Key Takeaways

• Start with your everyday meals before adding another fertility supplement.

• Protein at breakfast can be a practical place to begin if mornings currently consist mostly of coffee or refined carbohydrates.

• Think about what you can add, not only what you should eliminate. More vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, and other nutrient-dense foods can gradually expand nutritional variety.

• You do not need to overhaul your kitchen overnight. Meal prep, better hydration, sleep, and gradual environmental-health changes are more sustainable than trying to perfect everything at once.

• Your partner's health matters too. When sperm is part of the conception plan, preconception preparation should not fall entirely on the woman.

How early should you improve your diet before pregnancy? The article recommends beginning preconception nutrition several months before trying to conceive when possible because egg and sperm development occurs over time. Start with realistic habits such as protein-rich meals, varied plant foods, hydration, sleep, and appropriate supplementation. The same preparation can be useful before natural conception, egg freezing, or IVF.

Most women know that nutrition matters during pregnancy. We're reminded to take a prenatal vitamin, drink plenty of water, eat enough protein, and avoid certain foods. Yet we receive surprisingly little guidance about how to nourish ourselves in the months before conception, when the eggs and sperm that may eventually create a pregnancy are developing. In my nearly 25 years of working with fertility patients, I've found that many women arrive at this stage of life with a great deal of information about what to avoid during pregnancy and very little understanding of how to prepare for one.

I recently welcomed Torie Borrelli Hall, functional nutritionist, author, and founder of The Vida Well, to the Health Youniversity podcast. Her practical approach to nutrition through preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, and family life aligns with much of what I've been teaching fertility patients for years. One of the principles I emphasize is that egg and sperm health reflect the health of the whole person. Nutrition, blood sugar regulation, digestion, sleep, metabolic health, and environmental exposures all contribute to the conditions in which reproductive cells develop. Paying attention to these foundations before pregnancy gives us an opportunity to establish habits that can benefit our health well beyond conception.

Why Nutrition Matters Before Pregnancy

We spend much of our reproductive lives learning how to prevent pregnancy, often assuming that conception will happen easily when we're ready. When it takes longer than expected, the experience can be frustrating, particularly when we realize how little we've been taught about preparing our bodies.

Egg and sperm development takes place over months, which is why I encourage women and couples to begin preconception preparation well before trying to conceive, freezing eggs, or beginning IVF. This gives us time to identify nutritional deficiencies, address metabolic concerns, and establish routines that support reproductive health. Pregnancy also places additional demands on the body, making adequate nutrition before conception particularly valuable.

A prenatal vitamin is an important part of this preparation, especially for nutrients such as folic acid, iodine, and iron when needed. Daily meals provide the protein, healthy fats, fiber, antioxidants, and wide range of vitamins and minerals that work together to support our health. Before recommending another supplement, I often begin by looking at what someone eats throughout an ordinary day. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, and even the timing of meals can reveal opportunities for improvement.

Blood Sugar and Protein: Where I Often Begin

Blood sugar regulation is one of the foundations of metabolic and hormonal health. When meals consist primarily of refined carbohydrates without adequate protein, fat, or fiber, blood sugar may rise quickly and then fall, leaving us hungry, tired, or reaching for something sweet. For women with insulin resistance or PCOS, these patterns are especially important to address as part of a comprehensive fertility plan.

Breakfast is often the easiest place to make a meaningful change. Many women begin the day with coffee and toast, fruit, or a pastry, then wonder why they're struggling with energy or cravings later. A protein-forward breakfast can help maintain more consistent energy throughout the morning and into the afternoon. For some women, approximately 30 to 35 grams of protein is a useful target, depending on their individual needs.

Eggs, Greek yogurt, leftover chicken or salmon, cottage cheese, or a protein-rich smoothie can all work. There's no requirement that breakfast look like traditional breakfast food. The same principle applies to lunch and dinner, where combining protein with vegetables, fiber-rich carbohydrates, and healthy fats creates meals that are satisfying and support steadier blood sugar throughout the day.

