Eating right when you're pregnant means knowing what to steer clear of. When it comes to eating during pregnancy, the best rule is to err on the side of safety. So how do you figure out what's safe and what's not? Here's the lowdown on the foods and drinks to avoid during pregnancy.
1. Unpasteurized Food and Drinks: Soft cheeses like brie, goat cheese and blue-veined cheeses that aren't pasteurized can contain listeria and other bacteria. Check the labels to make sure you're getting the pasteurized kind. Unpasteurized juices like apple cider and fresh squeezed orange juice can harbor harmful bacteria, too. Keep them off the menu to be safe.
2. Alcoholic Drinks: Alcohol enters your baby’s bloodstream in the same concentration as it does yours but takes twice as long to leave it. It’s best to play it safe and stay away from alcohol altogether while you’re pregnant.
3. Raw Seafood: Uncooked or undercooked seafood is completely off-limits during pregnancy; the risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites is too high. That means no raw oysters, clams, sushi or lox. Check with your doctor for the full list.
4. Drinks with Too Much Caffeine: A couple small cups of coffee a day are fine during pregnancy, but going over that can pose a risk. And watch for sneaky sources of caffeine, like energy drinks and soda. Too much caffeine can also interfere with your ability to absorb iron, an important nutrient for baby's development.
5. Undercooked Meat: Even if you’re a medium-rare kind of girl, this is not the time for blood-red meat. Any meat you eat while pregnant must be well-cooked. Otherwise you and your baby are at risk for bacteria like salmonella and E. coli.
6. Raw, Runny Eggs: Undercooked eggs can harbor salmonella, so make sure any eggs and omelets you do eat are cooked through. Anything homemade with raw eggs, like Hollandaise sauce, cookie dough or mayonnaise, could also be risky. Your best bet is to avoid raw eggs entirely until after baby arrives.
7. Hot Dogs and Deli Meat: Turkey, bologna, salami and ham from the deli, as well as hot dogs, are often preserved with nitrates and nitrites, chemicals that aren't good for a developing fetus. They can also occasionally contain listeria. Be sure to check labels (and ask your doctor), or cut them out of your diet while you're expecting.
8. High-mercury Fish: Fish that are high in mercury can be risky too. That means no swordfish, shark, bigeye tuna, marlin, king mackerel and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, to name a few. Also stay away from fish that may contain high levels of contaminants. These include grouper, albacore tuna, non-organic farmed salmon, amberjack and mahi-mahi, among others. Again, talk to your practitioner if you have questions.
9. Raw Sprouts: This crunchy snack is normally healthy — but you’ll have to put it aside for now. Raw sprouts have been linked to E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, so leave them out of your diet during pregnancy.
Don't worry if you've accidentally consumed any of these foods or drinks. Just check with your doctor and keep a little list handy of what to avoid.
- 6813 views
