Thinking about pregnancy? Whether you’re aiming to get pregnant next year or in the next few months, you should be getting ready now. This is the time to take inventory of your nutrition habits and make necessary changes that will promote good health for you and a healthy environment for your baby.|
Do you drink a lot of coffee? Skip meals? Do you avoid food groups like fruits? Are you on the low carb craze? Using the following guide will help in evaluating your food choices. Are you getting the recommended number of servings from each group? This guide shows a range of daily servings for each food group. The number of servings that is right for you depends on how many calories you need. Calories are a way to measure energy. The energy your body needs depends on your age, sex, body structure, and activity level.
If you have lower calorie needs, select the lower number of servings. If you have higher calorie needs, select the higher number of servings. The amount of food that is considered to be one serving is also listed. If you eat a larger portion, it is more than one serving. For example, a hamburger bun is 2 servings. If you have a combination food like pizza, estimate the food groups that it represents – bread group (crust), milk group (cheese), vegetable group (tomato sauce).
Bread, Grains and Pasta (6-11 servings)
Don’t Forget the Folate
One nutrient worth special consideration when you are preparing your body for pregnancy is folate or folic acid. This vitamin has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, a defect in the spinal column.
Folate helps develop the neural tube that becomes the baby’s spine. The neural tube starts to develop shortly after conception and is closed at 28 days. The recommended intake of folate prior to conception is 0.4 milligrams, or 400 micrograms every day. Foods rich in folate include citrus fruits and juice; dark, green, leafy vegetables like spinach; whole grain and fortified breads and cereals; wheat germ; nuts; legumes; lentils; and lima beans. To read more about folate, click here.