6 Foods You Should Avoid When You Want To Get Pregnant
“Gestation is a life changing choice, and your baby is worth all the efforts and pain in the world.”
Truer words have not been said! It’s not like you have to stop being who you are and abandon all your likes if you want to be a mom, but as far as the health of the fetus forming inside your womb is concerned, there are things you need to keep in account about your diet and food habits.
Diet and Getting Pregnant:
Diet plays a vital role in every stage of baby formation; right from conceiving to delivery and even afterwards.
- During pregnancy, your immune system goes weak, which makes you and your unborn child, vulnerable to bacterial, viral, parasitic and food-borne infections.
- The foetus is also highly sensitive to toxins that enter your body through the food you eat.
- Some toxic material like mercury that can easily enter your body through food and is hazardous to your unborn baby.
- Therefore, indulging into healthy choices of food and refraining from unhealthy ones is very important.
[ Read: Is Green Tea Good For Pregnancy ]
6 Types Of Foods To Avoid When Trying To Get Pregnant:
As you are on your way to a big change in life, keeping an account of “Shoulds” and “Shouldn’ts” will be a tough but vital task. If you are trying for a baby or you are pregnant already, here are some stuff you have to avoid at all cost:
1. Consumption of Alcohol:
If you have made up your mind to get pregnant, you have to make up your mind for one more thing, – “No Alcohol for a long time”.
- Alcohol causes birth defect in babies and these defects happen at a much higher rate in the first couple of weeks of gestation before you even discover, you are pregnant.
- In addition, alcohol also inhibits women’s capability to conceive.
[ Read: Effects Of Smoking On Fertility ]
2. Caffeine:
Caffeine affects your ability to get pregnant; though all researches do not prove this.
- In situations of doubt, its best to play safe and stay off Caffeine for a while.
- If you miss drinking a hot beverage, a good alternative is herbal tea and vegetable stock or soups, but please check with your doctor.
[ Read: Effects Of Caffeine On Fertility ]
3. Soy and Soy Products:
Soy is a rich source of protein, but large quantity of soy protein has the ability to inhibit fertility.
- Soy products are only good if restricted to occasional munching.
- To be safe, refrain from soy products. Soy products are one of the foods to avoid while trying to conceive.
4. Raw and Unpasteurized Products:
Undercooked or raw eggs, fish or any kinds of meat can put you at risk of Listeria, Salmonella and other food-borne infections.
- Any unpasteurized milk product especially soft cheese may contain E coli and Listeria.
- Make sure that if you consume meat in any form, it should be fully cooked.
5. Certain Fishes containing Mercury:
Fishes like Swordfish, Shark, King Mackerel and Tilefish are high in mercury. High level of mercury can directly impact your baby’s nervous system.
- Mercury can remain accumulated in your body for long time and is extremely harmful for you as well as the baby.
- Seafood and undercooked food contains Listeria and E coli and should be avoided if you’re trying to conceive.
[ Read: Best Food For Pregnancy ]
6. Canned and Frozen Food:
Fresh food has its own goodness, which is why home-cooked food is always recommended, whether you are trying to get pregnant or not.
- Frozen and canned foods are packed using preservatives which are harmful in the long run.
- Recent research suggests that canned food contains chemicals such as BPA and Orbisphenol A that lowers the chances of getting and staying pregnant.
Choosing a healthy lifestyle and dietary habit is not just for your baby, but for you as well, as you are going to need a lot of strength to raise your child. So choose health and stay happy.
It is a great idea to keep a checklist of what foods to avoid when trying to get pregnant, so that you and your unborn can stay safe and sound. We hope this article has helped you to do that. Share your comments in the section below!
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