Not every food is safe for consumption during pregnancy. Some foods are bad for you because of the germs and bacteria it may contain or how it is cooked.
For instance, raw fish, meat, and eggs may contain germs that are harmful to you. They can cause food poisoning like salmonella infection, which is detrimental for both you and the baby. We recommend cooking them thoroughly to kill the germs and keep you and your unborn baby from falling ill.
In the same way, many dairy products like eggs, milk, and cheese that are unpasteurized are harmful to pregnant women. However, if they are pasteurized, they can be safe to consume because that means that they are heated and bear no bad germs.
So when you’re shopping, stay away from products without the “pasteurized” label. Unpasteurized dairy products are harmful to you because they can give food poisoning, such as listeriosis.
Certain foods also contain chemicals like mercury or caffeine, both of which are harmful when passed to your baby during pregnancy. However, it is safe to consume fish with small amounts of mercury.
Fish get mercury, a harmful metal, from eating other fish with mercury in them and also from the water they swim in. When pregnant women consume fish with mercury, the metal is passed to the baby, as well.
Mercury can affect the baby’s vision and hearing and can also potentially cause brain damage. Hence during pregnancy, we recommend that if you must eat fish, consume 8-12 ounces weekly of fish without a lot of mercury. Such fish include salmon, Pollock, shrimp, canned light tuna, and catfish.
Foods you should completely stay during pregnancy include:
Dairy products
- Soft-scrambled eggs
- Unpasteurized milk or juice or foods made with them
- Raw or undercooked eggs or by-products of them including raw cookie dough
- Unpasteurized soft cheeses like feta, camembert, brie, queso fresco, queso blanco, and panela
Fish and meats
- Raw fish, particularly shellfish
- Fish with high levels of mercury like swordfish, tilefish, shark, and king mackerel
- Raw or undercooked beef, pork, and poultry.
- Raw or undercooked meats like hotdogs and deli meat such as bologna or ham
- Refrigerated meat spreads, pates, or smoked seafood
- Liver because it contains high levels of retinol, a type of vitamin A that is associated with higher risks of congenital disabilities
Other Foods
- Herbal teas and pills
- Raw sprouts like alfalfa, radish, and clover
- Non Food items pregnant women crave for such as starch, clay, coffee grounds, or paraffin
We recommend avoiding these foods to keep you and your baby safe. The last thing you need is to give birth to a baby with certain defects and abnormalities. Besides, you can go back to consuming these foods a few months after giving birth.
We know that we have also crossed some tasty meals off your midnight snack lets, but on the bright side, you can keep your baby safe for nine months. Learn more on this, visit childmode.com.
Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
