Foods you can't eat when pregnant
90To have a healthy pregnancy, you need to know what to include in your diet and the foods you can't eat when pregnant. You should avoid foods that might add empty calories without being nutritious. Have a pregnancy diet plan ready so that you can select the best foods from it. You should also read more about diet during pregnancy so that you know the foods to avoid during pregnancy.
This hub lists some commonly known foods you can't eat during pregnancy. Read on and share your thoughts in the comments section.
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Foods to avoid during pregnancy
Women who are pregnant, need to take extra measures to avoid three fairly widespread substances: listeria, mercury, and toxoplasma. Lack of evidence of some bad effects of certain chemicals like sweeteners makes it hard to classify what foods to avoid during pregnancy. When in question, it is better to avoid the particular food and choose a healthier alternate. Of course, consult your gynaecologist if you have any question during pregnancy.
1. Raw Meats: Raw meats such as sushi, seafood (especially shellfish), rare or uncooked beef or poultry foods should be avoided during pregnancy due to the risk of coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella.
2. Deli meats including hot dogs: These deli meats might be contaminated with listeria bacteria which may result in miscarriage. It's safe to eat deli meats if you reheat them until steaming hot or avoid altogether.
3. Raw eggs: Raw eggs may contain salmonella. Some Caesar salad dressings, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream and custards as well as Hollandaise sauces may be made with raw eggs. In addition, unpasteurized eggnog should be avoided during pregnancy. Definitely one of the top foods to avoid during pregnancy.
4. Fish high in mercury: Another important food you can't eat when pregnant. In many places in the U.S. there are high levels of Mercury or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the fish. When you consume large amounts of mercury, your baby may suffer brain damage resulting in developmental delays (for example, delays in learning to walk or talk). Consumption of fish containing high levels of PCBs in their fatty tissues is linked to decreased attention, memory, and IQ in babies. Check with your local Health Department to determine which fish in your area are safe to eat.
Foods to eat during pregnancy
5. Soft cheeses: Soft cheeses such as blue cheese, feta (goat cheese), brie, cambert, Latin-American soft white cheeses (such as queso blanco and queso fresco) and blue-veined cheeses (such as roquefort) may become contaminated with the Listeria bacteria. Listeria could cause sickness or death in you or in your child.
6. Over the counter food: Avoid canned, tinned or prepackaged foods. Many of them can have Salmonella or other bacteria. Even hotdogs and burgers bought from vendors can cause diseases.
7. Liver: Minimize the amount of liver you eat. Animal liver contains very high levels of vitamin A. While vitamin A is good for you, women who consume too much may risk a higher incidence of birth defects in their babies. Since you're probably already taking prenatal vitamins and eating other vitamin A-containing foods, it's better to be safe and not consume liver on a regular basis.
8. Artificial sweeteners: No-no food you can't eat when pregnant.The consumption of artificial sweeteners, such as can be found in diet soda, is safe for the general public. No studies show conclusively that it's harmful for humans to consume artificial sweeteners during pregnancy. The risk seems to be lowest with aspartame, while Saccharin has been shown to cause birth defects and cancer in rodent studies. you might choose to limit your consumption of artificial sweeteners during pregnancy. Instead, substitute fruit juice, milk or water.
9. Unpasteurized milk and milk products: Most of our milk products are made from pasteurized milk. Pasteurized milk has gone through a special cleaning process to rid it of any bacteria, especially listeria. Milk boiled at high temperature (pasteurized) kills the deadly bacteria.
10. Alcohol: During your pregnancy, it is important that you try to avoid alcoholic beverages. Though you may be used to having a glass of wine with dinner, alcohol can severely damage your baby and hinder her development. Alcohol can pass through your placenta and prevent your baby from getting much-needed oxygen and nutrients. Heavy drinking during pregnancy can also increase your child's risk of developing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, an illness that causes severe mental and physical side effects.
