[Overuse of cooking salt by pregnant women in Bulgaria]

The authors investigate the ovemse of salt by pregnant women in two aspects--as a detrimental nutritive habit and as a factor in the pathogenesis of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The study involves 140 pregnant women who were given a specially designed questionnaire in order to examine their nutritional habits. One third (33%) of them intake additional amount of salt during nutrition. Almost half of them (43%) add salt before tasting the meal. This is exclusively seen in the group of women above 30. Additional 2-3 grams of salt are intaken while eating salty cheese and pickles during the winter. The approximate amounts of salt for each trimester of pregnancy are calculated. The authors defined which foods are the greatest contributors of salt and make the conclusions of the detrimental impact of overuse of salt during pregnancy on the mother and the child.