyroid problems, as these could interfere with fertility.

Ideas For Pre-Pregnancy Meals

• Breakfast: Scramble eggs with spinach and multigrain brown bread toast served with homemade, fresh orange juice or orange slices
• Snack: Greek yoghurt with chia seeds and mixed berries
• Lunch: Two rotis with mixed vegetables and dal or grilled chicken salad with mixed green vegetables and olive oil dressing
• Snack: Roasted almonds with a banana
• Dinner: Quinoa with vegetables or grilled salmon with broccoli. You may also have brown rice instead of quinoa.
• Dessert: A small piece of dark chocolate with a glass of milk. This can be any dairy or plant milk, based on your preference or allergies.

Some Basic Tips To Remember

• Aim for consistency and not perfection: Gradual, small changes are more sustainable towards building a healthy lifestyle. If you try to do too much at once, you will most likely get stressed out and overwhelmed and all of it will start to feel like a task. Listen to your body and go slow.

• Prep your meals: It can be really challenging to cook meals from scratch every day, especially if you have a hectic schedule consisting of work, exercise and errands. Plan and prep your meals in advance so that it gets easier to eat healthy.

• Involve your partner: Encourage your partner to join you in eating healthy so that you can support each other better. Additionally, if you see your partner eating junk food, it may tempt you too.

FAQs on Pre-Pregnancy Nutrition: What to Eat When You're Trying to Conceive

1. When should I start a pre-pregnancy diet?
   You should start a pre-pregnancy diet the moment you decide to start trying to get pregnant. There is absolutely no harm in starting sooner. Eating healthy is going to positively impact your life overall, and not just for reproduction.
2. What are some nutrients that are important for me if I am planning to get pregnant?
   Focus on getting enough folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamins and minerals. All of these will help boost your fertility levels while also contributing to foetal health when you get pregnant.