Dr Winnie Chan looks at vitamins and supplements in pregnancy.

Should you be concerned about getting the correct balance of nutrients while you’re pregnant? Do vitamin and mineral supplements have an important role to play during the nine months that you’re providing for yourself and for your baby?

Many expectant mums are rightly concerned about their diet. An adequate amount of energy and nutrients, including vitamins and minerals, is needed before, during and after pregnancy to maintain the health of the mum, as well as her baby.

So which vitamins and minerals do expectant mums need more or less of? The most important one is folate or folic acid. Folate is a B vitamin and is found naturally in foods such as green vegetables and oranges whilst folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin, which is added to foods like bread and breakfast cereals. This vitamin is important before conception and during the first trimester (first three months) of pregnancy when additional folate or folic acid is needed to reduce the risk of having a baby born with a neural tube defect or spina bifida. It is difficult to obtain enough folate from diet alone, so the Department of Health has advised that a daily supplement of 400ug of folic acid should be taken.

So what other vitamins and minerals are important? Well, although during pregnancy our daily requirement for calcium increases by 550mg to 1350mg per day, most of us don’t need to eat more food than normal because the body seems to be much better at absorbing and utilising nutrients from our food. As long as we’re eating enough calcium-rich sources (e.g. diary products, tofu) and getting enough vitamin D, for example from sunlight, then additional calcium in the form of supplements is not needed. Vitamin D, by the way, is needed for the calcium to be absorbed from the gut.

Iron is another mineral to watch out for. Again, most women will get enough iron from their normal diet (from red meat, pulses, legumes). However, some women do need extra iron if they develop iron-deficiency anaemia. In this case, your doctor will prescribe iron supplements for you. Iron-deficiency anaemia during pregnancy can increase your risk of having a low birth weight baby.

So, are there vitamins or minerals which are dangerous to have while you’re pregnant? Large amounts of vitamin A before and during pregnancy have been linked to birth defects. Do not take vitamin A supplements unless you have been advised to do so by your doctor. Similarly, liver and liver products contain large amounts of vitamin A and should be avoided.

Remember that a varied and balanced diet containing different foods from the four main food groups are especially important during pregnancy, so don’t forget to include them at most meals.

• Bread, cereals, pasta, rice, taro (a vegetable used in Asian dishes) should form the base of your meals
• Fruit and vegetables – remember to have five servings a day, especially green veggies
• Meat, fish, pulses, legumes – one or two servings per day
• Milk and other dairy foods like yoghurt and cheese – one or two servings per day

Breakfast

• Bread (fortified with folic acid) with reduced fat spread and marmite
• Glass of orange juice (remember to take your folic acid supplement)
• Small bowl of cereal with reduced fat milk

• Mackerel salad with new potatoes with a lemony fromage frais
• dressingApple
• Glass of water

• Lamb casserole with herb dumplings
• Creamy spinach
• Boiled carrots
• Banana
• Cup of herb tea