11. Other foods: Pineapple, papaya and sesame seeds should be avoided during pregnancy.
12. Go organic: Very important for a healthy baby. You do not want to feed your baby the hazardous pesticides and chemicals that come for free with groceries. Check out the informative hub on Top organic foods you should eat for more information.
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Comments
Shawna,
Thanks for your comments. Pineapple and Papaya are generally avoided in Asia, especially in India altogether during pregnancy. Some people say fully ripe papaya may be ok. These fruits may cause uterine contractions which may lead to miscarriage. I think pregnant women should stay away from these fruits.
Interesting...thanks for the info!
Nice infro, thanks i want to know that can i drink pasteurised milk directly from bottle ? Please let me know.
Kalpana,
As far as i know, Yes, you can drink pasteurised milk directly from the bottle. Check out this article in the links section for more information.
I only knew about pinapple, papaya and alcohol. Thanks for writing this Hub.
wow so powerful. I will tell my friend about these. She pregnent.Thanks
Good information and I recomended eat organic food
so if im pregnant and i eat ceasar salads its bad
LOL I wonder how our ancestors survived without cooked food :D
I would say listen to your body, it won't lie to you - of course if you can listen...
sounds like a raw diet where you are eating mostly vegetables and fruit would be good.
I love this hub as it really shows us that there are things that we may think are good, like pasturized milk, or OK like articifical sweetners but in fact when you are pregnant you really need to be concious of what you eat.
Also I would love to add, do not eat for two. Just eat very healthy for one
Blessedmom, very informative hub. What about papaya causes uterine contractions? It would be interesting to know what the substance is. I have discovered that I am allergic to papaya, but as far as I know the symptoms are in the digestive tract.
My wife so desparately wanted sushi while pregnant......luckly we had taco bell to hold her over...and pickles. Oh the memories!
I had no idea about sesame seeds... No more Big Macs for me. Thanks for the info!
I agree with Misha because some how our ancestor survived eating raw meat, Veggies & fruits. Also I have to check with my Japanese friend to confirm. Can you grow organic food on a non organic soil. First you have to find a pesticide free soil. I don't believe there is any soil free of pesticide traces. Please can you explain how & where you can grow organic foods. I am little bit skeptical of so called organic foods.
I didn't know about this information. Thank you il be telling my pregnant cousin's wife about it.
Yes, You CAN Eat Sushi While You're Pregnant!
Japanese mothers continue to eat Sashimi through out their pregnancies. But for western women it's not their staple food so that's why they don't know & are concerned. You have to be worried about the source of seafood or any other food & preparation method used. People get sick everyday from E.Coli,Salmonella & other food related illnesses. Most of them are related to cleanliness issues.
Please visit the link to read the details.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/329061/ye
hey can we eat thousand island dressing??
when i was pregnant years ago, i was also told by my ob gynecologist to avoid very sweet foods and drinking very cold beverages..
and eating fruits is generally, ok , though..
thanks for the added info!
Why is it that you can't eat sesame seeds? I checked another website, and they recommended eating them! Little confusing here...and is Cream Cheese (Philly) ok to eat? It's soft so I'm not sure.
...I'm afraid I can't seem to find any official information backing a lot of this?
J_Eds,
I do not have any scientific or medical proof to back my opinions. I compiled this list from hearsay (from experienced and moms and grandmothers) and researching online.
Like always, consult with your medical doctor and do your homework before taking any medical advice or if you are in doubt.
Good, well-researched article, Blessedmom. Your list is a little more extensive than others I've seen, but it doesn't hurt to be extra careful, right?
Concerning the topic of eating for one or two, the actual facts are that when you're pregnant, you need to consume about 300 extra calories a day. That may sound like a lot, but it's only about an apple, a banana, and two slices of wheat toast. However, when you're nursing, you need to eat an additional 600 calories a day! Wow. Just make sure you choose healthy foods that are safe for you and your baby.
Thanks, Blessedmom.
Interesting hub. I admit that I did eat Hot Dogs, and deli- meats, but I never knew they were a no-no, till after I had my 2nd kid.
