Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Diet is a critical part of your motherhood currently, whether it’s your first or fourth pregnancy. Most pregnant women are aware that they can’t drink alcohol anymore or eat sushi, but not all pregnant know that more foods are considered unsafe for pregnant women.

Some foods put pregnant women at an increased risk of parasitic and bacterial contamination. Hence for nine months, there are certain foods you should stay away during pregnancy.

Raw sprouts are packed with nutrients, and they are considered healthy for the majority of people. However, raw or undercooked sprouts can be harmful to pregnant women because they can contain salmonella or E. coli. 

It is in yours and your baby’s best interest to either avoid raw sprouts such as radish, clovers, alfalfa, and mung bean or thoroughly cook them before eating them.

The same goes for undercooked meat and poultry because they also contain salmonella, E. coli, Toxoplasma gondii, and campylobacter, all of which are harmful to pregnant women.

We recommend that pregnant women thoroughly cook all meat and poultry or check the meat with a food thermometer to make sure that they reach the recommended safe minimum internal temperature recommended by the USDA.

To successfully reduce any chances of toxoplasmosis from eating meat, you should also make sure you freeze the meat at sub-zero temperatures for several days before cooking. Also wash cutting boards, counters, dishes, and utensils you’re handling meat with hot soapy water.

This is paramount, especially after they are in contact with meat, seafood, poultry, or unwashed vegetables and fruits. After handling raw meat, make sure to wash your hands with soap and water.

You will also have to avoid raw eggs. Surprisingly, the list of foods containing raw eggs is pretty long. Raw or undercooked eggs are also problematic because they may contain salmonella.

Hence, pregnant women should thoroughly cook the yolks and the whites to kill any lurking bacteria. If you want to make a meal containing eggs, make sure to cook it at 160 degrees F or make sure that they are pasteurized.

Unfortunately, this means that you are going to have to avoid eating homemade eggnog, tiramisu, raw batter or baking dough, homemade ice cream, homemade Caesar salad dressing, eggs Benedict, and homemade hollandaise sauce.

Alcohol and tobacco are a no-go for pregnant women. There is no safe limit for them either, so pregnant women must stay away from it. 

Caffeine is also on the list, but the good news is that you don’t have to put your coffee away just yet. We recommend that pregnant women limit their caffeine to no more than 300 mg each day.

This means that it is safe for you to drink roughly two cups of coffee, soda, or tea daily. Pregnant women can therefore enjoy a cup of decaf coffee because it has low levels of caffeine. However, you will have to stay away from lattes, espressos, and mochas because they have higher levels of caffeine than regular black coffee.