Getting More Nutrition From the Foods We Eat

I encourage women to think about what they can add to their diets before becoming overly focused on what they should eliminate. Eggs provide choline, which is important for fetal brain and nervous system development. Fish such as salmon and sardines provide protein and omega-3 fatty acids, while meat, legumes, leafy greens, and other whole foods contribute iron, zinc, and nutrients involved in blood formation, immune function, and cellular health.

Traditional foods such as broth, slow-cooked meats, and mineral-rich vegetables can also be useful additions to the diet. During pregnancy, food safety needs to guide our choices, particularly with raw seafood, unpasteurized foods, and organ meats such as liver, which can contain excessive amounts of preformed vitamin A. We can enjoy a nutrient-dense diet while being mindful of these considerations.

Variety is equally important. It's easy to fall into a routine of eating the same vegetables, proteins, and grains every week. While those foods may be nutritious, different foods provide different fibers and plant compounds that support the gut microbiome. The microorganisms living in our digestive tract participate in digestion, immune signaling, and the metabolism of certain compounds, including hormones. A varied diet with vegetables, fruits, herbs, legumes, nuts, seeds, and other plant foods can help support a more diverse microbial environment.

One simple suggestion is to try a new vegetable each week. Farmers markets and seasonal produce boxes can introduce foods we might otherwise overlook, such as kohlrabi, radishes, beets, mushrooms, squash, or unfamiliar greens. Over time, these additions expand both the variety of nutrients we consume and the foods we become comfortable preparing.

Making Healthy Eating Work in Real Life

Most of the women I work with already have demanding schedules. They may be managing careers, relationships, fertility appointments, and family responsibilities. The last thing they need is another complicated routine that requires hours of daily preparation, which is why I prefer an approach that begins with having a few nourishing ingredients ready before the week gets busy.

Roasting a chicken, preparing a pot of beans, washing vegetables, boiling eggs, or making a simple dressing can provide the ingredients for several meals. Leftover chicken can become soup, a salad, tacos, or a quick lunch the next day. A tray of roasted vegetables can be added to different meals throughout the week, and a pot of soup can provide an easy dinner when everyone gets home late.

An hour or two of preparation can make it much easier to eat well when you're tired or pressed for time. These habits become especially valuable during pregnancy and postpartum, when appetite, energy, and available time may change dramatically. Having nourishing foods ready reduces the need to make every food decision when you're already exhausted.

Hydration and the Environment Around Us

Hydration is important for circulation, digestion, temperature regulation, and overall health. Water needs vary according to activity, climate, diet, and pregnancy, so there isn't one amount that works for everyone. I encourage patients to pay attention to the quality of their drinking water, particularly when there are concerns about local contaminants. An appropriately selected water filter can reduce certain exposures, depending on the contaminants present and the type of filtration used.

Minerals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium are essential for normal fluid balance. Most people obtain adequate amounts through food and beverages, although individual needs may differ with heavy sweating, illness, or specific medical conditions. Rather than routinely adding supplements or electrolytes, I prefer to consider the person's diet, activity level, and health history.

Environmental exposures are another part of preconception health that deserves attention. We encounter chemicals through food packaging, plastics, personal care products, household cleaners, drinking water, and the air around us. Certain compounds, including phthalates, PFAS, and some pesticides, have been associated with endocrine or reproductive concerns. Research continues to clarify how particular exposures affect fertility, but reducing avoidable contact with potentially harmful substances is a reasonable preventive step.

I generally suggest beginning with products used every day. Consider storing and reheating food in glass rather than plastic, choosing fragrance-free laundry and personal care products when possible, reviewing cookware, and paying attention to drinking water quality. There is no need to replace everything in your home at once. Gradual changes are easier to maintain and allow you to prioritize the exposures most relevant to your circumstances.

