Watching what you eat before pregnancy (Part 03)

Contents:

• Eat a healthy diet when planning a pregnancy
• Australian guide to healthy eating
• Making changes to your diet
• Listeria
• Folic acid (folate)

When you're thinking about having a baby, it's really important to eat healthy food, to include lots of foods that are folate-rich and to start taking a folic acid supplement at least one month before becoming pregnant.
Enjoying plenty of exercise will increase your fitness level and help keep your weight in the normal range for your height.

Making changes to your diet
If your diet hasn't been as healthy as it could be, why not start to make some changes now? Begin by making a few small changes that you can stick to. Once these changes are part of your everyday lifestyle, think about some more changes you can make.
Here are some simple, practical ideas that will help you start thinking about ways to make your eating healthier:

• Have a piece of fruit for a snack instead of chocolate or biscuits
• Carry a small bottle of water with you so you can avoid buying soft drinks while you're out
• Replace a couple of meat-based meals each week with a dish based on beans or lentils—have a look in your book shop or library for vegetarian recipe ideas
• Include fresh fish or canned fish (such as tuna or salmon) regularly in your diet
• Experiment with different grains such as barley, faro, couscous and brown rice to add more variety to your diet
• Cut up raw salad vegies such as carrots, celery and mushrooms—store them in snap lock plastic bags in the fridge for snacking on throughout the day
• Choose low fat dairy products instead of the full cream type
• Try snacking on air-popped popcorn instead of chips and other fatty snacks

If you have a partner, take some time now to sit down together and talk about some of the ways you can make healthy eating part of your lifestyle. You are much more likely to feel positive about these changes if you and your partner make them together.

Your healthy choices will increase your chances of conceiving and set the scene for a healthy pregnancy. It probably won't be too long before you also have another pair of eyes watching you eat and following your example!

If you would like more information about healthy eating, please ask your doctor, midwife or a dietician.


Next to Part 04...