Thiamine in HOW TO REDUCE pregnancy, THIAMINE LOSSES breastfeeding WHILE COOKING and infancy 1) Use the minimum amount of water for THIAMINE Pregnant women the preparation of vegetables and do not need to eat enough discard the cooking water. thiamine for them 2) Cook for the minimum amount of time (VITAMIN B1) and their developing possible; a high temperature for a short babies time is preferable. A diverse diet that 3) Cover the pot with a lid to shorten includes a variety of cooking time. good sources of 4) Keep raw foods the minimum time thiamine everyday is possible in storage; cooked foods should A guide to increase important during not be stored. thiamine intake and pregnancy, post-birth 5) Wash vegetables before cutting them. and while 6) If possible do not wash rice before prevent deficiency breastfeeding. It is cooking. If necessary, rinse once only with unsafe to follow a little cold water. of this essential restrictive diets! 7) Do not cook rice with excess water that When babies nutrient. transition from needs to be discarded. breastmilk to solid 8) If possible, use parboiled rice, instead of food, they need to white (polished) rice consume good 9) Do not add sodium bicarbonate to sources of thiamine green vegetables for retention of their (including fortified color in cooking or canning baby foods) 10) Prefer raw than roasted nuts (e.g. Ask your doctor peanuts) and seeds (e.g. sunflower seeds) about using vitamin 11) Prefer wholegrain cereals – the darker, supplements the better! containing thiamine WHAT IS IT? GOOD FOOD SOURCES MMOODDEERRAATTEE AANNDD POOR FPOOOODR SFOOUORDC SEOSURCES Thiamine is a vitamin with a very Good food sources of thiamine are: important role in energy - Pork: 1mg/100g (~1 pork chop) production, and, therefore, in the - Liver (pork, chicken, beef): Moderate and poor food sources growth, development, and 0.3mg/100g of thiamine are: function of cells. - Pulses (lentils, various beans, peas): - Fish: 0.04-0.13mg/100g Thiamine deficiency can result in: 0.20-0.47mg/cup - Most fruit and vegetables: 0.02- - Heart palpitations, sudden heart - Seeds (sunflower, sesame): 0.22- 0.13mg/cup failure, water retention (edema) 0.42mg/28g - Dairy products (milk/yoghurt): - Poor vision, foot/wrist drop, loss - Nuts (pistachios, peanuts): 0.1- 0.05-0.11mg/cup of reflexes, pins and needles in 0.3mg/28g - White rice (unenriched): limbs, lack of appetite, memory - Wholegrain cereals (wheat, brown 0.03mg/cup loss, fatigue, irritability, confusion rice, oatmeal): 0.15-0.3mg/cup - Processed cassava: 0mg/cup - Permanent brain and nerve - Fortified/enriched products: - Sugar, alcohol, fat: 0mg damage, and even death, if - rice: 0.36mg/1 cup treatment is not provided on time! - baby cereal: 0.2mg/50g ANTI-THIAMINE HOW MUCH DO WE FACTORS These are products that can NEED? accelerate losses of thiamine in the

Recommended intake/day in body. Do not: different groups - chew fermented tea leaves or betel nuts Birth to 6 months: 0.2 mg - consume African silkworm larvae

7–12 months: 0.3 mg - consume raw or fermented fish (cook it instead!) 1–9 years: 0.5-0.9 mg - consume tea with a meal; drink it between meals +10 years: 1.2 mg (males); 1.1 mg (females) Foods rich in vitamin C (e.g. orange, Pregnancy: 1.4mg kiwi, lemon, tomato) may have a protective role and should be Breastfeeding: 1.5mg consumed along with the meals.