How to Eat Healthy When Trying to Get Pregnant
When you're trying to get pregnant, in addition to regularly "gettin' down" with your partner, you also need to think about "gettin' down" with healthy eating, too! Here are some good food choices you can make to help your body get ready to grow that future baby.
- Don't skip meals! Your bod needs nutrients at regular intervals when trying to conceive, so make sure you're eating healthy breakfasts, lunches and dinners. No need to increase your calories yet however. (Bummer!) Extra eating isn't necessary until pregnancy.
- Take a daily prenatal vitamin. It's important that your body has adequate stores of folic acid to help reduce your risk of miscarriage and reduce the chances of neural tube defects in your future baby. So start downing that daily pill as soon as you start thinking about trying to conceive.
- But don't rely on your vitamin to take care of all of your nutritional needs. Real food sources are still the best places to get your vitamins and minerals! For folic acid, eat oranges, melons, avocados, dark green vegetables, asparagus, corn, cauliflower, dried beans and whole-grain products like fortified breakfast cereals.
- Your iron needs double during pregnancy. That means that now is the time to get used to eating more iron-rich foods, like lean meats, dried beans along with vitamin C-filled juices and fruits, which will help your body absorb iron.
- You know that babies need milk, but so does your pre-pregnancy body. Milk, yogurt, cheese and yes, ice cream, will help prevent calcium-deficiency in your future baby and also help your muscles and bones prepare for pregnant mom duty.
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