All about Pregnancy

       Your pre-conception diet      
 



Reliable information on
pregnancy topics
by Heisje de Jong,
Certified Lactation Consultant

Welcome (home page)
Your pre-conception diet
Home pregnancy tests
Early signs of pregnancy
Diet for your pregnancy
Things to give up
Lifestyle changes
Childbirth classes
Breastfeeding - preparation
Complications during pregnancy
Prenatal testing
Pregnancy Week-by-Week
When to contact your doctor
What to ask your obstetrician
Hospital or home delivery?
    And your Packing Guide!

Pain relief in labor & birth
Medical intervention during
    labor and delivery

Post partum exercises
Breastfeeding

About Heisje de Jong
Useful links
Contact Heisje

 


 

   

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If you have already a healthy diet, there is no reason to make any major changes when you are planning to become pregnant. However if you know that your diet needs improvement now is the time to make some changes. Ideally, you start with your healthy diet three months to a year before you conceive. When you eat a well balanced diet the more likely you are to get pregnant. Foods and fertility are linked; you need to stick to a healthy diet to increase your chances of conceiving and of having a healthy baby.

 

What is a healthy, well balanced diet?
First of all bring variety in your meals. This helps to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need. Don't limit yourself to only a few choices in vegetables and fruits. There is so much to choose from. Try some vegetables that you didn't eat before or you thought you didn't like. Consider bying a new cookbook , this will provide you with lots of new ideas for recipies and different ways to prepare food.

Furthermore, go for the whole grain breads, whole wheat flour, and brown rice rather than the white varieties. They provide energy, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eating more fiber will help you to battle constipation and may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

A daily salad is a must. Try a different salad every day. Combine different vegetables and even fruits in a delicious salad that you can also use as a maincourse if you add some cheese and nuts. Lots of vegetables, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower,green pepper can be eaten raw for a quick snack in between meals.

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruit every day. Don't forget the citrus fruits. They are full of vitamine C which helps your body to absorp iron. Unpeeled fruits are good as long as you wash them very well.

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITHOUT.

* Cut back on caffeine. When you consume a lot of caffeine your chances of conceiving may decrease. So it's better to reduce or wean yourself from caffeine. Don't forget there's also caffeine in chocolade, cocoa and some soda drinks.

* Cut out or only occasionally drink alcohol. Use non alcoholic alternatives.

* Stop using recreational drugs. They are not good for you and can harm your soon-to-be-conceived baby.

* Quit smoking now. It may take a while before you get used to a life without sigarettes. Smoking can be dangerous for an unborn baby, it can cause low birth weight and premature labor.

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS.

While you can meet almost all your nutritional needs through a balanced diet, some experts believe that even the healthiest eaters can use some extra help. For those of us who do not always have time to plan meals and sometimes eat on the run (and who doesn't), it may be a good idea to take a vitamin supplement.

Remember that a supplement is not a substitute for a sound diet. And since some over-the-counter supplements may contain megadoses of vitamins and minerals that could be harmful to a developing baby, you may want to use a supplement formulated for pregnant women even before you conceive. Talk with your doctor about the right prenatal supplement for you.

FOLIC ACID.

Get lots of folic acid -- at least 400 micrograms a day. Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. It's important to start taking folic acid before you conceive.

During their childbearing years, women should get 400 micrograms (mcg) (0.4 milligrams) daily. You'll need 400- 600 mcg once you're expecting, although some doctors advise more. Ask your own doctor for his recommendations.

Check that your prenatal vitamins contain folic acid. In addition, you can eat folate-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach or kale), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals.

LOSING WEIGHT.

If necessary, shedding some pounds while you're attempting to get pregnant is a good idea, since you don't want to start your pregnancy being overweight.
Choose lower fat products, higher fiber foods, cut down on sweets. Start or increase an exercise routine, and aim to lose one to two pounds a week, a safe rate of weight loss. Extreme weight loss from crash dieting can deplete your body's nutritional stores, which isn't a good way to start a pregnancy.



PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS SITE NOW SO THAT YOU MAY RETURN AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

If you have already a healthy diet, there is no reason to make any major changes when you are planning to become pregnant. However if you know that your diet needs improvement now is the time to make some changes. Ideally, you start with your healthy diet three months to a year before you conceive. When you eat a well balanced diet the more likely you are to get pregnant. Foods and fertility are linked; you need to stick to a healthy diet to increase your chances of conceiving and of having a healthy baby.

What is a healthy, well balanced diet?
First of all bring variety in your meals. This helps to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need. Don't limit yourself to only a few choices in vegetables and fruits. There is so much to choose from. Try some vegetables that you didn't eat before or you thought you didn't like. Consider bying a new cookbook , this will provide you with lots of new ideas for recipies and different ways to prepare food.

Furthermore, go for the whole grain breads, whole wheat flour, and brown rice rather than the white varieties. They provide energy, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eating more fiber will help you to battle constipation and may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

A daily salad is a must. Try a different salad every day. Combine different vegetables and even fruits in a delicious salad that you can also use as a maincourse if you add some cheese and nuts. Lots of vegetables, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower,green pepper can be eaten raw for a quick snack in between meals.

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruit every day. Don't forget the citrus fruits. They are full of vitamine C which helps your body to absorp iron. Unpeeled fruits are good as long as you wash them very well.

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITHOUT.

