Eating a diet rich in wholefoods is important during your preconception and pregnancy journey. A good starting point when changing your diet to support pregnancy is to consume a balanced diet not only concentrating non foods from each of the five food gourds but specific nutrients as well! 

Your five food groups are: vegetables, fruit, dairy (more importantly calcium), grains (preferably low GI unrefined wholegrains) and lean protein (including plant-based protein). I personally think healthy fats (nuts, seeds, avo etc.) should be a food group as well! So think of it as eating from 6 food groups!

As far as specific micronutrients go… 

FOLATE!

Folate plays an important role in supporting the development of your bubba - most. Commonly known for preventing neural tube defects. So it is super important to have your stores all topped up and readily available before you start TTC. Folate is from food, folic acid is the synthetic version. Folate absolutely needs to be increased prior to conception and this involves daily supplementation. 

Folate helps to:

• produce DNA

• Develop cells that will form nerves as well as your bubba’s brain and spinal cord

Increasing folate rich foods in your diet is also be beneficial. This includes foods such as: spinach, kale, avocado, legumes, oranges and some fortified breads and cereals. 

B12!

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) works alongside folate during pregnancy to assist with the development of your bubba’s cells and nervous system. B12 also helps to change the food you eat into energy your body. This is most commonly found in in meat, poultry, dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt and eggs - so as you can see from the foods B12 is found in, vegetarians and vegans need to be particularly mindful of adequate B12. Include fortified plant milks and vegetarian protein foods that have been fortified with B12.

IODINE!

Iodine is required by the body to ensure sufficient functioning of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland helps to produce hormones which are required by the body in larger amounts during pregnancy. Thyroid hormones also help to support the growth of your bubba’s brain and nervous system. Iodine can be found in some seafoods, iodised table salt and fortified bread. It is recommended to take a daily supplement when planning to conceive and throughout pregnancy. Note: Iodine supplements should not exceed a dose of 500mcg during pregnancy due to the increased risk of adverse effects to the foetus.

IRON!

During pregnancy, iron requirements increase significantly as iron is used to produce red blood cells, provide oxygen to the body and help support growth. Consuming inadequate iron can cause tiredness and has been associated with infertility, lower birth weight babies and developmental delays. Iron rich foods include red meat, chicken, fish, tofu, beans/legumes and wholegrains. The body absorbs iron more easily from animal products but absorption of iron from plant based food sources can be helped by pairing iron rich foods with Vitamin C rich foods such as oranges, capsicum and tomatoes.

It is recommended that your iron status is optimised prior to conception. BUT you need to be mindful of how much you take because it can cause GI upsets (e.g. constipation) and can interfere with zinc absorption which is also an essential nutrient for both fertility and pregnancy. 

OMEGA-3!

Healthy fats such as omega-3 can improve fertility (both natural conception and IVF) as it can reduce oxidative stress to reproductive organs and therefore minimise damage to eggs. 

In pregnancy, it helps to support eye and brain health in your bubba and may also help to reduce the risk of premature birth and pre-eclampsia. Aim to eat two serves of oily fish per week such as salmon. 

ZINC!

Zinc is a used to build new cells, so getting adequate amounts of zinc is important for the rapid cell growth that is required for conception. Higher levels of zinc may also optimise IVF outcomes. 

Zinc is highest in oysters (avoid raw oysters in pregnancy) but is also found in legumes/beans, nuts, certain types of seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products, red meat and poultry.  

CHOLINE!
This had had more hype in the preconception space in recent times. It has been recognised as an important nutrient for brain and spinal cord development. It is believed in conjunction with folate, choline can further reduce risk of neural tube defects. Choline is found in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy, fish, poultry, eggs and some beans and nuts. 

There are also other nutrients that also play an important role including Vitamin D, B6,  Selenium - the list goes on!

If you are feeling overwhelmed and confused in regards to getting on top of all your nutritional requirements for planning a pregnancy - you can always book in a consultation with me and I can complete a full nutritional analysis and make sure you nutritional intake meets nutritional adequacy and also make sure you are taking the correct prenatal vitamin for you!

xx

This blog was co-written by Alexandra Stokes, a Master of Dietetics student at Deakin University.