{"id":70950,"date":"2021-04-24T00:09:55","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T06:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/?p=135"},"modified":"2022-06-09T15:04:12","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T21:04:12","slug":"preconception-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/preconception-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"Preconception Nutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Preconception nutrition research has shown that food and healthy nutrition are tied to fertility health in both women and men.\u00a0 Additionally, there are substances that can hinder fertility.<\/p>\n<h2>Pre-pregnancy Diet for Increasing Your Fertility<\/h2>\n<p>Oysters contain\u00a0high levels of zinc &#8211; a nutrient that contributes to semen and testosterone\u00a0production in men, and <a title=\"Understanding Ovulation\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/understanding-ovulation\/\">ovulation<\/a> and fertility in women. There are several\u00a0studies that indicate that deficiencies in zinc affect both male and\u00a0female fertility. Maintaining the recommended dietary allowance of zinc\u00a0(15 mg a day) can help keep your reproductive system functioning well.<\/p>\n<h3>The Nutritional Rule<\/h3>\n<p>Maintaining a diet composed of fruits, vegetables,\u00a0whole grains, lean meats, and dairy products should provide you with the\u00a0recommended dietary allowance of v<a href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/healthy-pregnancy\/pregnancy-health-wellness\/types-prenatal-vitamins\/\">itamins and minerals <\/a>for proper reproductive\u00a0functioning.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"highlight\">Preconception Nutrition Preparation<\/h3>\n<p>Begin making healthy changes <strong>3 months to a year before you conceive<\/strong>. Evidence shows that healthy nutrition and fertility is linked in both men and women. Below is a list of suggestions for healthy\u00a0nutrition prior to conception:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Folic Acid: <\/strong>The U.S. Public Health Service recommends\u00a0that women of childbearing age obtain 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams)\u00a0of folate or <a title=\"Folic Acid\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancy-health\/folic-acid\/\">folic acid <\/a>each day. This B vitamin helps reduce a baby&#8217;s\u00a0risk of neural tube <a title=\"Birth Defects\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/birth-defects\/\">birth defects<\/a> such as <a href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/healthy-pregnancy\/birth-defects\/spina-bifida\/\">spina bifida<\/a>. If your family\u00a0has a history of neural tube defects, your doctor may increase your\u00a0daily intake. Folic acid may be obtained naturally through leafy, dark green vegetables (i.e. spinach), citrus fruits, nuts, legumes, whole\u00a0grains, and fortified bread and cereals. These foods can be supplemented\u00a0with a <a title=\"Prenatal Vitamins\" href=\" https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancyhealth\/prenatalvitamins.html\">prenatal vitamin<\/a> which usually contains 800mcg of folic acid.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Calcium: <\/strong>It is recommended that women get at least\u00a01,000 mg (three 8 oz glasses of skim milk) of calcium a day if they\u00a0are considering <a title=\"Getting Pregnant\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/\">getting pregnant<\/a>. Calcium may be obtained from natural\u00a0sources such as low-fat yogurt, canned salmon, sardines,\u00a0rice, and cheese.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Supplements &amp; Vitamins:\u00a0<\/strong>In addition to a healthy diet, many healthcare providers will encourage you to take supplements to increase the probability that you get all the nutrients you need.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caffeine:\u00a0<\/strong>It is important to wean yourself off of <a title=\"Caffeine and Pregnancy\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancy-health\/caffeine-and-pregnancy\/\">caffeine<\/a>\u00a0(including chocolate), as research has shown that more than 200-300\u00a0milligrams of caffeine per day may reduce fertility by 27 percent. Caffeine\u00a0also hinders the body&#8217;s ability to absorb iron and calcium.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Things to Remove: <\/strong>Artificial sweeteners, <a href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/healthy-pregnancy\/is-it-safe\/alcohol-and-pregnancy\/\">alcohol<\/a>, <a title=\"Using Illegal Drugs During Pregnancy\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancy-health\/illegal-drugs-during-pregnancy\/\">recreational\u00a0drugs<\/a>,\u00a0<a title=\"Smoking During Pregnancy\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancy-health\/smoking-during-pregnancy\/\">cigarettes<\/a>\u00a0and <a title=\"Second Hand Smoke and Pregnancy\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/pregnancy-complications\/second-hand-smoke-and-pregnancy\/\">second-hand smoke<\/a> all have the potential of harming your soon to be\u00a0conceived baby.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/resources\/fertility-products-resource-guide\/\">Ultimate Fertility Resource Guide<\/a><\/strong> provides the information you need on fertility, tips on how to get pregnant faster, and how to boost fertility through sometimes simple tweaks to your lifestyle and approach. The guide is easy to read and meant for anybody wanting to increase their ability to conceive. It&#8217;s a free download and includes coupon codes for essential products. Even free Nightfood Nighttime Ice Cream.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h4>Want to Know More?<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a title=\"Understanding Ovulation\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/understanding-ovulation\/\">Things to Know About Ovulation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Ovulation Calendar: How To Track Ovulation\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/ovulation-calendar\/\">Track Your Ovulation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a title=\"Signs of Ovulation\" href=\"https:\/\/americanpregnancy.org\/getting-pregnant\/signs-of-ovulation\/\">Signs of Ovulation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"citation-date\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preconception nutrition research has shown that food and healthy nutrition are tied to fertility health in both women and men.\u00a0 Additionally, there are substances that can hinder fertility. Pre-pregnancy Diet for Increasing Your Fertility Oysters contain\u00a0high levels of zinc &#8211; a nutrient that contributes to semen and testosterone\u00a0production in men, and ovulation and fertility in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24595,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,51],"tags":[],"faq-categories":[8401],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.11 (Yoast SEO v20.11) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Preconception Nutrition | American Pregnancy Association<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Preconception nutrition is directly related to your fertility and chances to conceive. 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