Pregnancy & Prenatal Care

Healthy Eating while Planning a Pregnancy

Image of pregnant women eating a bowl of fruit and veggies.

Healthy moms tend to have healthy babies. Take the healthy eating steps below before you get pregnant to help your baby get off to a good start:

•  Follow a balanced diet. Eat plenty of:

– Whole grains

– Green leafy and other vegetables

– Fruits

– Calcium-rich foods (low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese; items that have calcium added to them like some juices and breads)

•  Go easy on:

– High-fat and junk foods

– Refined sugars. Don’t load up on Kool-Aid, for example.

– Salt

•  Before you get pregnant, stop using or have less than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day. See the chart below. After you get pregnant, follow your doctor’s advice.

•  Begin or keep on with an exercise schedule.

•  All females who plan to get pregnant or are able to get pregnant should take 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day. Folic acid is a B-vitamin. It may prevent certain birth defects, such as spina bifida. For this effect, you take it before conception and during the early months of pregnancy. Ask your health care provider which vitamin pills you should take to get the folic acid and other vitamins and minerals you need.

 

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