What foods should be avoided?

Determining what foods to avoid while pregnant or breastfeeding is at times difficult and confusing. We hope to help clear up some of the unknowns, by providing a list of some foods that you should stay away from all together or consume in moderation.

Raw Meat

• Cut out any form of raw meat from your diet. This includes undercooked seafood, beef, and poultry. They can get contaminated by bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.

Fish with Mercury

• Fish that contain high levels of mercury can also be harmful. This includes fish like tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. For other types of fish, your portions should be limited to around two servings per week.

Smoked Seafood

• All refrigerated, smoked seafood should be avoided by a pregnant women, because of the risk of listeria contamination.

Raw Shellfish

• Bacterial infections can be caused by consuming raw shellfish, such as clams, oysters, and mussels. Fortunately, cooked shrimp is still a safe option.

Raw Eggs

• Stay away from anything that contains raw eggs, including homemade caesar dressings, homemade ice cream, and mayonnaise. These all have the potential to contain salmonella, so you will need to make sure the yolk is fully cooked every time.

Soft Cheeses

• Listeria can be found in imported soft cheeses, which is the best reason to avoid them. Cheeses made from pasteurized milk are the best option.

Unpasteurized Milk

• This milk may contain listeria, which may cause miscarriages and other issues for pregnant women.

Caffeine

• Limit caffeine to one cup of coffee a day or less. Too much caffeine intake could lead to miscarriages, premature births, low birth weight, and withdrawal symptoms in infants.

Lunch Meats and Hotdogs

• Before consuming any lunch meats or hotdogs, you will need to heat until steamy warm to kill the bacteria.

 Deli Prepared Salads

• Be sure to avoid any premade supermarkets salads, because they may have harmful contaminates on them. Salads made with fresh vegetables are a great alternative and healthier.

Unwashed Vegetables

• Wash all vegetables before consuming to avoid exposure to toxoplasmosis, because it can contaminate the soil where the vegetables are grown.

 

If you are interested in knowing what other foods can be potentially harmful, then we would recommend you check out this article posted on Mom 365.

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