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Excerpt from the chapter,
"Start at the Very Beginning to Ensure
Optimum Health for your Child."

How to Optimize your Child’s Health Before Conception

Six months before planned conception is the ideal time to remove caffeine, overly processed foods, additives such as aspartame, food dyes, and monosodium glutamate, and alcohol from your diet.  If you smoke cigarettes, or take even an occasional over-the-counter medication or recreational drug, discontinue them.  If you are taking a prescription drug or herbal treatment for a medical condition, discuss with your obstetrician or family practitioner its safety during pregnancy.  For instance, anti-seizure drugs given to epileptic women and anti-depressants during pregnancy account for higher than normal incidents of birth defects among babies.  Your physician will either discontinue your medication or switch you to an alternative, if your medication is unsafe for pregnancy.

Three months before planned conception is the ideal time to remove excess simple sugar carbohydrates and any allergenic or reactive foods from your diet.  Eat three balanced meals that contain protein and healthy fats at each meal.  If you snack, choose nutrient-dense items such as nuts/seeds with fruit or guacamole with raw vegetables.

At intended conception, eat more alkaline foods and less acidic foods (60-70% alkaline vs. 30-40% acidic).  See Chapter 11 for further details.  Excess acid in your body can kill sperm.  Also, limit exposure to high estrogen items such as soy, cow’s milk products, chlorinated water, ginseng, dong quai, and coffee.  Too much estrogen with too little progesterone may make it more difficult to conceive or may cause miscarriage.