If you're thinking about starting a family it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information there is to take in. What you should and shouldn't eat before, during and after pregnancy can seem particularly daunting and confusing. However, taking care over your diet can have real benefits, as the foods you eat can not only affect your health - but your baby's as well

Eating well
A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but particularly when planning or during a pregnancy. Taking care to eat the right foods will not only help your baby develop and grow but will also help you to be fit and well. If you're planning to start a family you don't need to go on a special diet, but you should try to eat a variety of different foods every day to get the balance of nutrients that you need.

Action plan
Eat plenty of:

• starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes as these are an important source of vitamins and fibre
• fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, tinned, dried fruit or a glass of juice all count). Aim for at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables each day as these provide essential vitamins and minerals as well as fibre which helps digestion and prevents constipation
• foods high in folate like green vegetables, lentils, brown rice as well as fortified bread and breakfast cereals
• protein such as lean meat and chicken, fish, eggs and pulses (beans and lentils). These are also a good source of iron
• fish - try to eat at least two portions of fish a week including at least one portion of oily fish. But don't have more than two portions of oily fish a week
• dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt that are good sources of calcium and other nutrients

In moderation
As with healthy eating for the whole population, women planning to start a family should limit foods high in fat and salt and foods and drinks high in sugar.

Planning your pregnancy

Folic Acid Supplements
Folate is particularly important if your planning to start a family as it's been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Because it's difficult to get high intakes from your diet alone, if you're thinking of becoming pregnant or are pregnant you should take a daily 400 microgram (mcg) folic acid supplement. These supplements need to be taken from the time you stop using contraception until the 12th week of pregnancy. If you're planning to take a folic acid supplement that contains other vitamins you also need to make sure it doesn't contain vitamin A or fish liver oil.

Folate
When trying for a baby you should also eat foods containing folate - the natural form of folic acid - such as plenty of fruit and vegetables and foods fortified with folic acid such as breakfast cereals and bread.

Alcohol
Alcohol is not completely off-limits when you're trying to get pregnant or during a pregnancy but you shouldn't drink more than one or two units of alcohol, once or twice a week. A unit is half a pint of standard strength beer, a small glass of wine or a single 25ml measure of spirits.

Vitamin A
Some vitamin A is needed during pregnancy but too much could harm your baby. So if you're planning to become pregnant you need to be careful that you don't have too much. It's best to avoid foods high in vitamin A, for example, liver and liver products such as pate. You should also avoid taking supplements that contain vitamin A or fish liver oil. If concerned, ask your GP or midwife for advice.

Types of fish
Fish is good for both your health and that of your developing baby sot try to eat it at least twice a week. Aim to include some oily fish such as fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines and trout which are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

However, it's important not to have more than two portions of oily fish a week when trying to become pregnant as oily fish can contain low levels of pollutants that can build up in the body and could affect the development of an unborn baby.

You should also avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin as these fish can sometimes contain high levels of mercury, which could harm your baby's developing nervous system.

Nuts and allergy
A baby could be at higher risk of developing a nut allergy if you, the baby's father, brothers or sisters have certain conditions such as hayfever, asthma and/or eczema. If you think that your baby may be in this higher-risk group, you may want to avoid eating peanuts and peanut products when trying to get pregnant and during your pregnancy.