All women of childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent birth defects. It's essential to have the folic acid in the body at the time of conception. Eat fatty fish. Pregnant women are urged to eat fatty fish two or three times weekly to build reserves of omega-3 fatty acid, needed for fetal brain development. Pregnant women should not drink.
Alcohol can harm the fetus and induce birth defects.
It may increase the child's later vulnerability to alcoholism. Drinking more than 112 cups of coffee a day raises the risk of spontaneous abortion by about a third and low-birthweight babies by about half, say University of Toronto researchers. Tbs. crystallized ginger, chopped Toss fruit and juice together, adding banana just before serving. To serve, put in bowls or parfait glasses, top with yogurt and sprinkle on chopped ginger. 146, July 2, 1994.