Whilst we should all be eating a healthy, balance diet, it’s especially important when you’re trying for a baby to get all the nutrients you need.

This will also help your baby, as you’ll be giving your unborn child everything they need to develop properly in the womb. Eating healthily while pregnant has also been shown to give kids a great start to their future health prospects.

Eat lots

What: bread, cereals, potatoes, fruit, vegetables.
Why: they provide energy, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Eat moderately

What: milk, dairy products, meat, pulses and fish (limit oily fish to two portions per week).
Why: they provide protein for growth, vitamins and minerals but too much can be fattening and cause other health issues.

Eat little

What: fat (butter, margarine, oils, cream), fried foods (crisps, chips etc), sugary foods (cakes, biscuits, sweets, soft drinks, ice cream etc).
Why: they provide energy but can make you put on weight; sugary foods lead to tooth decay.

Avoid

Medical advice in the UK is to avoid certain foods such as unpasteurised cheese, liver and undercooked eggs, so it makes sense to steer clear of these while you are trying for a baby – in case you are pregnant and don’t know it yet! You’ll probably hear friends say that they ate these foods with no problems or that the French eat them and think we’re silly – but wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? The reasoning behind it is that they could cause harm to a developing baby, especially in the early weeks, for example if they give you an infection such as listeria. Take a quick look at our checklist (hot link) to see what you can – and can’t – eat!