You're probably already aware of the importance of a healthy diet when you're pregnant, but pregnancy nutrition actually begins even before you've conceived. Eating the right foods and avoiding potentially harmful ingredients can make it easier to get pregnant and help you conceive and carry a healthy baby.
Folic Acid
Folic acid or folate is perhaps the single most important nutrient to take before getting pregnant. Folic acid can reduce your baby's risk of developing neural tube defects such as spina bifida, and the earlier you start taking it, the better, according to Heidi Murkoff, the best selling author of "What To Expect When You're Expecting." Folic acid is found in leafy green vegetables, whole grains and many refined grain products, but it's a good idea to take a daily supplement with 400 to 600 mcg of folate to ensure you're getting the amount you need.
Nutrient Density
If you're hoping to conceive in the near future, focus the majority of your diet on nutrient-dense foods; these are foods that provide a large number of nutrients relative to calories. Fruits and vegetables are some of the most nutrient-dense foods so choose produce in every color to make sure you're getting a variety of nutrients and choose the brightest-colored fruits and veggies you can find. BabyCenter recommends eating 2 cups of fruits and 3 cups of vegetables every day in the weeks and months before conception. Whole grains are another good source of nutrients so swap out refined carbs like white bread and rice for whole grain sources like whole-wheat bread and brown rice and aim to eat about 6 oz. of whole grains daily.
Balance
To prepare for conception, your body needs a balanced diet so avoid fad diets and don't exclude any major food groups. In addition to plenty of produce and whole grains, fill up on low-fat hormone-free dairy products like yogurt, cheese and milk and eat between two and four servings of protein-rich foods every day; top sources of protein include fish, meat, nuts, beans and other legumes. Make sure you're getting plenty of iron, whether it's from red meat, leafy greens or a supplement; having low iron before conceiving can increase your risk of postpartum anemia, according to BabyCenter.
What To Avoid
To avoid exposing your future baby to mercury, limit your weekly seafood intake to 12 oz. of low-mercury fish such as shrimp, salmon, catfish and canned light tuna; avoid canned white tuna, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, tuna steaks, shark, orange roughy, Spanish mackerel, marlin and grouper. You'll also want to stop eating raw or undercooked fish, meat, eggs and products made with unpasteurized milk to protect your body from harmful bacteria.
Beverages
You probably already know to avoid alcohol during pregnancy, but cutting down on drinking can actually make it easier to conceive, according to BabyCenter. The jury is still out on whether caffeine can make it more difficult to get pregnant, but it's a good idea to limit your caffeine intake to less than 300 mg per day. Water should be your beverage of choice when you're preparing to conceive, so aim to drink at least eight 8 oz. glasses daily.
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