Get your body ready for baby! In the book, Deep Nutrition, Catherine Shanahan says that the three months before you get pregnant are the most important to your future baby’s health. So start preparing your body before the nursery by eating the following foods:
Gut-Healthy Foods
The key to your health is keeping a strong immune system through a healthy gut. Therefore, the key to developing a baby with a strong immune system is to be sure your gut is healthy. Eat at least one of the following foods daily to provide your inner tummy with gut-friendly probiotics. They can also help keep away nasty things like yeast infections that can get in the way of getting pregnant.
Stock up on sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, miso and plain Greek yogurt (no sugar or artificial sugar added, and make sure to check the label for live bacterial cultures).
Foods with Folate
Folate, also called Folic acid is a B-complex vitamin that gets most of its street cred in prevention of pregnancy defects. These defects involve the neural tube, which later forms your baby’s brain and the bottom part unfolds to become the baby’s spinal column.
Stock up on lentils, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, navy beans and kidney beans. Asparagus, spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce, collard greens and beets are also great. Not only are they good sources of folate, they are also chock full of antioxidants.
Brain Foods
For a moment, think of your unborn baby as a parasite that feeds off of its host (i.e. you). I know it’s not cute, but the analogy is accurate. Any nutrient that the baby is lacking while in utero, it will steal from its mother, including her stores of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, accumulate in the baby’s brain a few months before birth and soon after as well. It’s been shown that pre-term babies don’t have as much time in the womb to soak up that important DHA and as a result, some pre-term children can develop ADHD or other disorders like aggression, anxiety or depression as a result. (This is not a life sentence and in many cases can be treated with DHA supplementation).
It’s never too early to start eating your stores of omega-3s through wild salmon, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flaxseeds, soybeans and sardines.
Read the full article on Livestrong.com and see what foods to banish for a healthy pregnancy!
