We also extracted data on the fiber contribution from vegetables, fruit, and bread and cereals and on the consumption of main carbohydrate -
containing food groups: vegetables, potatoes, fruit, bread and cereals [comprising
breakfast cereals, bread (white or
other), pasta, and rice], plus
foods high in refined sugars or refined starches (soft drinks, cordials, sweet biscuits, cakes, buns, scones, pastries, confectionary, sugar, honey, jams, and syrups).
The study made no distinction between those women whose vitamin A was supplied by whole
foods such as butter, eggs, cheese, liver and cod liver oil, and those who ingested retinol added to margarine, white flour and extruded
breakfast cereals —
foods which
contain many
other factors that can cause birth defects.
For
food other than lunches, choose
breakfast cereals that are high in fibre (
containing at least 6g fibre per 100g) and low or medium in sugars (
containing less than 22.5 g per 100g).