Are crisps safe in pregnancy?
Salt & vinegar, prawn cocktail, worcestershire sauce crisps - are they all OK to eat when you're pregnant?
In a nutshell
Yes, it is safe to eat crisps when you're pregnant.
The expert view
So why worry about crisps?
Well, research has shown that babies born to women with a high dietary intake of a chemical called acrylamide – which is found when frying potato or cereal products - were found to be 132g (4.6oz) lighter than babies born to mothers who had a low intake.
The study also found that the infants' heads were up to 0.33cm smaller.
So does that mean you should stop eating crisps?
More like this
No. The Food Standards Agency says that following a healthy, balanced diet is enough, and you don’t need to stop eating crisps. You'd clearly have to eat an excessive amount of crisps for there to be any concern.
Nutritionist Dr Rana Conway adds: "Eating crisps occasionally is fine, but they're generally high in salt and fat so it's better to have healthier savoury snacks such as breadsticks with houmous, crackers with reduced fat cheese or rice cakes with peanut butter. These will provide more of the nutrients your baby needs."
Authors
Magda Ibrahim is a freelance writer who has written for publications including The Times and Sunday Times, The Sun, Time Out, and the London Evening Standard, as well for MadeForMums.
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