What you eat while trying to conceive is as essential as it will be when you’re pregnant. Nutrition before pregnancy is vital for your health to prepare you for pregnancy. Here’s what you should make for your healthy pre-pregnancy diet plan.

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Healthy food and lifestyle are tied to you and your partner’s fertility, so it’s time to make some changes.

Pre-conception diet is an integral part of preparing for pregnancy, so your weight and what you eat can affect your health during pregnancy and the developing of your fetus too.

Pre-pregnancy Weight

Before you’re trying to get pregnant, it is best to weigh yourself and make sure your weight is ideal to conceive. Your pre-pregnancy weight has a significant impact on your baby’s birth weight.

That means if you are underweight, then your baby’s birth weight might be too, and the same thing applies if you are overweight. Not only that, your weight might increase the risk of many pregnancy problems such as gestational diabetes or high blood pressure.

To protect your baby and you, you have to maintain a healthy pre-pregnancy weight, and you can achieve that by consulting with our Okadoctors using the Okadoc app.

Pre-pregnancy Diet Plan

Now that you know the importance of pre-pregnancy diet, it is time to know what’s best for you to consume in your day-to-day meal. Here’s a list of food that you need on your pre-pregnancy diet plan:

1. Folic Acid

You might hear about it many times that folic acid is essential for all women of childbearing age, and they need 400 micrograms of folic acid per day.

Folic acid reduces the risk of congenital disabilities of the brain and spinal cord, so it’s vital for your nutrition planning for pregnancy, especially during the first 28 days of conception, because most neural tube defects happen at this time.

You can find folic acid in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, beans, nuts and fortified cereals.

2. Iron

A fertility diet plan won’t be complete without the presence of iron, and because of your menstrual period, you might have low iron stores. Iron is essential to prepare for your pregnancy, as your body needs it to carry the oxygen through red blood cells to your body and fetus.

You can find iron naturally in meat and poultry, leafy greens, legumes and whole grains.

3. Calcium

If you want to prepare your body for pregnancy, you have to build healthier and stronger bones. Make sure to include calcium in your pre-pregnancy diet, because if there’s not enough calcium in your body during pregnancy, the fetus will start drawing it from your bones, raising your risk of osteoporosis.

Extra Tips for a Fertility Diet Plan

Here are some additional tips that you can follow to plan for your preconception diet:

  • You may need a multivitamin in your diet if you lack something. You should consult your doctor to check whether you need to start taking a multivitamin. Find the best doctor for you with the Okadoc app here.
  • Eating healthy and nutritious food is vital for your preconception diet plan. You have to follow a healthy, balanced diet that contains all the vitamins and minerals that your body need.
  • Exercise! You have to exercise at least 4-5 times a week so that you can prepare your body for pregnancy. You can start with light exercise, but if you’re not sure what activity is best for you, it is better to consult to a doctor, you can book doctor’s appointment in the Okadoc app.
  • Perform a health check. Check your cholesterol, sugar levels and more.
  • Quit smoking and drinking alcohol. Tobacco and drinking can harm your unborn baby in many different ways. To protect you and your baby, you have to start quitting these bad habits before getting pregnant.
  • Limit your caffeine consumption. If you drink much coffee daily, you should start cutting the amount of caffeine you drink.
  • Hydrate yourself. Nutrition planning for pregnancy won’t be enough without consuming enough water every day.

Consult with our Okadoctors nutritionist to plan a healthy diet for a pre-pregnancy diet plan or more questions about pre-pregnancy.