What are the foods I should avoid during pregnancy?
Any pregnancy, even the happiest one, can have sudden unforeseen complications.
Nutrition in pregnancy-a no-brainer, right?
Who would think it was so controversial?
Disagreement over a healthy diet during pregnancy continues to rage, with one side saying that what a woman eats will have no effect on her pregnancy and the other saying it has an enormous impact.
Many pregnant women are deficient in important nutrients. Iron is one of such commonest nutrient lacking in expecting mothers. Iron deficiency lead to anaemia (lack of haemoglobin in blood) which is a risk factor for pre-term delivery, subsequent low birth weight baby pushing mother and babies prone to various infections.
The recommended requirement is 30 mg of iron daily which is not usually met by diet alone during pregnancy. So, oral iron tablet is commonly recommended. It should be taken on an empty stomach. When more than 30 mg of iron is given to treat anaemia, it is suggested to also take approximately 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper, since iron interferes with absorption and utilisation of these materials.
According to some studies, caffeine decreases the availability of certain nutrients, such as calcium, zinc and iron. Current recommendations, therefore, include limiting the consumption of caffeinated products.
