Diet & getting pregnant

Choosing a well-balanced diet filled with vitamin-rich healthy foods is the best way to prepare your body for pregnancy and make sure you are hitting the recommended daily intakes (RDI) for the planning phase. Choosing what to put on your plate – and what to avoid, at least for a little while – will increase your chances of a healthy conception and maintain your overall health as you continue on your journey towards becoming a parent. So, what should you stock up on for your pre-pregnancy nutrition?

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:

Healthy food for a pre-pregnancy diet

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, but can also boost men’s fertility and sperm health.

Here are some nutrition guidelines for what you need to eat every day to reach the recommended nutrient intake for the best opportunity to conceive:

Folic acid (or folate): the guideline for folate (folic acid) in pregnancy is 600 mcg per day, which is around 700 g of cooked spinach or 15 slices of bread.
Iodine: the guideline for Iodine in pregnancy is 220 mcg per day, which is around 200 g of oysters or 6 eggs.
Iron: the guideline for Iron in pregnancy is 27 mcg per day, which is around 900 g of red meat or 250 g of chicken livers.
Vitamin D: an adequate daily intake of vitamin D in pregnancy is 5 ug per day. Vitamin D3 mainly comes from animal sources such as liver and oily fish, as well as egg yolk. Some manufactured foods, like bread, cereals, and milk products, are enriched with vitamin D. Sunshine is another natural source of vitamin D, though care needs to be taken with how much time you spend in the sun¹⁶.
Choline: The guideline for choline in pregnancy is 440 mg per day, which is around 3 hardboiled eggs.
Omega-3 DHA: the guideline for Omega-3 DHA per day is around 200 mg, which is around 15 g of salmon.

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 to meet the RDI (recommended daily intake) guidelines to support you with a healthy pregnancy.

If you aren't reaching your recommended intake of DHA or choline each day, you may like to learn more about Elevit DHA & Choline Pregnancy.

Guidelines for the above micro-nutrient requirements in pregnancy are taken from the National Health and Medical Research Council (Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes, 2006).

Estimates based on Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Australian Food Composition Database (January 2022. Available at https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/afcd/pages/default.aspx).

Best foods to eat when trying to get pregnant

It’s time to plate up! Having a diet full of 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.

Foods to avoid while trying to conceive

Alcohol and caffeine – choose water or decaf when you can. If you can’t live without your coffee, limit your intake to 200 mg 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 servings of fish per week, but avoid types that contain high levels of mercury, including roughly (deep sea perch), catfish, flake (shark), swordfish and marlin.