Planning for pregnancy means optimizing your health, reaching a healthy weight, adopting a nutrient-rich preconception diet, making positive lifestyle changes, and scheduling a pre-pregnancy checkup several months before you start trying to conceive.
Planning for pregnancy diet
When planning for pregnancy, both partners can benefit from a balanced preconception diet.
Eating a balanced diet before and during pregnancy isn’t only good for your overall health, it’s essential for nourishing a fetus. Choose plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean proteins. Avoid highly processed, fatty foods and start taking a prenatal vitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid.
Planning for pregnancy exercise & body weight
It’s important to exercise regularly and maintain a proper weight before and during pregnancy.
Reaching a healthy weight before conception is also important: for women, it may help reduce the risk of excess weight in their children later in life, while for men, healthy weight management can support better sperm quality.
Proven planning for pregnancy tips
- A balanced preconception diet with appropriate fat and protein intake, and favoring fruits and vegetables, is recommended for both parents during the conception period.
- Overweight/obese women who are planning for pregnancy should reduce their weight to lower the probability of their children becoming overweight or obese later in life.
- Overweight and obese men planning to conceive should also reduce their weight to improve their sperm quality.
Learn more about important lifestyle changes to make before conception.
References:
1. Angelo Pietrobelli; Massimo Agosti and the MeNu Group. Nutrition in the First 1000 Days: Ten Practices to Minimize Obesity Emerging from Published Science. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2017, 14, 1491
2. Aris, I.M.; Bernard, J.Y.; Chen, LW.; Tint, M.T; Pang, W.W.; Soh, S.E.; Saw, S.M.; Shek, L.P.; Godfrey, K.M.; Giuckman, P.D.; et al. Modifiable risk factors in the first 1000 days for subsequent risk of childhood overweight in an Asian cohort: Significance of parental overweight status, Int. J. Obes, 2018
