Pregnancy is a natural state with which the body of a healthy woman copes perfectly. Healthy eating, taking care of sleep, eliminating harmful factors and stress is the environment in which the fetus has ideal conditions for development. The increased risk of miscarriage or the occurrence of certain fetal defects is affected by many lifestyle factors that every woman has an impact on. Therefore, it is worth preparing well in advance for pregnancy.
Iron
Nutrition before pregnancy has a direct impact on the health of the unborn child. Therefore, already in the preconception period, it is worth making sure that it is varied, healthy and varied. Already at this time it is worth taking care of increasing the amount of iron. Need for iron increases by as much as half and it is worth obtaining them from heme sources, which are several percent better absorbed, i.e. meat and non-heme sources, i.e. plants. It is worth reaching for beef, apricots or properly prepared – soaked for at least 12 hours and boiled legumes.
Folic acid
Another factor that is worth planning before pregnancy is folic acid supplementationo. Studies have shown a significant effect of supplementation of this ingredient on reducing the incidence of fetal pathologies associated with an undeveloped neural tube. It develops in the first weeks of pregnancy and it is important to ensure adequate care at that time amount of folic acid in the body. It often happens that a woman does not know that she is pregnant and in the first weeks it occurs in the body folic acid deficiencyTherefore, plan supplementation in advance and take 400 mg a day.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a potential risk factor for miscarriage, so it is worth paying special attention to it. The recommendations say not to exceed 200 mg of caffeine, which is equal to 2 cups of instant coffee. However, it should be remembered that caffeine is present in many other products such as colas and energy drinks, which should be completely avoided before and during pregnancy. It is safest to consume one cup of coffee a day.
Vitamin A
Too much vitamin A can cause birth defects in the fetus. Even before you become pregnant, you should consider reducing its amount in your current diet. It is important to pay attention to foods that are healthy, but may contain vitamin A. not recommended for women in this particular period. An example of this is cod liver oil containing valuable DHA fats, rich in omega 3 or liver. It is worth choosing cod liver oil and meat without the addition of this vitamin.
Contaminated products – fish
Before getting pregnant, it is worth preparing the body for heavy metal cleansing. You should give up products that may be contaminated, e.g. some types of fish. Tuna, swordfish, mackerel should be avoided, but it is worth reaching for cod or other fish from controlled, ecological farms to supplement the valuable omega 3 fatty acids.
We can significantly influence the health of our child even before its conception, which is why it is so important to take care of ourselves and provide good conditions for its development from the very beginning.