Sperm Health Belongs in the Conversation

Fertility preparation still tends to focus primarily on women, although sperm contributes half of the genetic material involved in conception. Sperm development is influenced by nutrition, metabolic health, smoking, alcohol use, certain environmental exposures, heat, and other lifestyle factors. Oxidative stress may also affect sperm function and DNA integrity, which is one reason overall health matters for the person contributing sperm.

Because sperm development takes approximately two to three months, the preconception period is an important time for male partners to examine their own health habits. Eating a nutrient-dense diet, getting adequate sleep, exercising appropriately, and addressing underlying medical concerns can support overall health. When infertility is present, a semen analysis and appropriate medical evaluation remain essential.

I encourage couples to approach preconception preparation together whenever possible. Improving food quality, reducing unnecessary chemical exposures, and establishing healthier household routines can benefit both partners and eventually their children.

When Testing Can Help Guide the Plan

Some women are told their laboratory results are normal even though they continue to experience fatigue, digestive symptoms, irregular cycles, or difficulty conceiving. In these circumstances, a closer look at thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, iron status, and other clinically relevant markers may help identify concerns that deserve attention.

Functional medicine also offers specialized assessments of gut health, metabolic markers, and environmental exposures. Comprehensive stool testing, organic acids testing, and certain exposure panels may be considered in selected situations, although many commercial tests have limited clinical validation and are not routinely recommended as part of fertility evaluation. I believe testing should answer a specific question and help guide a practical plan. More information is valuable when we understand what it means and how it may change our approach to care.

Nutrition Through Pregnancy and Postpartum

A woman may enter pregnancy with excellent eating habits and suddenly find that the foods she once enjoyed are unappealing. First-trimester nausea, fatigue, and food aversions can make meal preparation difficult. During this period, smaller meals, tolerable protein sources, and attention to hydration may be more realistic than maintaining the same eating pattern followed before pregnancy.

Soups, stews, smoothies, and simple meals can help when appetite is limited. Protein and nutrient needs continue throughout pregnancy, but flexibility becomes important as symptoms and tolerances change. Postpartum brings another set of demands, with recovery from childbirth, breastfeeding when applicable, interrupted sleep, and caring for a newborn making regular meals challenging.

This is when having a few familiar recipes, prepared freezer meals, and help from family or friends can make a tremendous difference. Nourishing the mother deserves as much attention as preparing for the baby's arrival, and many of the habits established before pregnancy can make this transition easier.

The Food Culture of a Family Begins Early

The habits we establish before pregnancy often become the habits we carry into family life. Children learn about food by watching the adults around them, becoming familiar with different foods through repeated exposure, helping with meal preparation, and seeing a variety of ingredients served at home.

A child may need to encounter a vegetable many times before being willing to taste it. Inviting children to wash produce, stir ingredients, assemble a salad, or help with simple kitchen tasks can encourage curiosity without turning meals into a struggle. I like the idea that preparing for pregnancy can also be an opportunity to create the kind of food environment we want our children to grow up with.

Sleep also plays an important role in these family routines. Inadequate sleep can affect appetite, insulin sensitivity, mood, and the way we respond to stress. For women balancing work and fertility treatment, sleep is often the first thing sacrificed when schedules become crowded. Reducing bright light and screen exposure before bed, maintaining reasonably consistent sleep hours, and creating a quieter evening routine can help support circadian rhythms. Sometimes an additional hour of sleep is a better choice than fitting in another workout when you're already exhausted.

Building a Foundation That Lasts

Preconception preparation works best when it becomes part of everyday life. A nourishing breakfast, a more varied diet, adequate hydration, thoughtful food preparation, better sleep, and reduced unnecessary environmental exposures are habits that can continue through pregnancy, postpartum, and parenting.

At Health Youniversity, I encourage women to consider fertility within the context of their whole health. The development of healthy eggs and sperm depends on many biological processes, and the months before conception provide an opportunity to support those processes through nutrition, lifestyle, and appropriate medical care.

Whether you're preparing to conceive naturally, freeze eggs, or begin IVF, begin by looking at the routines that shape your day. Choose a few changes that are realistic for your circumstances and build from there. Over time, those habits can support your health now and help nourish the family you hope to build.

