Home Self-Care What You Eat BEFORE You’re Pregnant Can Impact Your Future Baby’s Health, According to Research by Shahrzad WarkentinMarch 27, 2017 Search more like this pregnancynutritionget pregnantgreen saladshealthy eatingpregnantdiethealthfuture babybirthfetalsodiumconceiveobesity Advertisement Trending Now Food & Drink General Mills Is Bringing Back 4 Classic Sugar Cereals That Your Mom Never Let You Eat Viral & Trending Cat Sneaks into Family Car & Joins Their Road Trip, Becomes Instant Celebrity Viral & Trending Weatherman Discovers His Map Is a Touchscreen and His Reaction Is So Pure Celeb & Entertainment Serena Williams Announces Retirement: ‘If I Were a Guy, I Wouldn’t Be Writing This’ Celeb & Entertainment ‘Bluey’ Season 3 is Coming to Disney+ This Week! Advertisement photo: Dylan and Sara Since there’s not enough pressure already to eat and do the right things during pregnancy, a new study has revealed that your diet before you even get pregnant might have an impact on your future baby’s health. Read on to find out more about what the research says you should be doing to stay healthy. A recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has found that many American women are lacking in proper nutrition prior to becoming pregnant. Analyzing data collected from over 7,500 women, ranging between 6 and 14 weeks pregnant, the researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Health Sciences found that many women, especially minorities, were not meeting the dietary recommendations established in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Less than 10 percent of the women met the guidelines for whole grains, fatty acids, sodium or empty calories categories. According to the report, green salad and processed cereals were the top two sources of folate, except for black women, whose second highest folate source was 100 percent orange or grapefruit juice. Folate and iron are important nutrients for developing fetuses and healthy pregnancies. Overall, healthy diets have been linked to reduced risk of preterm birth, fetal growth restriction, preeclampsia, and maternal obesity. “Future research needs to determine if improving pre-pregnancy diet leads to better pregnancy and birth outcomes. If so, then we need to explore and test ways to improve the diets for everyone, particularly women likely to become pregnant,” said the study’s lead author, Lisa Bodnar, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D. Have you taken steps to change your diet when trying to conceive? Share your own experiences and healthy eating tips in the comments. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to share on Copy (Opens in new window) Search more like this pregnancynutritionget pregnantgreen saladshealthy eatingpregnantdiethealthfuture babybirthfetalsodiumconceiveobesity Welcome to our Tinybeans family! Be sure to check your email for new activities, recipes and parenting hacks – and to see if you’ve won! Do you have a dog or cat? Select YES below and click submit to start receiving FREE pet ideas and inspiration, news about new pet products, exclusive offers and limited-time promotions. Yes, I have a pet! Submit GET READY FOR SUMMER! Enter to Win a $250 Gift Card! Enter your email and zip code below for a chance to win a Mastercard Gift Card. We’ll pick one winner per month through August 31, 2022 – 5 lucky winners in all! email zip_code campaign_name Enter Now! I agree to the official rules and to receive email communications from Tinybeans. By providing my email address, I agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience possible. Accepting the use of cookies enables important site functionality including personalization and analytics. Accept Decline Create an account to save this content on Tinybeans Choose how you would like to sign up. Continue with Apple Continue with Facebook Continue with Google or Continue with Email By signing up, you agree to Tinybeans Terms of Service and acknowledge you have read and agreed to our Privacy Policy. Sign in to your Tinybeans account Don’t have any account? Create an account here. Forgot your password? Reset it here. Sign In or Continue with Apple Continue with Facebook Continue with Google Personalized recommendations Tinybeans uses personal information to share useful recommendations and ideas for your family. This may include your previous activity, family profile and your hometown. Tinybeans keeps your data safe and does not sell personal information to any third party. Learn more about your privacy and location choices. Close
Celeb & Entertainment Serena Williams Announces Retirement: ‘If I Were a Guy, I Wouldn’t Be Writing This’