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Pregnancy demands unique nutritional necessities different from those of women who are not pregnant, involving vital roles of vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. These elements are pivotal for the progression of a healthy pregnancy, aiding mothers in coping with common discomforts and averting complications. Presently, supplementation recommendations for pregnant women vary across nations, prompting the need for comprehensive nutrition counseling as a pivotal aspect of prenatal care. The state of a woman\'s nutrition has a major effect on her health, the course of her pregnancy, and the welfare of her fetus and newborn. Providers of healthcare must recognize and address these distinctive nutritional requisites, advocating for tailored counseling that considers diverse factors such as availability of food, social, ethnic background, cultural dietary selections, and body mass index. Adjustments become imperative in instances of pregnancy complications like gestational diabetes. Collaboration with nutritionists or registered dietitians is instrumental in delivering effective dietary interventions. This review underscores the benefits and current guidelines for mineral, vitamin, and omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy while cautioning against the adverse effects of excessive nutrient consumption and advocating for consistent nutritional guidance.

The nutritional adequacy of micronutrients depends on their amount and bioavailability in the complementary foods. The aim of this study is to develop a cost effective, nutritious, homemade homogeneous blend of locally available food ingredients into a complementary baby food for 6-24 months of age that will be acceptable, deployable and prevent malnutrition in this age bracket. Two baby food formulas were developed based on protein contents of available food commodities: DFA (Yellow corn 60%, Soya beans 20%, Groundnut 15% and Crayfish 5%) and DFB (Yellow corn 65%, Soya beans 15%, Groundnut 15% and Crayfish 5%). Standard procedures of the AOAC (2016) and other methods were used to determine the micronutrient contents (minerals and vitamins) of the foods. The mean± standard error of mean for iron, zinc, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus contents of the DFA respectively are; (6.73±0.01), (3.24±0.02), (180.72±0.23), (135.74±0.00), (385.65±0.17), (31.51±0.26) and (350.80.37±1.57) while for DFB they are; (6.79±0.17), (3.53±0.01), (150.93±0.34), (132.81±0.05), (365.83±0.03), (32.27±0.16) and (354.37±2.23) respectively which showed a significant difference (p<0.05) with the control baby food. Vitamins A, B1, B9, C and E for DFA from the analysis are respectively: (1391.38±3.15), (3.76±0.04), (20.21±0.06), (13.67±0.41) and (4.74±0.10) while for DFB are: (1072.48±7.97), (3.34±0.08), (22.15±0.16), (11.52±0.00) and (3.82±0.11) respectively which also showed significant difference with the control baby food. Samples were also rated using a 9-point hedonic scale range from “like extremely” (9) to “dislike extremely” (1) for sensory evaluation but showed no significant difference statistically with the control baby food. The study revealed that it is possible to prepare nutritionally adequate and acceptable complementary diet (rich in vitamins and minerals) from readily available and affordable food commodities.