Listen to my conversation with Torie Borrelli Hall on the Health Youniversity podcast for more practical ideas about nutrition during preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, and family life.

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Build Your Fertility Foundation Before Pregnancy Begins

Whether you're trying naturally, preparing for IVF, planning to freeze your eggs, or simply thinking ahead, the months before conception can be used intentionally.

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Torie Borrelli Hall is a Functional Nutritionist, author, and founder of The Vida Well. She specializes in fertility, preconception, pregnancy, postpartum, hormone health, and autoimmune conditions, helping women use nutrition and functional medicine to better understand and support their bodies.

After navigating her own journey with infertility and miscarriage, Torie became especially passionate about helping women prepare their bodies for pregnancy and feel more empowered around fertility and reproductive health.

She is the author of The Mexican Keto Cookbook and her newest book, Eating for Life: A Holistic Cookbook for Pregnancy and a Thriving Family, which she wrote through two pregnancies and postpartum experiences. The book combines evidence-based nutrition education with 120 nutrient-dense recipes designed to support women from preconception through pregnancy, postpartum, and feeding a growing family.

Torie is also a mom of two and brings together her clinical experience, personal fertility journey, and real-life experience of motherhood to make nutrition feel practical, nourishing, and sustainable.

Learn more about The Vida Well: https://www.thevidawell.com

Get Eating for Life by Torie Borrelli Hall: https://www.eatingforlifecookbook.com

Frequently Asked Questions - FAQs

Why does nutrition matter before pregnancy?

The article treats the months before conception as an opportunity to address nutritional deficiencies, metabolic concerns, and everyday habits before pregnancy places additional demands on the body.

How early should I change my diet before trying to conceive?

Several months before conception can be useful when circumstances allow.

That does not mean medically necessary fertility treatment should be postponed solely to complete a specific nutrition timeline.

Is there one best fertility diet?

No.

The article explicitly states that there is no single fertility diet everyone should follow. Consistency, nutritional adequacy, variety, and individual needs matter more.

What should I eat when preparing for pregnancy?

The article emphasizes foods that provide:

• Protein

• Healthy fats

• Fiber

• Vegetables and fruits

• Whole-food carbohydrates

• Omega-3 fatty acids

• Iron, zinc, choline, and other nutrients

Specific needs differ between individuals.

How much protein should I eat for fertility?

Protein needs depend on body size, activity, health status, pregnancy status, and overall diet.

The article mentions approximately 30–35 grams at breakfast as a useful target for some women, not a universal requirement.

What are good high-protein breakfast options?

The article suggests examples such as:

• Eggs

• Greek yogurt

• Cottage cheese

• Chicken

• Salmon

• Protein-rich smoothies

Breakfast does not have to consist of traditional breakfast foods.

Why is blood sugar important for fertility?

Blood sugar regulation is part of metabolic and hormonal health.

The article gives particular attention to people with insulin resistance or PCOS, while avoiding the claim that controlling blood sugar alone will resolve infertility.

Is breakfast especially important for blood sugar?

It can be a useful opportunity to build a balanced meal.

The article recommends combining protein with fiber, healthy fats, and other nutrient-dense foods rather than relying primarily on refined carbohydrates.

Does a high-protein breakfast improve fertility?

The article does not establish that eating more protein at breakfast directly increases pregnancy rates.

Its claim is narrower: a protein-forward meal may help with satiety and steadier energy.

Should I take a prenatal vitamin before pregnancy?

The article includes prenatal supplementation as part of preconception preparation and specifically mentions nutrients such as folic acid, iodine, and iron when appropriate.

Your clinician can help determine which prenatal and additional supplements fit your individual health needs.

Are fertility supplements more important than food?

No.

The article places daily food patterns first and treats supplements as complementary rather than the entire fertility strategy.

What foods provide choline?

Eggs are highlighted as a useful dietary source of choline.