* Cut back on caffeine. When you consume a lot of caffeine your chances of conceiving may decrease. So it's better to reduce or wean yourself from caffeine. Don't forget there's also caffeine in chocolade, cocoa and some soda drinks.

* Cut out or only occasionally drink alcohol. Use non alcoholic alternatives.

* Stop using recreational drugs. They are not good for you and can harm your soon-to-be-conceived baby.

* Quit smoking now. It may take a while before you get used to a life without sigarettes. Smoking can be dangerous for an unborn baby, it can cause low birth weight and premature labor.

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS.

While you can meet almost all your nutritional needs through a balanced diet, some experts believe that even the healthiest eaters can use some extra help. For those of us who do not always have time to plan meals and sometimes eat on the run (and who doesn't), it may be a good idea to take a vitamin supplement.

Remember that a supplement is not a substitute for a sound diet. And since some over-the-counter supplements may contain megadoses of vitamins and minerals that could be harmful to a developing baby, you may want to use a supplement formulated for pregnant women even before you conceive. Talk with your doctor about the right prenatal supplement for you.

FOLIC ACID.

Get lots of folic acid -- at least 400 micrograms a day. Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. It's important to start taking folic acid before you conceive.

During their childbearing years, women should get 400 micrograms (mcg) (0.4 milligrams) daily. You'll need 400- 600 mcg once you're expecting, although some doctors advise more. Ask your own doctor for his recommendations.

Check that your prenatal vitamins contain folic acid. In addition, you can eat folate-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach or kale), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals.

LOSING WEIGHT.

If necessary, shedding some pounds while you're attempting to get pregnant is a good idea, since you don't want to start your pregnancy being overweight.
Choose lower fat products, higher fiber foods, cut down on sweets. Start or increase an exercise routine, and aim to lose one to two pounds a week, a safe rate of weight loss. Extreme weight loss from crash dieting can deplete your body's nutritional stores, which isn't a good way to start a pregnancy.

PLEASE BOOKMARK THIS SITE NOW SO THAT YOU MAY RETURN AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

If you have already a healthy diet, there is no reason to make any major changes when you are planning to become pregnant. However if you know that your diet needs improvement now is the time to make some changes. Ideally, you start with your healthy diet three months to a year before you conceive. When you eat a well balanced diet the more likely you are to get pregnant. Foods and fertility are linked; you need to stick to a healthy diet to increase your chances of conceiving and of having a healthy baby.

What is a healthy, well balanced diet?
First of all bring variety in your meals. This helps to provide the right balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals you need. Don't limit yourself to only a few choices in vegetables and fruits. There is so much to choose from. Try some vegetables that you didn't eat before or you thought you didn't like. Consider bying a new cookbook , this will provide you with lots of new ideas for recipies and different ways to prepare food.

Furthermore, go for the whole grain breads, whole wheat flour, and brown rice rather than the white varieties. They provide energy, fiber, vitamins and minerals. Eating more fiber will help you to battle constipation and may reduce the risk of colon cancer.

A daily salad is a must. Try a different salad every day. Combine different vegetables and even fruits in a delicious salad that you can also use as a maincourse if you add some cheese and nuts. Lots of vegetables, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower,green pepper can be eaten raw for a quick snack in between meals.

Eat 3-4 servings of fresh fruit every day. Don't forget the citrus fruits. They are full of vitamine C which helps your body to absorp iron. Unpeeled fruits are good as long as you wash them very well.

THINGS YOU CAN DO WITHOUT.

* Cut back on caffeine. When you consume a lot of caffeine your chances of conceiving may decrease. So it's better to reduce or wean yourself from caffeine. Don't forget there's also caffeine in chocolade, cocoa and some soda drinks.

* Cut out or only occasionally drink alcohol. Use non alcoholic alternatives.

* Stop using recreational drugs. They are not good for you and can harm your soon-to-be-conceived baby.

* Quit smoking now. It may take a while before you get used to a life without sigarettes. Smoking can be dangerous for an unborn baby, it can cause low birth weight and premature labor.

VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS.

While you can meet almost all your nutritional needs through a balanced diet, some experts believe that even the healthiest eaters can use some extra help. For those of us who do not always have time to plan meals and sometimes eat on the run (and who doesn't), it may be a good idea to take a vitamin supplement.

Remember that a supplement is not a substitute for a sound diet. And since some over-the-counter supplements may contain megadoses of vitamins and minerals that could be harmful to a developing baby, you may want to use a supplement formulated for pregnant women even before you conceive. Talk with your doctor about the right prenatal supplement for you.

FOLIC ACID.

Get lots of folic acid -- at least 400 micrograms a day. Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida. It's important to start taking folic acid before you conceive.

During their childbearing years, women should get 400 micrograms (mcg) (0.4 milligrams) daily. You'll need 400- 600 mcg once you're expecting, although some doctors advise more. Ask your own doctor for his recommendations.

Check that your prenatal vitamins contain folic acid. In addition, you can eat folate-rich foods, such as dark green leafy vegetables (such as spinach or kale), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and fortified breads and cereals.

LOSING WEIGHT.

If necessary, shedding some pounds while you're attempting to get pregnant is a good idea, since you don't want to start your pregnancy being overweight.
Choose lower fat products, higher fiber foods, cut down on sweets. Start or increase an exercise routine, and aim to lose one to two pounds a week, a safe rate of weight loss. Extreme weight loss from crash dieting can deplete your body's nutritional stores, which isn't a good way to start a pregnancy.