Thinking about trying to have a baby? Then now is the time for () to “spring clean” food and lifestyle habits. Here are our five nutrition tips before pregnancy. 
1. Aim for a healthy weight
In your 20s and 30s it’s common to have “weight creep”, an extra kilogram or two gained each year, without realising. Carrying too much weight increases the risk of pregnancy complications, including , and . So, it’s worth trying to shift some of the “extra kilos” before trying to conceive.
A mother’s pre-pregnancy weight also has a direct . Compared with mothers who are in the healthy weight range, mothers who are overweight or obese are 1.5-2 times more likely to have babies with a high birth weight, increasing the risk of birth complications. For these infants, there is an increased risk of developing and later in life.
But improving eating and physical activity helps you achieve . For women carrying excess weight, a is enough to improve fertility and reduce the risk of weight-related pregnancy complications.
2. Improve your food and drink choices
Increasing the variety of food you eat each week across the basic food groups – vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, vegetarian foods (including legumes like baked beans, kidney beans, lentils, eggs, nuts and seeds), lean meats/poultry/fish and dairy foods – also boosts the vitamins and minerals needed from the very beginning of pregnancy.
Start by assessing the quality of your diet using the free and check how it suggests you boost your score. You can also use the linked to the . This calculates recommended daily serves from each of the five basic food groups, and gives an idea of daily serves to aim for to optimise your nutrients.
Getting your nutrients from food in the first instance is recommended, but some nutrients do need extra attention before conception and early in pregnancy.
3. Take a folate supplement
is a B-group vitamin. It is needed to complete the development of the , which forms the baby’s brain and spinal cord in the first few weeks of pregnancy. This can be before you even know you’re pregnant. If the neural tube doesn’t close it can cause a neural tube defect like .
Taking a folate supplement (in the form of folic acid) from one month before pregnancy until the end of the first trimester is the best way to make sure you meet folate requirements during early pregnancy.
Choose a supplement with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Talk to your doctor if you have a family history of neural tube defects as you will need .
A folate supplement is in addition to eating good food sources of folate, like green leafy vegetables, fruits, lentils and . Organic breadmaking flour and most regular flour is not fortified, so check the ingredient list on flour you buy for home cooking.
4. Take an iodine supplement
In pregnancy, is needed to support the baby’s developing brain and nervous system. Good food sources of iodine include .
Although seafood is high in iodine, some types such as as they may contain large amounts of mercury.
In Australia it is recommended that women planning to become pregnant, take an iodine supplement containing and to continue this while pregnant or breastfeeding.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about vitamin supplements to meet your needs. For more personal advice on nutrition consult .
5. Avoid alcohol
All health authorities agree it is best to avoid alcohol from the time you start thinking about having a baby. There is no known safe level of alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol consumed in moderate-to-large quantities can cause and increase the risk of having a baby , which increases the chance of the baby having medical problems. The are less clear. if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Putting it all together
Now is the time to start make changes to improve the nutritional quality of your food. And it’s not all about mum.
from eating a variety of nutritious foods, cutting down on alcohol, and . One study found that overweight men were 1.2 times and obese men were 1.3 times . But some good news in our study was that overweight and obese men who .
Any improvements you make to your food and lifestyle habits today will benefit you and your family in the future.
, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics, ; , Conjoint Lecturer, , and , Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology, . This article was originally published on . Read the .
