Expert advice Q&A
 Is Guinness a good source of iron in pregnancy
 Sadly (if you enjoy stout or Guinness) this is a genuine old wives' tale! The iron content of stout is negligible, compared with even red wine - 0.05mg of iron in 100mls of stout, compared with 0.9mg in 100mls of red wine. If it is iron that you want or need, then a bowl of Bran Flakes (4.3mg of iron) or a couple of slices of beef (2.1mg) would serve you much better. Of the two foods, the beef is arguably the best, since iron of animal origin is better absorbed that other iron. As you probably know, the maximum recommended intake of alcohol during pregnancy is 1-2 units, once or twice a week. Please note that this is a maximum. Many women feel more comfortable drinking less alcohol, or none at all. A half-pint of normal strength beer or lager counts as one unit. However, bottled Guinness, in particular, tends to be stronger stuff than draught (check the '% alc vol' on the bottle), so just a quarter-pint (about 125mls) is probably equivalent to a unit of alcohol. You may like to measure out 125mls of water into a glass at home, so that you have some idea what this amount of liquid looks like when you get to the pub. In conclusion - yes, enjoy the occasional drink of Guinness - but think small glass and lady-like sips rather than a bottle!
Answer provided by Hannah Hulme Hunter
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