According to Patrick Holford's new book, Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy, making healthy babies is a lot like gardening.You need healthy soil before planting the seed, which must then be fed and watered regularly.
Getting the best out of your vegetable garden is one thing but when the stakes
Holford's book is a good addition to any couple's bedtime reading, especially if you are still in the planning stages and yet to meet your midwife.
Making sure you are both in your best condition can help produce a healthy baby and set up good habits for years to come.
Forget about celebrities and their fad diets designed to produce a baby girl - Victoria Beckham is still working on that one - every prospective mum and dad needs to make sure their diet is full of nutrient-rich wholefoods - such as wholegrains, legumes, fruits, vegetables and fish.
Steering clear of anti-nutrients - alcohol, tobacco and caffeine - is also just as important as exposure to these can hit fertility hard.
Midwife Maureen O'Reilly says being in the pregnancy planning stage is a great time to prepare your body for the next nine months.
''Pre-pregnancy is a great time to get in shape and it will make it easier to conceive,'' she said.
''We almost always see people when they're already pregnant, but focusing beforehand is better. I once had a client who was having trouble conceiving. Her doctor told her to lose 5kg and she was soon pregnant.''
Getting into better health habits doesn't just mean losing weight before conception, although being a healthy weight lessens risks of gestational diabetes and difficult labours further down the track.
Eating better quality foods to provide for your needs and those of the baby growing in the womb is as important.
''Pregnancy is reliant on good nutrition. Women who have poor nutrition often have problems.
''You need a good blood supply and to be getting plenty of protein, iron and calcium levels to help build a new body.
''Some women are prone to cramping and food containing calcium, magnesium and potassium can help prevent that.''
She's a big advocate of home-cooked meals and, if you have the space, a garden to grow your own vegetables, so you can be sure they are fresh.
One of her mums had her own vegetable garden and gave birth to a bouncing baby, and both are in optimum health, she says.
Her other top tips are to take a folic acid supplement pre-pregnancy to help prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida and to get fit to prepare your body for the next nine months.
Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy is written by Patrick Holford and Susannah Lawson and published by Hachette New Zealand.
GOOD SNACKS
* Steak sandwich
* Sardines on whole grain toast
* Fruit smoothie made with reduced-fat milk and yoghurt
* Oranges
* Eggs on whole grain toast
* Ginger, carrot, orange and apple - freshly juiced
* Baked beans on toast
* Baked potato
* Breakfast cereal with trim milk
* Creamed rice
* Dried fruit and nuts
* Flavoured milk
* Yoghurt
* Hard-boiled egg
* Hot soup
* Bread roll with a small can of tuna and chopped tomato filling
* Peanut butter on high-fibre bread or crackers
FOODS TO AVOID
* Pate and soft or blue cheeses can be contaminated with listeria as can soft-whip icecreams and unpasteurised milk.
* Raw eggs and poultry can harbour salmonella, it's estimated that as much as 33 per cent of fresh and 41 per cent of frozen chickens are infected, so make sure you cook both thoroughly. Avoid foods made with raw eggs, such as fresh mayonnaise or chocolate mousse.
* Raw shellfish and sushi. And because of high levels of mercury contamination it is advisable to avoid fish such as shark, swordfish and marlin and to limit tuna to once a week.
* Green or sprouting potatoes. contain poisonous substances called alpha-solanine and alpha-choconine, which are linked to spina bifida.
* Coffee and caffeine-containing drinks can have a negative impact on fertility but, once pregnant, it is thought a few cups a day is acceptable.
* Alcohol is toxic and not safe for your developing baby at any level.
Preparation key to healthy babies
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