Pregnant people

Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are among the particularly sensitive groups that require special attention in risk assessment. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment has compiled important assessments and recommendations for the consumption of food and beverages during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

A balanced and varied mixed diet contributes to optimal nutrition for the pregnant woman and her unborn child. In addition, supplementation with folic acid and iodine is recommended for pregnant women.

Folic acid

In addition to a balanced diet, pregnant women are recommended to take a food supplement containing folic acid, as this can reduce the risk of malformations of the nervous system (neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, commonly known as "open back"). Women should start taking it at least four weeks before the start of the pregnancy or from the time they want to have children - and continue until the end of the first trimester. The recommendation is: 400 μg of synthetic folic acid per day or equivalent doses of other folates in tablet form.

• Planning a Pregnancy? – Don’t Forget Your Folic Acid

Iodine

It is also difficult for pregnant women in Germany to achieve the desirable iodine intake of 230 µgshort formicrogram per day through nutrition alone. In addition, an adequate iodine supply for the foetus or infant is an important prerequisite for optimal physical and mental development.

It is therefore recommended that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers - after taking an iodine history - take an individual supplement of 100 (to 150) µgshort formicrogram of iodine tablets per day.

• Iodine, folate/folic acid and pregnancy – practical advice
• External Link:Why iodine supplementation for breastfeeding mothers? - Information from the Gesund ins Leben network only in German (Warum zusätzlich Jod für Stillende?)

Whether other nutrients need to be supplemented must be decided on a case-by-case basis. Any additional intake of other micronutrients should always be preceded by medical advice. Whether, for example, iron needs to be taken additionally during pregnancy is checked by laboratory diagnostics during medical check-ups.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate with food supplements, over-the-counter products or seemingly harmless vitamin or natural preparations during pregnancy.

• External Link:Network Healthy into Life. Recommendations for action: Nutrition and lifestyle before and during pregnancy for healthcare professionals in German (Handlungsempfehlungen: Ernährung und Lebensstil vor und während der Schwangerschaft)

A balanced and varied mixed diet is important during pregnancy. It not only has a short-term but also a long-term effect on the health and well-being of mother and child. Optimum development and growth of the unborn child require adequate nutrition.

• External Link:Federal Centre for Nutrition, Eating and drinking during pregnancy. An overview of the recommended amounts of the food groups only in German (Ernährung und Lebensstil vor und während der Schwangerschaft)

Pregnant and breastfeeding women have a higher need for vitamin A compared to other women. On the other hand, excessive vitamin A intake, especially in the first months of pregnancy, particularly via food supplements, is associated with an increased risk of malformations in the child. Since the 1990s, it has been recommended that pregnant women and infants should refrain from consuming liver from all animal species due to the very high vitamin A concentrations in slaughtered animal liver, and that pregnant women and infants should be very cautious when consuming products containing liver. In view of recent monitoring results (BVLshort forGerman Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, 2016), this recommendation is upheld.

Fish contains important nutrients, in particular it is rich in iodine, vitamin D and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The German Nutrition Society (DGE) therefore recommends eating oily fish once or twice a week during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you do not eat oily fish, you should supplement with DHA. In addition, pregnant women are advised to consume mainly fish species that contain comparatively low concentrations of mercury. Fish species with a potentially higher methylmercury content, such as monkfish, halibut, perch or hake, should be avoided by pregnant women.

• Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should avoid fish species with high concentrations of methylmercury only in German (Schwangere und Stillende sollten Fischarten mit hohen Gehalten an Methylquecksilber meiden)
• Download:Fish consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding: Some fish species have high methylmercury concentrations Opinion only in German (Fischverzehr in Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit – einige Fischarten weisen hohe Methylquecksilbergehalte auf)Fischverzehr in Schwangerschaft und Stillzeit: Einige Fischarten weisen hohe Methylquecksilber-Gehalte auf (PDF, 261 B, not accessible)
• Download:Consumer advice for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers to limit tuna consumption remains valid only in German (Verbrauchertipp für Schwangere und Stillende, den Verzehr von Thunfisch einzuschränken, hat weiter Gültigkeit)Verbrauchertipp für Schwangere und Stillende, den Verzehr von Thunfisch einzuschränken, hat weiterhin Gültigkeit (PDF, 121 B, not accessible)

Eating game meat before and during pregnancy is not recommended if it was shot with lead-containing ammunition. Children should not eat game meat before the age of seven.

• Lead fragments in game meat can be an added health risk for certain consumer groups

Women of child-bearing age, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and children, should also avoid eating wild boar offal as a precautionary measure, as game offal, especially wild boar offal, can contain high concentrations of PFAS, dioxins and PCBs.

• External Link:Consumer tips on health and food safety from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection only in German Verbrauchertipps Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit)

A vegetarian nutrition with milk (products) and eggs (ovolacto vegetarian) during pregnancy and breastfeeding can cover the need for most nutrients with a targeted food selection. The recommendation to supplement folic acid before and in the first trimester of pregnancy as well as iodine during pregnancy and breastfeeding naturally also applies to a vegetarian diet. If you do not eat fish regularly, it is recommended to also supplement DHA during pregnancy. In addition, the Gesund ins Leben network advises women on a vegetarian diet to seek specific counselling to ensure an adequate supply of nutrients during pregnancy.

• External Link:Healthy into life network. Nutrition during pregnancy (and breastfeeding). Nationwide recommendations for action only in German (Handlungsempfehlungen: Ernährung und Lebensstil vor und während der Schwangerschaft)

Infections during pregnancy should be avoided as they pose an increased risk to the pregnant woman and the unborn child. Personal hygiene and food hygiene is particularly important for preventing infections. Foods that comparatively often contain pathogens should be avoided or heated sufficiently before consumption. These include, in particular raw or insufficiently heated food of animal origin, various types of cheese and fish products, raw sprouts, frozen berries, as well as delicatessen and antipasti (e.g. olives) from open containers, in restaurants or canteens. Fresh fruit and vegetables should be washed carefully before consumption. Vegetables that have come into contact with soil should be stored separately from other foods and heated sufficiently before consumption.

Status: 24/10/2024