Since a number of pregnancies are unplanned, many families do not find out they are pregnant until a few weeks or more after conception. The lifestyle choices made prior to pregnancy and in those first few weeks of pregnancy can have dramatic effects on the health of a baby. Therefore it is important for women to emphasize nutrition and healthy eating throughout the childbearing years.

Healthy eating before pregnancy also ensures that there will be adequate nutrients available to support a healthy pregnancy. Following Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating is the best way to ensure that one is receiving a diet that is balanced, adequate and varied. It is important to note that both maternal and paternal nutrition in the preconception period are both important to birth outcomes. For example, malnutrition/food deprivation can interfere with fertility. Women develop amenorrhea and men have a decreased ability to produce viable sperm.

Nutrition-Related Concerns

Three of the most important nutrition-related concerns in the preconception period are body weight, teratogens, and adequacy of folate.

Healthy Body Weight

A healthy body weight before pregnancy sets the pattern for appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. Being overweight prior to pregnancy increases risk of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and poor pregnancy outcome. Being under-weight prior to pregnancy increases risk of infertility, anemia, and complications during childbirth.

Teratogens

The avoidance of teratogens (ie.g., alcohol, illegal drugs) are important for both parents in this stage of life. Women should also be cautious about caffeine intake, as well as the use of medications, herbs, and supplements (other than prenatal supplements).

Adequate Folate/Folic Acid

Folic acid/folate is an important vitamin to include in the preconception and during early pregnancy. Folate (form found in food) or folic acid (in pill form) is a B vitamin that has been proven to help decrease the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). Neural tube defects are serious birth defects that affect a baby’s spine and brain. They include spina bifida and other abnormal developments of the brain and spinal cord.

All women who could become pregnant should take a supplement containing 0.4 mg of folic acid every day. To further help reduce the risk of NTDs it is recommended that you take folic acid 2-3 months prior to pregnancy and continue through the first three months of pregnancy. This can be in the form of a multivitamin, as prenatal supplements.

Good food sources of folate include:

• beets ½ cup,
• broccoli ½ cup,
• cauliflower ½ cup,
• corn ½ cup,
• bran cereal 30g,
• cantaloupe or melon 1/10 fruit,
• green peas ½ cup,
• Romaine lettuce 1 cup,
• oranges and orange juice ½ cup,
• and peanut butter 2 tbsp.
• eggs 1 large,

Ideally, 3 of these should be consumed everyday. Excellent food sources of folate include:

• asparagus 4 spears,
• sunflower seeds ¼ cup,
• baked beans with pork 2/3 cup,
• peanuts ¼ cup,
• ½ cup of kidney beans,
• lentils, or chick peas,
• spinach 1 cup.

Two of these should be consumed everyday.