Healthy Diet and Nutrition to Get Pregnant

Healthy diet and good nutrition leads to healthy pregnancy. We all know that. But do you know that your present diet will impact your future ability to conceive?

Much research have been done on the mother's diet during and after pregnancy, but little emphasis is placed on a woman's diet while she is preparing for pregnancy. If you want to get pregnant, you'll have to start paying attention to what you're ingesting into your systems at this crucial preconception phase.

Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting nutritional value for money? Are you consuming highly processed food that is high in fat and sugar but low in fiber, vitamins and minerals? Are you eating food exposed to the danger of pesticides, chemicals, and preservatives?

Bad food weakens your immune system and make you susceptible to a range of illnesses and diseases that'll affect your reproductive health and compromise your fertility.

On the other hand, nutrients from good food help to repair damaged tissue and aids in the manufacture of important female hormones involved in reproduction. An adequate, balanced, and healthy diet makes you more fertile.

Here are some suggestions for a healthy diet :

• Eat food that are found lower on the food chain

  The general rule of the thumb for healthy diet while preparing for pregnancy is to strive to consume more plant-based foods; food that are found lower on the food chain. Fruits, vegetables, grains, seeds, nuts and legumes offer an abundance of nutrients that'll enhance your fertility as well as overall health. Check out this link for a picture of a food pyramid.

  Consume also a moderate amount of complex carbohydrate and protein. Take in less fat and sugar.

  The adequate amount of protein you should consume is about about 70 grams a day. Try to get your protein from non-animal sources such as soy products, seeds, nuts and legumes which are better sources of protein and fats.

  Animal source of protein is good too, except that most animal products are filled with hormones, and contaminated with pesticides and chemicals. Animal foods also tend to be high in fat. This does not mean that you'll have to quit eating them, but it'll serves you better if you look out for lean, organic meats and low-fat dairy products.

• Eat more fiber

  Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are all rich in fiber. Fiber plays a crucial role in balancing and cleansing your systems while you're preparing for pregnancy.

  Fiber is good for your digestive system, which according to alternative practitioners, plays a vital role in your reproductive health. Proper digestion enables your body to absorb the essential nutrients you'll need to support conception and pregnancy. Proper digestion also helps you eliminate waste and toxins from your body efficiently. A toxin-buildup in your systems can lead to infections and diseases that'll compromise your fertility.

  Different fruits and vegetables offer different nutrients. To optimize your nutrient intake from fruits and vegetables, select a multicolored array of produce.

  Besides fruits and vegetables, you can get some fiber from useful additives such as wheat bran flakes or psyllium husks. Drink lots of water to enhance absorption of such fiber. Coupled with simple exercise such as walking which helps stimulate intestinal motility, you'll have no problem eliminating waste from your body, thus maintaining optimal health to get pregnant anytime.

• Try organic food as part of healthy diet

  Try to consume more organic agricultural produce without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Eat meat that are from animals raised on organic feeds and not given antibiotics and hormones.

  Though these food are more costly, they are higher in nutritional value. If you're generally weak in health, organic food may be more beneficial to you while you're preparing for pregnancy than the usual food.

• Consume less fat

  If you're getting far more fat than you need, reduce your fat intake now. On the other hand, if you're underweight, eat more to improve your overall health and fertility. An adequate amount of body fat is important while preparing for pregnancy.

  As a general guide, fat should account for about 30% of your total daily calories. For example, if you consume about 2000 calories a day, the proportion of fat intake should be about 600 fat calories.

  Strive to get your fat from the healthiest sources.

  Do you know that even vegetables have fats? Most vegetables can give you less than 10% of total calories from fat found in them, most grains give you about 16% to 20% calories from fat found in them, and in comparison, whole milk and cheese derive 74% of their calories from fat.

• Decrease sugar consumption

  Products made from refined sugar give you nothing but empty, nutritionally bankrupt calories. While preparing for pregnancy, a high sugar consumption is to be avoided because it can lead to hypoglycemia, a condition that can disrupt the hormonal balance in your reproductive system.

  Healthy diet involves limiting the intake of food made with white sugar, brown sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup. Cut down on most sweets, biscuits, cakes, pastries, soft drinks, ice cream, and sweet yogurt.

  If you have a sweet tooth, go for food sweetened with maple syrup, molasses, rice syrup, barley malt, or fruit juice. These alternatives are better than food made from simple sugars as they are higher in nutritional value and are metabolized more slowly by the body.

• Eat a variety of food

  Diversify, diversify, not only for your investment portfolio, but for your food intake.

  For the simple reason that different nutrients, vitamins and minerals are found in different food, it is better to go for a well-balanced and healthy diet that contains a wide variety of vegetables, grains, cereals, nuts, proteins etc while you're preparing for pregnancy.

  It is also better to eat smaller and more frequent meals to balance out your blood sugar level. This way, you won't get hungry too fast and end up over-eating.

• Drink plenty of fluids, especially water

  Your body needs to be adequately hydrated while you're preparing for pregnancy. Water tops the list of all desirable liquids. If you're already pregnant, drinking enough water will help make your skin more elastic, help to prevent stretch marks, and decrease your risk of preterm labor.

  You know that the vast variety of drinks and beverages out there don't provide sufficient hydration and sugared drinks are bad for health.

  However, you can still drink your favourite sodas occasionally, but why not add variety to your fluid repertoire by drinking diluted juices and herbal tea too?

  Having said that, it has to be emphasized that water is still the best. While preparing for pregnancy, consume at least six to eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. This helps rid your body of toxins. But drink at intervals throughout the day.

  Don't drink all eight glasses at one go and don't wait till you're thirsty to drink. If you drink too much water at one go, you may suffer from water poisoning which causes nausea and is sometimes fatal. If you're feeling thirsty, this means that you have delayed a drink too long and have depleted your cells and tissues of water.

• Get health supplements if necessary

  Through a healthy diet you are attempting to get all your necessary vitamins and minerals directly from your food. But it can be difficult to cover all aspect of your required nutrition, so it is important to consider taking a pre-conception vitamin supplement to strengthen your body while preparing for pregnancy.

  This is especially important if you suspect that you're not getting enough nutrients from your diet or have to adhere to some specific dietary restrictions.

  The usual vitamin supplementation relating to conception and pregnancy include B vitamins, vitamins A, C and E (antioxidants), calcium, iron and fatty acids. Folic acid is necessary for optimum fertility.

• What about Herbs?

  Some herbs are said to promote conception while some herbs are said best to be avoided.

  Are herbs better, cheaper, and healthier than their medical counterparts? Many medical professionals do not recommend herbal remedies as their safety and effects on conception and pregnancy have still not been established through extensive research. You should discuss any herbs that you consider consuming with your healthcare provider.

Your Pyramid Plan

If you're wondering just what constitutes a healthy diet, how much food and what type of food you should consume, the United States Dept of Agriculture has a practical plan for you. You can get a quick personal estimate of what food and how much you need to eat by entering some data into a "MyPyramid Plan" box.

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