Planning
Diet & getting pregnant
This article may help answer:
What are the best foods to eat when trying to get pregnant?
What are the foods to avoid while trying to conceive?
How do I get enough folic acid, iron and iodine?
Find out more:
Did you know that for the best chance to conceive it’s important for both parents to eat a balanced and healthy pre pregnancy diet? The right foods contain nutrients that give women energy and optimum health – an environment we need to conceive – but can also give men a boost when it comes to their fertility and sperm health.
Here’s what you need to eat every day to reach the recommended nutrient intake for the best opportunity to conceive*:
- Folic acid: around 700g of cooked spinach or 15 slices of bread
- Iodine: around 200g of oysters or 6 eggs
- Iron: around 900g of red meat or 250g of chicken livers.
*Estimates based on Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Australian Food Composition Database (January 2019).
Hitting these recommended targets can be tricky with food alone, but don’t worry. This is where Elevit can help. Taking an Elevit Pre-conception & Pregnancy multivitamin daily is a simple way to get a large variety of the micronutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy.
It’s time to plate up! Piling your plate with the right foods won’t only give you the best chances of a healthy conception, it will also make you feel great. Here’s what to stock up on:
Fibre-rich carbs – Think veggies, fresh fruit and grains. And remember, the more colourful the plate – red capsicum, orange carrots, green spinach - the greater range of vitamins and minerals you’re getting.
Dairy – Keep the sugar content under control by choosing plain Greek yoghurt over ice-cream or sugar-filled, flavoured versions.
Choose organic – Pesticides may affect delicate hormone balances and male sperm production, so where possible choose whole foods, unprocessed (or minimally processed) foods such as fruit and vegetables, meat, eggs and legumes, and dairy.
Alcohol and caffeine – choose water or decaf when you can. If you can’t live without your coffee, limit your intake to 200mg per day, which is about two espressos or 3-5 cups of tea. You should also avoid energy drinks.
Foods that may contain listeria – deli favourites such as soft cheese, pate, cold meats, pre-prepared salads, raw or smoked fish and raw eggs contain listeria and should be avoided.
The medium rare option – Ask for meat to be cooked all the way through to reduce the risk of bacteria-caused infection.
Fish – Aim for 2-3 serves of fish per week, but avoid types that contain high levels of mercury, including roughly (deep sea perch), catfish, flake (shark), swordfish and marlin.
You’ve read advice on:
The benefit of Elevit pregnancy multivitamin daily
The best foods to eat when trying to get pregnant
Drinks and food to avoid while trying to conceive
