By Melissa M. Coleman
In part 1 of "Good Food and Drinks When Trying to Conceive" we spoke about water, and how much water can have a positive or negative effect on your fertility and your pregnancy efforts. Now it's time to talk a little bit about food, and how what we put into our bodies can affect us. Also what TO PUT in your body to maximize fertility.
Now just a word on vegetarian diets... If a woman is aware of her basic nutritional needs as discussed in this article, she should do just fine on a well-balanced vegetarian diet. By eating a wide variety of whole grains, legumes, dried fruit, lima beans and wheat germ, a woman should be able to get enough iron, zinc and other trace minerals to have a healthy body and a healthy pregnancy. Those on vegan diets may need to seek the advice of a health professional on taking supplements such as calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
What else goes into a healthy pre-conception diet?
Meat, fish, eggs, a variety of fruits and vegetables
Dairy food for calcium
Cereals (preferably non-sweetened), beans, whole grain bread
Limited starches such as potatoes and pasta (whole grain pasta and sweet potatoes provide more fiber and beta-carotene than the white starches)
Foods low in fat and high in fiber are most desirable - they include fruits & vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grain products.
Wine with meals (or without meals, for that matter!
What foods should you limit?
Liver
Un-pasteurized dairy products
Raw eggs
Soft cheeses
Pates
Any foods that contain lots of sugar, partially-hydrogenated oils, lots of salt or fats (again, it's so important to read food labels...and rinse canned veggies to remove salt!)
In part 1 of "Good Food and Drinks When Trying to Conceive" we spoke about water, and how much water can have a positive or negative effect on your fertility and your pregnancy efforts. Now it's time to talk a little bit about food, and how what we put into our bodies can affect us. Also what TO PUT in your body to maximize fertility.
Now just a word on vegetarian diets... If a woman is aware of her basic nutritional needs as discussed in this article, she should do just fine on a well-balanced vegetarian diet. By eating a wide variety of whole grains, legumes, dried fruit, lima beans and wheat germ, a woman should be able to get enough iron, zinc and other trace minerals to have a healthy body and a healthy pregnancy. Those on vegan diets may need to seek the advice of a health professional on taking supplements such as calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12.
What else goes into a healthy pre-conception diet?
Meat, fish, eggs, a variety of fruits and vegetables
Dairy food for calcium
Cereals (preferably non-sweetened), beans, whole grain bread
Limited starches such as potatoes and pasta (whole grain pasta and sweet potatoes provide more fiber and beta-carotene than the white starches)
Foods low in fat and high in fiber are most desirable - they include fruits & vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grain products.
Wine with meals (or without meals, for that matter!
What foods should you limit?
Liver
Un-pasteurized dairy products
Raw eggs
Soft cheeses
Pates
Any foods that contain lots of sugar, partially-hydrogenated oils, lots of salt or fats (again, it's so important to read food labels...and rinse canned veggies to remove salt!)
