Foods to avoid when pregnant
As you most likely already know, there are a few foods that pregnant women should avoid – mostly because of the risk of food poisoning and the potential harm to an unborn baby.
Here is a handy list of the food items to avoid:
Some cheeses
If you’re a fan of mouldy cheeses, you might want to keep your distance during your pregnancy. With mouldy cheeses such as Stilton, the presence of listeria is more likely – if you were to get listeriosis (the infection caused by this bacteria) there is a much higher risk of illnessyou’re your baby, or even miscarriage or stillbirth.
Cheeses to avoid: Brie, Camembert, cheeses with a rind, goat’s cheese, Danish blue, Stilton, Roquefort and Gorgonzola.
Eggs
Undercooked and raw eggs are a definite no-no as the risk of salmonella food poisoning is too high.
Eggs to avoid: runny eggs, raw eggs and eggs in homemade (unpasteurised) products, such as homemade mayonnaise.
Fish
Some types of fish contain high levels of mercury, which has the potential to harm (or stop completely) your baby’s developing nervous system.
Fish to avoid completely during pregnancy: shark, swordfish and marlin
Tuna
Tuna also contains mercury, but can be eaten in moderation during pregnancy.
Amounts per week: 2x tuna steaks per week, 170g or less when raw / 4x medium tuna cans, 140g when drained
Oily fish
Oily fish contains PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and dioxins, so you should only eat 2 portions of some oily fish per week.
Oily fish to limit: fresh tuna, salmon, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines and pilchards.
Please don’t stop eating fish all-together, as it really does have some amazing benefits to both yourself and your baby!
Meat
Even if you normally enjoy your steak cooked rare, when you are pregnant it is wise to avoid any pink meat or traces of blood. Ensure that steaks are cooked through and pay particular attention to sausages and mince.
You should always check that chicken is still fresh and cooked thoroughly (although you’ll probably do this already!)
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