Choline is important for normal fetal brain and nervous-system development.

What foods provide omega-3 fatty acids?

The article specifically mentions fish such as salmon and sardines as sources of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Pregnancy-specific fish choices should also take mercury and food-safety recommendations into account.

Should I eat liver while preparing for pregnancy?

Organ meats can provide concentrated nutrients, but the article cautions that liver contains high amounts of preformed vitamin A.

Pregnancy and preconception intake should therefore be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional rather than treated as a universal recommendation.

Why does food variety matter?

Different foods provide different fibers, micronutrients, and plant compounds.

The article encourages variety as a practical way to support nutritional diversity and the gut microbiome.

Does the gut microbiome affect fertility?

The article discusses the microbiome in relation to digestion, immune signaling, and metabolism of certain compounds.

It does not establish that changing the gut microbiome alone improves fertility outcomes.

How can I eat well when I am busy?

The article recommends preparing a small number of versatile foods ahead of time.

Examples include roasted vegetables, cooked chicken, beans, boiled eggs, soup, and dressings that can be reused across multiple meals.

How much water should I drink before pregnancy?

There is no single amount that works for everyone.

Water needs vary with activity, climate, diet, health, and pregnancy. The article recommends paying attention to hydration rather than prescribing one universal number.

Do I need electrolytes while trying to conceive?

Not automatically.

The article states that most people obtain sodium, potassium, magnesium, and other minerals through food and beverages, with individual needs changing based on activity, sweating, illness, and medical conditions.

Should I filter my drinking water when trying to conceive?

It can be reasonable when local contaminants are a concern.

The appropriate filtration method depends on the substances present and the filter's actual performance.

What environmental exposures should I reduce?

The article discusses exposures through:

• Plastic food storage

• Food packaging

• Personal-care products

• Household cleaners

• Fragrance

• Drinking water

• Certain pesticides

• PFAS

• Phthalates

The recommended approach is gradual exposure reduction rather than trying to eliminate everything.

Does reducing environmental exposure improve fertility?

The article does not establish that removing one household product improves pregnancy rates.

It presents reducing unnecessary exposure as a reasonable preventive-health strategy.

Does male nutrition matter before conception?

Yes.

The article emphasizes that sperm contributes half of the genetic material involved in conception and encourages male partners to participate in preconception preparation.

How long does sperm development take?

The article states that sperm development takes approximately two to three months, making the preconception period relevant to male partners as well.

What affects sperm health?

The article discusses:

• Nutrition

• Metabolic health

• Smoking

• Alcohol

• Environmental exposure

• Heat

• Sleep

• Exercise

• Underlying medical conditions

A semen analysis and medical evaluation remain important when infertility is present.

Should both partners change their diets before conception?

The article encourages couples to participate together when possible.

Shared improvements in food quality and household routines can make preconception changes easier to maintain.

Do I need functional medicine testing before pregnancy?

Not routinely.

The article appropriately states that specialized stool, organic-acid, metabolic, or exposure testing may have a role in selected circumstances but that many commercial tests have limited clinical validation.

When is additional testing useful?

The best test answers a specific question and has a reasonable chance of changing the plan.

The article gives persistent fatigue, digestive concerns, irregular cycles, and difficulty conceiving as examples where relevant medical evaluation may deserve a closer look.

How should nutrition change once I am pregnant?

Nausea, fatigue, and food aversions may require greater flexibility.

The article suggests smaller meals, tolerable protein sources, hydration, soups, stews, smoothies, and simpler foods when the preconception eating pattern becomes difficult to maintain.

Why does postpartum nutrition matter?

Recovery, breastfeeding when applicable, sleep disruption, and newborn care can make regular meals difficult.

Prepared freezer meals and help from family or friends can reduce that burden. 

Medical Disclaimer:

By listening to the Health Youniversity podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition for yourself or others. Consult your healthcare provider for any medical issues you may have. This entire disclaimer also pertains to any guests or contributors to any Health Youniversity podcast.