Diet and pregnancy

Diet and health go hand in hand

Along with exercise and sleep, a healthy diet is vital for maintaining optimum physical health. Your diet is what comprises the cell division processes — you really are what you eat.

Diet during conception

Having a healthy diet is particularly important when you're trying to get pregnant.

The body automatically reduces its ability to conceive as a result of an unhealthy diet. This is to protect itself from the additional stress on the body that pregnancy causes.

The importance of folic acid

The body needs a plentiful supply of vitamin B to produce follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and female sex hormones such as oestrogen or progesterone. Natural folate part of this group, and is commonly found in foods such as green leafy vegetables and eggs, albeit in fairly low concentrations.

For this reason, women trying to conceive are recommended to take artificially produced folic acid even before they are pregnant. The vitamin supports the embryo’s all-important first cell division processes after fertilisation.

Iodine and iron deficiency

A shortage of iodine and iron in the diet often goes unnoticed. However, for those trying to conceive, a deficiency in either element can quickly impact an embryo's development.

Iodine is found in foods such as sea salt and seafood as well as cooking salt fortified with iodine. Iron, on the other hand, impacts your immune system and energy levels. This is particularly important during pregnancy, when the mother’s blood volume increases.

Here’s what to look out for in a healthy diet during pregnancy:

• Variety: Make sure your diet is as varied as possible. This means all food groups represented and not too much of any one thing. This will help to ensure your body is sufficiently supplied with all the important vitamins and trace elements.

• Lots of fresh ingredients: Whole, unprocessed foods contain the highest volumes of vitamins. Try to steer away from processed food try to and prepare fresh ingredients carefully. Steaming is a good option as it preserves nutrients and makes raw vegetables easier to digest, putting less strain on your body.

• Get enough fluids: Drinking enough is important for everyone, but especially if you're trying to conceive. Being fully hydrated means that all of your body's metabolic processes perform optimally. Choose water, unsweetened tea or diluted fruit juices over stronger or more processed drinks.

• Eat regularly: Trying for a baby is not a good time to go on a diet (if you're a healthy weight, that is). Your body needs to be regularly fed with healthy energy so that it can focus on its reproductive function.

• Exceptions are allowed: Having the odd pizza or donut isn't going to impact your overall health in any way that will impact your fertility. It's important that you keep unhealthy treats to a minimum and focus on having a healthy, balanced diet the rest of the time.