Foods To Eat If You're Trying To Get Pregnant

Following a certain diet or a healthy diet can help boost your fertility! 

Key Nutrients To Eat When You're Trying To Conceive:

As a mum to be, you will need a mix of foods packed with nutrients, including:

Folic Acid/Folate

Vitamin B (B9) is an important nutrient to have in your diet before and during pregnancy,

Folic Acid is crucial in forming healthy cells, and also can prevent birth defects like spina bifida and anencephaly.

Folic acid can be hard to find it in whole foods, so make sure you are taking multi vitamin supplements containing Vitamin B9.

You can also find it in foods like:

• Leafy green vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, bok choy, Swiss chard and kale are all good options. 
• Fortified cereals. Look for breakfast cereals that contain 100 percent of the recommended daily value.
• Protein World Vitamin Blend present in Slender Blend & Slender Porridge also contains B9. HOWEVER!! Pregnant or breast feeding women should consume these products with caution as they do contain some Vitamin A & Caffeine. 
• Oranges and strawberries. These are so yummy, they're easy to incorporate into your diet! You can even blend them with protein powders to make vitamin rich smoothies!
• Beans and nuts. Just try not to consume too many of these at once, since they can add to the digestive issues you may already be dealing with.

Calcium

Calcium keeps your reproductive system functioning smoothly and may even help you conceive faster! 

If your calcium stores are low when pregnant, the body may take calcium from your bones and gives it to the developing baby, which in turn could raise risk of osteoporosis (brittle bones) in the future.

 Try to get about 1,500 mg of calcium each day from sources like:

• Milk. The most popular source of calcium, one cup of 1 percent milk contains 305 milligrams (mg), or about one-third of your daily recommended intake. Have a glass as a snack or use it as the base for a slender smoothie 
• Yogurt. One cup of plain, non fat yogurt contains about 415 mg per serving — about 40 percent of your daily recommended intake. You can eat it plain, add in some protein powder for flavour, top with fresh fruit or use it as the base for a smoothie!
• Kale and broccoli. Vegetables like these are good non-dairy sources of calcium.

Protein

Protein will help supply your baby with important nutrients. But some proteins are better than others. If you’re trying to get pregnant, stick to two to three servings a day, one of which should be plant-based! 

Foods that are packed with protein include:

• Fish. High-fat fish like salmon is not only high in protein, it also provides a dose of omega-3 fatty acids.
• Lean meats. Poultry (like chicken or turkey), lean beef and bison are all good options.
• Black beans. One cup contains 15 grams of protein. Use them in a breakfast burrito or homemade veggie burgers.
• Protein Powders, Porridge or Bars. You can use protein powders, protein porridge or protein bars to increase your protein intake if you struggle to get protein intake in your diet! This can also be quite important if you are trying to maintain your weight during pregnancy! *JUST be careful with protein based products when pregnant or breastfeeding - always read the labels and ingredients

Iron

Iron is essential for shuttling oxygen through your body! And it will be super important when it comes to delivering oxygen to your baby, too.

Too little iron could increase your baby’s risk of being underweight or premature. Women need about 18 mg per day, but your daily iron requirement will increase to 27 mg per day once you’re pregnant.

Keep in mind that your body absorbs iron better from food. Good sources include:

• Fortified breakfast cereals. One serving of fortified breakfast cereal contains 18 mg of iron. 
• Lean meats. Beef, chicken and turkey all contain about 1 mg of iron per 3 oz. serving.
• Spinach. A good source of iron, ½ cup of boiled, drained spinach contains 3 mg per serving — about 17 percent of your daily recommended intake.

Healthy eating tips if you’re trying to get pregnant

Overwhelmed? Don’t be. You don’t have to eat a “perfect” diet — just tell yourself what you’ll tell your child some day: Do the best you can.

And by starting to prioritise healthy eating habits now, it’ll be easier to stick to a healthy diet once you get pregnant.

When in doubt, keep these strategies in mind:

• Eat more fruits and veggies. Aim to eat four to five servings of veggies (at least two should come from leafy greens) and three to four servings of fresh fruit a day.
• Limit your sugar intake. No one can swear off sugar entirely, but it’s smart to temper your sweet tooth whenever possible. Research suggests that too much refined sugar — found in foods like cookies and candy, as well as sugar-sweetened drinks — might interfere with your chances of getting pregnant.
• Don’t skip meals. Right now, you might prefer to sleep through breakfast or work through lunch, but once baby is on board, you'll need to supply the baby with a steady stream of nutrients throughout the day. Take a look at your schedule now and make sure you have time for three complete meals a day.
• Cut back on caffeine
• Don’t smoke
• Limit alcohol