Healthy Nutrition Recommendations to Prepare Your Body for Pregnancy

The first 1000 days of a baby's life are like the "root" from which a person grows. Therefore, the baby's nutrition, as well as yours, is very important. It's similarly crucial to prepare the body before the baby arrives, at least about three months before pregnancy.

If you want to enhance your body's health, improve fertility, and provide your baby the best possible start, adopt these detailed daily recommendations.

• Prefer whole grains that include more dietary fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and proteins than "white" processed grains. Choose whole wheat, rye, oats, and spelt products. For the same reasons, brown rice is preferable to white rice, and you can also vary with types like red rice or wild rice rich in the essential amino acid lysine, vitamins B, and potassium.
• Eat a variety of legumes such as different types of lentils, including red, green, and black lentils; various beans, such as adzuki, which are rich in plant-based protein; chickpeas are also very healthy and recommended—but it's better to soak dry chickpeas overnight than to use canned or frozen versions; raw tahini made from whole sesame is an excellent source of plant-based calcium, which is crucial throughout our lives for various body systems, and especially when considering pregnancy, during which weight gain puts pressure on the joints and musculoskeletal system. Therefore, it's important to strengthen this system before the desired pregnancy.
• 80% of the diet should be plant-based and 20% animal-based—the "Seven Countries Study," along with many international studies like the "China Study," prove that a plant-based diet including vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains prevents diseases and strengthens body systems—something very important when planning a pregnancy. Therefore, it's preferable to limit animal-based foods to up to 20% of the total diet:
  • One egg: 3-5 days a week. Preferably an organic egg that includes fewer hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics.
  • Fish: One fish serving 2-3 times a week.
  • Dairy products: Ideally, avoid dairy products altogether, including liquid milk (for example, milk with cereal or in coffee) or other dairy products like cheese, cottage cheese, etc., made from cow's milk. If you do feel the need to consume dairy products, it is preferable to choose those made from sheep's or goat's milk. They are more expensive but healthier because they contain less antibiotics, hormones, and other harmful substances for the human body, especially at this stage in a woman's life.
  • Meat: Lean chicken is preferable to fattier meat or red meat.
• Prefer nutritious and healthy home-cooked food that includes these highlights over processed and industrialized foods.
• Prefer healthy oils such as cold-pressed olive oil or sesame oil, over industrial oils like canola and soybean.
• Prefer unroasted and unsalted nuts, almonds, seeds, and kernels—this is because the roasting process oxidizes their natural fatty acids, reducing their effectiveness and potentially leading to the creation of free radicals, scientifically proven to cause diseases.

Many delicious healthy food recipes are available both online and offline. They will surprise you with their taste, aroma, and especially their colorfulness! So be original, try new things, and diversify.

It is important to note that these nutrition recommendations also help maintain a healthy body weight. It has been scientifically proven that women who are overweight, or conversely underweight, have more difficulty conceiving. Furthermore, since there is weight gain during pregnancy that can already weigh down the body's systems, it is preferable to plan a pregnancy when the body weight is normal. There are now online calculators that can help you calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index), a measure that assesses if you are overweight or underweight, enabling you to plan your daily menu accordingly.

It's also worth mentioning that it's not the time to count calories or go on crash diets. These only cause negative thoughts about food, weight, and negatively affect self-confidence. If you want to get pregnant, eat in a healthy and balanced way as specified and leave the calorie counters aside. It's also not the time for a "crash diet," after which you may break down and gain weight. An unbalanced diet often doesn't include all the essential nutrients that are so vital for the body and soul, especially at this life stage. Also, since it's not recommended to gain too much weight during pregnancy, save yourself from the distress, frustration, and discontent that are sometimes an unavoidable part of an unbalanced crash diet, and enter pregnancy healthier, calmer, and more relaxed!

These dietary recommendations are intended for healthy women who are contemplating pregnancy and want to prepare their bodies for it. Women with various health conditions, such as diabetes, must consult with their doctor before applying these recommendations.

There are also nutritional recommendations for women who are already pregnant. They are similar to the recommendations mentioned above, but they should be adjusted for each woman according to her pregnancy stage, and if she has any health conditions that might affect the pregnancy and/or childbirth.

Good luck!