Eating a balanced diet during pregnancy can help to protect the health of you and your baby. It's also a good idea to eat healthily if you're trying for a baby because a healthy pregnancy starts well before conception.
Take at least 400 micrograms of folic acid a day while you're trying to get pregnant, and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Folic acid reduces the risk of your baby having a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida. A neural tube defect is when the foetus's spinal cord (part of the body's nervous system) doesn't form normally.
Folic acid tablets are widely available from pharmacies, or you can talk to your GP about getting a prescription.
Don't worry if you get pregnant unexpectedly and weren't taking folic acid supplements. Start taking them as soon as you find out, until you're past the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
• Do take your folic acid supplement every day.
• Do eat plenty of food rich in folate (the natural form of folic acid), such as green leafy vegetables, including spinach and watercress, nuts, pulses, wholegrains and fruit juice.
And:
• Don't take supplements that contain vitamin A, because too much vitamin A can cause foetal abnormalities.
• Don't eat liver or products that contain it, such as paté. Liver contains a lot of vitamin A.
To read the full article on which foods are safe to eat during pregnancy go to http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/pregnancy/Pages/healthyeating.aspx
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