Food safety body offers advice on healthy eating for pregnant women

Food safety body offers advice on healthy eating for pregnant women

Pregnant women can follow a new set of healthy eating guidelines published by the all-Ireland food safety body Safefood.

It advises that a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy will aid the development of the unborn child in addition to maintaining the wellbeing of the mother.

The balance of nutrients required is important to ensure the good health of mother and child, but Safefood's guidelines do not entail a specific diet plan.

Included in the list of key nutrients as specified by the body is calcium, therefore drinking plenty of milk is beneficial.

Also iron, fish and omega fats, and vitamin D are recommended, with the latter being found in oily fish such as mackerel and sardines.

Things to avoid or limit the consumption of during pregnancy include vitamin A, alcohol, and caffeine, all of which can have an adverse effect on an unborn child.

Researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center, US, underlined the potentially devastating impact of foetal alcohol syndrome, a seriously debilitating condition affected children born to mothers who drink too heavily during pregnancy.