Please click on the most relevant links:

Folic Acid & Pregnancy. A fact sheet developed by Food Standards Australia New Zealand, that provides brief information on the necessity of folate during pregnancy and information on natural food sources as well as supplementation during pregnancy.

Effects of routine oral iron supplementation with or without folic acid for women during pregnancy. This article from the Cochrane Database discusses the efficacy, effectiveness and safety of routine antenatal daily or intermittent iron supplementation with or without folic acid during pregnancy on the health of mothers and newborns.

Advice on Fish Consumption: Mercury in Fish. Food Standards Australia New Zealand provides advice and information for Australians around safe fish consumption and the mercury content in certain fish.

Iodine:

The role of iodine in brain development. This Belgium Journal article discusses the impact of iodine deficiency in pregnant women.

Iodine supplementation: The benefits for pregnant women and lactating women in Australia and New Zealand.  The excerpt from the RANZCOG membership magazine O&G; discusses the case for iodine supplementation during pregnancy and lactation for Australian and New Zealand Women.

Iodine supplementation of pregnant women in Europe: a review and recommendations. The objective of this review from the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition was to examine the iodine status of pregnant women in Europe and the potential need for iodine supplementation.

Iodine in the Diet. This publication developed by the Tasmania Department of Health and Human Services, discusses Iodine, its problem in Tasmania with natural food sources and recommended daily intake of iodine.

Caffeine

Moderate to Heavy Caffeine Consumption during Pregnancy and Relationship to Spontaneous Abortion and Abnormal Fetal Growth: A Meta-Analysis. This British Medical Journal article discusses the risk associated with caffeine intake and still birth for pregnant women.

Caffeine. Food Standards Australia New Zealand list foods and drinks which contain caffeine and their caffeine content.

Food Borne infections:

Listeria and food: Advice for People at Risk. Food Standards Australia New Zealand provides advice on the risks of food born infection listeria and how it can be avoided.

Toxoplasmosis: reducing the risks. The Victoria Department of Human Services discuses the risk of toxoplasmosis during Pregnancy and how it can be avoided.

General Guidlines:

Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults. The National Health and Medical Research Council has developed these guidelines to promote the potential benefits of healthy eating, not only to reduce the risk of diet-related disease but also to improve the community’s health and wellbeing.

Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes. The National Health and Medical Research Council has developed these guidelines to provide advice and has included information on ‘Recommended Dietary Intakes’ (RDIs) or ‘Allowances’, which are the amounts of specific nutrients required on average on a daily basis for sustenance or avoidance of deficiency states.

New Zealand Ministry of Health: Nutritional Guidelines for Healthy Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women: A background paper. A guide to support health practitioners – including dietitians, nutritionists, midwives, doctors, nurses, primary health care providers, health promoters and teachers – in the practice of healthy nutrition, and to use as a resource for more detailed information.