Department of Health, Taipei City Government

Women who plan to be pregnant or expectant mothers need to avoid the following when preparing and selecting food: 1. Coffee & tea 2. Foods that are high in fat, such as bacon, fried food, etc. 3. Salty or smoky food, such as sausage, ham, smoked seafood, etc. 4. High sugar food, such as candy, chocolate, dessert, coke, soft drinks, etc. 5. Spicy food, such as hot pepper, black pepper, curry, etc. 6. Cigarettes, alcoholic drinks or drugs. Do women need vitamin or mineral supplements in pregnancy? According to current medical research, a woman who is of child-bearing age has to have 400-mcg of folic acid everyday. Today, most women are career-oriented and usually have their meals outside the home. The way for a career girl to have sufficient intake of folic acid is to take a tablet of folic acid multiple vitamins everyday, especially before conception and during early pregnancy. This is in order to ensure the development ofa healthy fetus and prevent serious birth defects in the baby.