I appreciate the information...but I would like to know are mushrooms bad for you...I've heard that they are a big no-no!!
From what I read on the internet, it sounds like mushrooms should be okay to eat during pregnancy. As always, there is a lot of garbage on the internet.... so, when in doubt, consult with your doctor.
is it ok to eat canned fruit and vegetables while pregnant?
is it ok to eat canned fruit and vegetables while pregnant? I heard i am not supposed to change the cat liter, can someone tell my y?
nice , informative hub.
Very good article. Thanks
firstmom101-You aren't supposed to change the litter box because of toxoplasmosis, a parasite which can affect your baby (see my Hub for more info: http://hubpages.com/hub/Toxoplasma-Gondii-Brain-Pa
Thank you for the list, my husband and I are thinking of starting a family so it's good to know ahead of time the dietary restrictions I'll be facing. At least I can eat the cooked sushi! Mmm, unagi:) My biggest challenge would be laying off the fish, we eat it about twice a week.
Blessedmom-
Please don't post any information that is not scientifically backed. What you have stated is absolutely contrary to scientic evidence.
BLESSEDMOM SAID "I do not have any scientific or medical proof to back my opinions. I compiled this list from hearsay (from experienced and moms and grandmothers) and researching online. "
Jill4sc,
Good luck stopping people from posting their opinions and experience. Feel free to share your knowledge with evidence.
Don't believe everything you read on the 'net'. Just ask your doctor if you aren't sure.
Luckily I cut off eating those foods and my ultrasound doctor says my baby is healthy, now he is nine months old in my womb. Thanks a lot!
holy crap!!!!! there is alot of stuff u cant eat when u r pregnant! wow
when you refer to deli meats exactly what kinds do you mean the raw kinds in the blocks and even salami?, also why hotdogs?
I desperately want to know if thousand island salad dressing is safe during pregnancy.
As i heard about raw egg is a no-no, but, what about the mayonaise we bought from the supermarket? Haven't they already gone thru certain process to be packed into a bottle, thus the process will kill the bacteria that might be in the raw egg?
"My wife so desparately wanted sushi while pregnant......luckly we had taco bell to hold her over...and pickles. Oh the memories!"
LOL - the sushi would have been much healthier i'm sure. My doctor said if the sushi place is reputable, and you haven't got sick before, it's probably okay. Even a glass of wine is okay. I mean one should go booze crazy, but i think a lot of this is being over crazy.
By the way, you should NEVER EVER EVER have aspartame or sweeteners pregnant or not. I don't quite understand why when women are pregnant they're so careful but then when they're not they'll eat genetically modified fruits, meats, non-organic and sweeteners....
** one SHOULDN'T go booze crazy, sorry typo
The info about papayas and sesame seeds are misleading. Actually avuryedic medicine recommends eating ripe papayas in moderation during pregnancy and lactation.Only unripe papayas are not recommended because it supposedly has papaine, which is a powerful proteolytic digestive enzyme that induces abortion.
As for sesame seeds it is a high source of calcium and Vitamin E and is recommended during pregnancy.
As always read, research and find other sources of information before making a decision about your nutrition during pregnancy.
can i drink coffee while pregnant and what about flavoured water?
explain to me why is papaya and pineapple should be avoided during pregnancy
My mother had a craving for chili dogs all throughout her pregnancy with me. She's a registered nurse. I have no health repercussions from her eating hot dogs. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but I've never heard of not eating hot dogs.
thanks for the info.,ive learned a lot but i was shocks!,(coz i want to eat) that papaya is not recommended for the pregnant women and how about squids?is that true that its high in mercury too?...
More power and more info...Salamat!
tnx guys I was craving so badly for pineapple ..now i know better , I would also like to know why sesame seeds are bad for mums 2 b
shawna.wilson says:
13 months ago
Good information. The only ones I was surprised to see were pineapple and papaya. What's the reason for avoiding these fruits?