Preconception nutrition

• Overview
   
• Balanced
  diet
• Foods to
  avoid
• Further information

Balanced diet

You need to eat plenty of protein, fibre, calcium, iron and other minerals and vitamins^1,3.

These can all be found in^1,3:

• Fruit and vegetables – you should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. They can be fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or a glass of juice.
• Starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Dairy products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt.
• Protein such as lean meat and chicken, eggs and pulses (beans and lentils). These foods will also supply you with iron.

Eat fish

Try to eat two servings of fish a week, making sure that one is oily fish like sardines, mackerel and tuna.  They contain fatty acids that are important for the development of the brain, nervous system and retina⁵.

Limit tuna to two steaks a week, or four small tins of tuna also because of the risk of mercury, which can damage your baby's developing nervous system⁵.

Also avoid shark, swordfish, and marlin, which may also have high mercury content⁵.

Store up on iron

Once you're pregnant, you may be more at risk of becoming deficient in iron so it's best to build up your supply^1,3. When you eat iron-rich food, drink some juice or eat food containing vitamin C to help your body absorb it^1,3.

Good sources of iron are^1,3:

• Red meat
• Pulses
• Dried fruit
• Bread
• Green vegetables
• Fortified breakfast cereals.