Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy: How to Do It Right

Preparation for birth is common and accepted today. It is also important to remember that preparing for pregnancy is very important for the mother and future baby.

This article is intended for any woman thinking about pregnancy and wanting to prepare for it in the best possible way. Whether you're a newlywed considering your first pregnancy, already a mother wanting more children, or even single wanting to prepare your body for future pregnancy - it's highly recommended to read this series of articles that includes practical information that can be applied daily to prepare your body and enhance fertility.

The World Health Organization (WHO) attaches great importance to the first 1,000 days of a baby's life. This period includes the 9 months of pregnancy and the first two years of the baby's life. It is during this time that the "roots" from which the person will grow are formed, laying the foundation from which the person will be built. During pregnancy, the fetus's organs are formed, including muscles, tissues, and tendons related to the skeletal system, which is the base of the human body.

It is scientifically proven that the mother's nutrition and the nutritional supplements she takes before and during pregnancy greatly affect the cognitive, motor, and sensory development of the fetus. The mother's and baby's nutrition during the first two years of the baby's life also significantly influences these types of development. Therefore, it's crucial to be aware of this and eat accordingly.

Today, a woman who wants to prepare herself for pregnancy should maintain a healthy diet at least three months before the desired date of conception, and preferably long before that.

This is because the Western diet is not healthy and often includes:

• Processed food that does not contain essential vitamins and minerals necessary for the proper functioning of all body systems.
• Processed food that usually raises the glycemic index, i.e., blood sugar levels, and can lead to diseases such as diabetes or gestational diabetes.
• "Empty" carbohydrates including white flour and other processed grains that do not contain the vitamins and nutritional values found in whole grains, which are important for proper body functioning.
• Unhealthy food such as snacks, pastries, chocolate, and carbonated drinks, which often have high sugar content causing high blood sugar levels that are the basis for diseases of affluence (diseases common in societies where there is an excess of food. Symptoms can include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.). Additionally, the body does not always manage to digest and excrete this food, leading to waste that settles and absorbs in the intestines.
• Preservatives and food dyes that not only do not add to health but can harm the body in large quantities.

This is why the Ministry of Health recommends the Mediterranean diet as the healthiest, especially for women of childbearing age who want to have children.

The term "Mediterranean diet" was coined by the American researcher Ancel Keys and the international team of doctors who worked with him over decades as part of the "Seven Countries Study". This was the first comprehensive scientific study to establish the connection between diet and diseases such as heart and vascular diseases, even Alzheimer's and dementia, and unequivocally stated that a healthy diet along with a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity and avoiding smoking and alcohol, prevents diseases, helps deal with them when they do occur, improves the body's healing ability, and extends lifespan.

Israel's diet is close to the Mediterranean diet, and the following points should be implemented to eat healthily, increase fertility chances, and provide the fetus and baby with optimal developmental conditions:

• Increase eating fresh vegetables and fruits in different colors – The pigments give fruits and vegetables their colors. They are also important antioxidants that neutralize free radicals harming cells in the body and causing many diseases like cancer. For example, lycopene is a pigment from the carotenoid family characterized by a bright red color. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and other red fruits like watermelon, red grapefruit, and bell pepper. Among other things, lycopene has an antioxidant effect and also maintains bone health and brain function. Therefore, eating fresh fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors enhances the functioning of various body systems and strengthens them.
• Eat around 8 fresh fruits and vegetables a day – It's not as much as it sounds when spread throughout the day. You can eat two vegetables like pepper or cucumber with whole wheat bread at breakfast, or alternatively a banana and an orange or any fruit to start the morning with calories that give healthy energy to the body, add a salad of two vegetables for lunch and dinner. The two remaining fruits, like an apple or a pear, can be eaten as a snack between meals, adding a handful of non-roasted, unsalted almonds and nuts.

These dietary recommendations are intended for healthy women thinking about pregnancy and wanting to prepare their bodies for it. Women with various diseases such as diabetes must consult their doctor before implementing these recommendations.

Best of luck!