What's Diet Got to do With It?

Thanksgiving was yesterday, and if you did the traditional afternoon meal, you probably had turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberry jelly or sauce, green bean casserole, Jello, and pumpkin pie with ice cream or whipped topping among other things. Let's not forget the morning snacks in front of the TV while watching football or the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Although we tried to keep our snacking healthy, there was still the ranch dip for the carrots, celery, mushrooms and cucumber, plus crackers with cheddar, Colby jack, and mozzarella cheeses.

How healthy was that meal? Probably healthier than your usual breakfast, lunch or dinner meal is, and eating a healthy diet daily can go a long way to helping you achieve the pregnancy you want. Getting the right amount of vitamins and minerals from the food you eat instead of a daily supplement is the best way to ensure your health, and to increase your chances of getting pregnant. The most important vitamin is Folic Acid, also known as Folate.

So, from which foods can you get the Folate your body needs? The best sources include dark leafy green vegetables, dried beans and peas, citrus fruits and many berries. Breads, pastas, and other foods made from grains have been fortified with additional amounts of Folate. Eating a balanced diet should ensure that you are consuming enough Folate to help prevent spinal defects when you become pregnant.

Some other important vitamins and minerals include vitamin E, C, B12, calcium, iron and zinc. Vitamin E besides being a great antioxidant also helps to normalize the menstrual cycle and balance the hormones. It also helps your body to utilize other vitamins and minerals, so it is an important vitamin that you should be sure you are getting enough of in your daily diet. Foods rich in vitamin E include safflower and corn oils, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and nuts.

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helps your body fight off infections, speeds the healing of wounds, assists with the strengthening of blood vessel walls, and also helps to bind cells together. The best-known source for vitamin C is citrus fruits and juices. However, spinach, broccoli, red and green peppers, tomatoes, berries, potatoes with the skin attached, and black pepper also contain vitamin C.

Vitamin B12 is another very important vitamin that helps with the formation of red blood cells, keeps the nervous system healthy, and is needed for the rapid synthesis of DNA during cell division. Although it is not thought that women need extra amounts of B12 during pregnancy, being sure that you are getting the recommended amount of 2.6mcg is the best thing to do. Good sources of B12 include meats, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Many breakfast cereals are also fortified with additional B12.

Everyone knows that calcium helps to keep your bones strong, but did you also know that you need calcium to keep your nerves and muscles functioning, and to help your blood clot properly? Calcium is very important and you can get the calcium that your body needs from dairy products and from dark green vegetables, nuts, grains, and beans.

Iron is needed for healthy blood, and the majority of people get enough iron in their daily diet. Iron should not be supplemented unless directed by a doctor. The best sources of iron include meat, fish, and poultry. Other sources of iron include lentils, beans, and fortified breads, cereals, pastas and other grain products. If you feel tired and worn down, talk to your doctor about having your iron levels tested and alter your diet if needed.

Last, but not least is zinc. Are you ready to find out just how important this mineral is to your fertility and general health? Zinc is needed for wound healing, for a healthy immune system, for DNA synthesis, to support over 100 enzymes' activity in your body, in the proper function of taste and smell, and in proper growth and development during pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence. Zinc also helps to promote proper testosterone levels, and signals proper sperm production. Men should get about 25mg of zinc daily, and women should get between 25mg and 30mg daily. The best food sources of zinc include oysters, red mean, poultry, beans, nuts, some seafood, whole grains, dairy products, and from fortified breakfast cereals.

If you and your partner are eating well-balanced meals that contain the correct servings from the food pyramid you should not need to take a daily supplement. However, if your regular daily diet is like mine (I eat when I feel hungry and don't pay as much attention to what I am eating as I should) then taking a daily multi-vitamin is one of the best things you can do for both your health and your fertility.

If you want to learn more about nutrition and what a proper diet should contain, enroll in General Nutrition, and if one of your New Year's Resolutions is to lose weight, then Lose Weight and Keep It Off (*no longer being offered) is just what you have been looking for.

Author: Debbi Secaur
Published on: November 28, 2003 at Suite101.com

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Do not consider the information herein to be of a diagnostic nature.
Always consult your health care professional if you have any health concerns.