Eat smart to prevent iron deficiency

 The dietary requirement of iron for Chinese at different stage of life.

18-49 years old women & 1st trimester of pregnancy: 20mg

2nd trimester of pregnancy: 24mg

3rd trimester of pregnancy: 29mg

Lactating mother: 24mg

50 years old or above (Women after menopause): 12mg

Adult men: 12mg

Pregnant women need more iron for the growing foetus and for making more red cells. 

Severe anaemia in pregnancy may resulted in iron deficiency in infants and harm their brain development.

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Eat smart to prevent iron deficiency

Iron Feast

孕婦吃萵苣可降低胎兒神經管缺陷

民間故事：有一美麗的姑娘，婚後產子不善哺乳，乳未能吮吸乾淨，致生乳癰，疼痛難忍。夜不能寐。恍惚中一紅衣仙女飄然而至，教她服食涼拌萵苣，以治乳痛。路立即依法服食，其乳房疼痛腫脹之感果然逐漸消失。

萵苣的營養成分很多，包括蛋白質，脂肪，醣類，灰分，維生素A原、維生素B1、維生素B2、維生素c，微量元素鈣、磷、鐵、鉀、鎂、矽等和食物纖維，故可增進骨骼、毛髮、皮膚的發育，有助於人的生長。萵苣含有的營養素裡，葉酸含量相對突出，每100公克平均含有53.9微克。按衛生署建議，每天葉酸攝取量為400微克來看，吃萵苣不失為補充葉酸的有效方法。

研究人員發現，在懷孕前後從未服用過含葉酸的多種維生素的婦女中，或只在懷孕前服用過多種維生素的婦女中，嬰兒神經管缺陷率為3.5‰。

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