Having a good diet helps us to prevent spinal bifida. This is the most common of a group of birth defects in Uganda and around the world known as neutral tube defects.
Neural tube defects affect the central nervous system that is the brain and spinal cord. The cause of this defect, according to the experts in World Health Organisation (WHO) is lack of enough folic acid during the process of the baby’s development in the womb.
But folic acids can be obtained from locally available foods and vegetables such as cabbages, soya, mushrooms, ovacado, fresh bananas, ground nuts, liver, spinach, doddo, pumpkin leaves and fresh vegetables.
According to medical experts 70% of cases of neural tube defects could be prevented by adequate intake of folic acid immediately before and in early pregnancy.
