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Healthy Eating through the childbearing years:
Since a number of pregnancies are unplanned, many families do not find out they are pregnant until a few weeks or more after conception. In the first few weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is starting to develop and grow. The lifestyle choices made prior to pregnancy and in those first few weeks of pregnancy can have dramatic effects on the health of your baby. Therefore it is important for women to emphasize nutrition and healthy eating throughout the childbearing years. 

Healthy eating before pregnancy also ensures that there will be adequate nutrients available to support a healthy pregnancy. Following Canada's Food Guide is the best way to ensure you are making healthy food choices.
For more information on healthy eating refer to the following links:
Health Canada – “Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide
Dietitians of Canada

Maintain a Healthy Body Weight:
A healthy body weight before pregnancy sets the pattern for appropriate weight gain during pregnancy. Being overweight prior to pregnancy increases risk of gestational diabetes and poor pregnancy outcome. Being under-weight prior to pregnancy increases risk of infertility, anemia, and complications during childbirth. For more information on healthy weights refer Health Canada - Healthy Weights.

Take Folate/Folic Acid Daily:
Folic acid/folate is an important vitamin to include in your eating habits before you are pregnant and during early pregnancy. Folate (form found in food) or folic acid (in pill form) is a B vitamin that has been proven to help decrease the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). Neural tube defects are serious birth defects that affect a baby's spine and brain. They include spina bifida and other abnormal developments of the brain and spinal cord. 

All women who could become pregnant should take a supplement containing 0.4mg of folic acid every day. To further help reduce the risk of NTDs it is recommended that you take folic acid 2-3 months prior to pregnancy and continue through the first three months of pregnancy. This can be in the form of a multivitamin, as prenatal supplements. 

ADAPTED FROM: Health Canada. Nutrition for a Healthy Pregnancy: National Guidelines for the Childbearing Years. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada; 1999.

Foods that are rich in folic acid:
Enjoy 3 of these good food sources everyday: 

• Beets ½ cup, broccoli ½ cup, 
• cauliflower ½ cup, 
• corn ½ cup, 
• bran cereal 30g, 
• cantaloupe or melon 1/10 fruit, 
• eggs 1 large, 
• green peas ½ cup, 
• Romaine lettuce 1 cup, 
• oranges and orange juice ½ cup, 
• and peanut butter 2tbsp.

Enjoy 2 of these excellent food sources everyday: 

• asparagus 4 spears, 
• sunflower seeds ¼ cup, 
• baked beans with pork 2/3 cup, 
• peanuts ¼ cup, 
• ½ cup of kidney beans, 
• lentils, or chick peas, 
• spinach 1 cup.

 Adapted from: Health Unit - Folic Acid handout #01-02

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