My Preconception Diet

As you can tell from the title, I am so excited to be trying for baby #2! Since struggling with postnatal depletion after I had Diego, this go around I want to prepare my body as best as I can nutritionally in hopes to avoid feeling depleted. This is when I discovered the idea of a preconception diet!

I like to consider myself pretty healthy and I do make proper nutrition a main priority in my life. But I didn’t realize, like many other women, that nutrition can play such a big role in helping to get pregnant.

A preconception diet means I will be eating to nourish my body with specific foods to prepare it for pregnancy. Many women, like myself in my first pregnancy, get pregnant while they are already nutritionally depleted. Which in turn, can make it harder to recover. When the body is properly nourished, it can encourage fertility and support the pregnancy through recovery.

I consulted the help of registered dietician and Majka medical advisor, Jessica Bippen. Jessica reviewed with me the research she bases her preconception diets on, the main being a Harvard research called the “Fertility Diet” from 2007.This research found that women with ovulatory infertility who followed this eating plan had a 66% lower risk of ovulatory infertility and a 27% reduced risk of infertility from other causes than women who didn’t follow the diet closely.

Main Points of My Fertility Diet

Less trans fat and more monounsaturated fat (from foods such as avocados and olive oil)
Less animal protein and more vegetable protein
More high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrate-rich foods (including whole grains)
More vegetarian sources of iron and fewer meat sources
Prenatal Vitamins – my favorites are from Whole Earth USA and Megafood
High-fat dairy instead of low-fat dairy (organic if tolerated)

While my dietician recommended this as a foundation, she focuses on increasing nutrients with variety, nutrient-dense foods and antioxidants. I personally choose not to consume dairy products and I like to stay away from gluten and refined sugars. So my preconception diet plan will not include those ingredients, but feel free to customize yours however you like it!

If you want to learn more about the Fertility Diet I would definitely recommend checking out this book The Fertility Diet: Groundbreaking Research Reveals Natural Ways to Boost Ovulation and Improve Your Chances of Getting Pregnant! You can also find more information at What to Expect website and Everydayhealth.com.

Nutrients to Focus on If You’re Trying to Get Pregnant

Healthy Fats

Avocado, nuts, seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, salmon, coconut

Protein

Beans, hemp seeds, protein powder, collagen peptides, chicken, salmon, and eggs

Antioxidants

Berries, greens, watermelon, citrus, turmeric (basically all fruits and veggies so eat the rainbow!)

Folate

Leafy greens, asparagus, brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, lentils, beans, nuts, and peas

Iron

Spinach, lentils, beans, molasses, cacao, cashews, based potatoes, meat, fish, and poultry

Zinc

Chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, cashews, eggs, meat, and shellfish

Selenium

Brazil nuts are the best source (I was recommended 1-2 daily but check to make sure you know how much your prenatal already contains)
*Women trying to conceive should not exceed more than 400mg of selenium a day*

Choline

Egg yolks (this is worth supplementing or finding a prenatal with choline in it if you do not eat eggs!)

I’ve found that the easiest way to incorporate these foods into your diet is to take the time to create simple meal plans once a week. Here is an example of what my weekly meal plan looks like.