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Pregnant Women should be careful about their Diets
An expecting mother caring for the growth of the child
As a pregnant woman, you can eat your normal diet but, during the second as well as third trimesters, you should be careful to avoid contaminated foods because if you fall ill, that may affect the growth of the child also. If you avoid the following foods, you can protect your health and that of the child also.
- It is true that you need a good amount of calcium during your pregnancy. Though milk and products like cheese can provide you with the calcium you may require, you must avoid raw milk and also soft cheeses because they may contain bacteria that may cause food poisoning. Instead, you should take pasteurized milk or you can try other non-dairy sources of calcium. Cheese that is made of pasteurized milk may not cause any harm. You should make it a point to read the labels before procuring these items.
- If you are a fish eater, you must ensure to eat only those items that have been cooked well. Researches have proved that under-cooked fish items including Shell-fish, etc. may be contaminated. There are certain varieties of fish like the shark, the swordfish, etc. that contain high amounts of Mercury. So, these items should also be strictly avoided. During the third semester, you can eat well-cooked fish like salmon that contains good amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids, catfish, Pollock, Shellfish, shrimp, etc.
- You must completely avoid raw foods like raw Sprouts, eggs, etc. Likewise, under-cooked meat including poultry items should also be avoided. You must ensure to check that these have been cooked well at the appropriate temperatures. You can consume them only if you are certain that they have been cooked well. Similarly, instead of buying salads at the grocery stores, you can make your salads at home and eat them. You should also make it a point to wash the vegetables, greens, etc. thoroughly before cooking them.
- As a pregnant woman, you should stay away from alcoholic beverages. They do not do any good to your health. You may rather be harming your health because there may be problems like increased acidity, etc. due to consumption of these drinks.
