While you are pregnant you should eat a healthful and nutritious diet, get plenty of rest, cut back on caffeine and stop smoking if possible. This is all for the health of your baby and yourself. Most of these things are common knowledge, however, there are also foods to avoid during pregnancy.
Foods to avoid during pregnancy
- Alcohol
- Unwashed Vegetables
- Pate
- Caffeine
- Soft Cheeses
- Un pasteurized Milk
- Raw Shellfish
- Raw Eggs
- Smoked Seafood
- Fish with Mercury
- Deli Meat
- Raw Meat
It is essential to eat a healthy and nutritious diet for the health of the baby but some foods need to be a avoided for the health of the baby and the health of the mother also. Certain foods pose unnecessary risks that could cause miscarriage, birth defects or more.
One thing that should be avoided is raw or undercooked meat. This is due to the risk of toxoplasmosis, E coli, and salmonella. This means you should avoid undercooked meats and poultry. Do not eat a rare hamburger or a rare steak and make sure that your chicken and turkey are fully cooked. Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature to make sure.
Cold deli meats should also be avoided because of the risk of listeria. Listeria is a nasty bacteria that can cross the placenta wall and cause and infection or even blood poisoning in the baby. This can be very dangerous. If you wish to consume deli meat but reduce the risk you should reheat it until it reaches a safe temperature. Again use a meat thermometer.
Listeria can also be found in some soft cheeses such as brie, feta or gorgonzola. These soft cheese are frequently made with unpasteurized milk. Unpasteurized milk can often be contaminated with listeria so unpasteurized and raw milk should be avoided during your pregnancy. Make sure that any soft cheeses that you consume are made with pasteurized milk.
Pregnancy Foods To Avoid
Some types of fish should be completely avoided while other types should only be eaten in moderation. Fish that have the probability of a high level of mercury, such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tile fish should be avoided. Avoid sushi and sashimi during pregnancy also, as raw fish can pose a danger to the fetus.
Certain studies have linked excess mercury to development delays and in some cases even brain damage in babies. Tuna is high in mercury but canned, chunk light tuna has a lower amount of mercury and can be consumed in moderation. Salmon can also be consumed in moderation and it has an abundance of essential fatty acids, which is highly beneficial to your babies brain development.
Raw eggs should be avoided during pregnancy because of the potential of exposure to salmonella. This includes cookie dough, cake batter, and anything that has raw eggs in it. Some homemade sauces such as hollandaise, Caesar salad dressing and blue cheese dressing contain raw eggs. These should be avoided if there is any question. Most commercially prepared salad dressings and even cookie doughs contain pasteurized eggs, which should be okay, however, if there is any question do not eat it.
Excessive sugar can be a problem in pregnancy because of the rise of gestational diabetes. This can be a dangerous condition and one that should be avoided if possible. Limit your sugar intake and consume sweets, all fruit juices and dried fruit only in moderation.
There will probably never be a more important time to monitor your diet than when you are pregnant. You need to make sure that you are consuming a healthy and nutritious diet for the health of your unborn baby. Some of these foods that should be avoided have been linked to miscarriage and birth defects take care to avoid them when you are pregnant.