Foods to Avoid in Pregnancy

For the first few weeks of your pregnancy you probably carried on with your life, happily eating a variety of foods you enjoy. But as soon as you learned you were pregnant flashing warning signs went off in your head.

Now there are certain foods you know you need to cut back on or avoid entirely. So what foods are on the "no" list?

Cheese

AVOID

Mould-ripened soft cheese, like Brie and Camembert also Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort and unpasteurised cheeses like some mozzarella. Hard and some pasteurised soft cheeses are fine as long as they are kept refrigerated.

WHY?

Soft cheeses are less acidic than hard cheeses and contain more moisture so they provide the ideal environment for harmful bacteria, like listeria, to grow. Even a mild dose of listeria in pregnancy can result in a stillbirth or miscarriage.

Pate

AVOID

All types of pate, including vegetable pates.

WHY?

They can contain the listeria bacteria.

Eggs

AVOID

Partially cooked or raw eggs (found in some homemade sauces like mayonnaise)

WHY?

Uncooked eggs can cause salmonella food poisoning which is unlikely to harm the unborn baby, but it can cause mum severe diarrhoea and vomiting.

Meat

AVOID

Raw or undercooked meat. All meat should be cooked thoroughly so there's no trace of pink or blood. Be particularly careful with poultry, pork, sausages and minced meat, including burgers.

WHY?

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that can be found in meat, soil, cat faeces and untreated water. It often has mild or even no symptoms but it can damage an unborn baby during pregnancy.

Liver products

AVOID

Liver or liver products such as liver pate or liver sausage.

WHY?

They can contain a lot of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby.

Fish

AVOID

Shark, marlin and swordfish, and limit the amount of tuna you eat to no more than two medium-sized tuna steaks a week or four medium-sized cans of tuna a week.

WHY?

These fish can contain high levels of mercury that can damage an unborn baby's developing nervous system.

Shellfish

AVOID

Mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams should NEVER be eaten raw, but are usually safe as long as they are thoroughly cooked.

WHY?

They can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning. Any bacteria or viruses are usually killed by thorough cooking. However, if toxins are present, they won't be completely removed by cooking.

Sushi is safe as long as the fish has been frozen first as any parasitic worms will be killed by freezing.

Milk

AVOID

Raw (unpasteurised) milk

WHY?

Untreated dairy products carry the risk of salmonella food poisoning so drink only pasteurised or UHT (ultra-heat treated) milk. If only unpasteurised milk is available, boil it first.

Debra Aspinall is an experienced journalist and the editor and leading writer for the Emma's Diary website, one of the UKs foremost pregnancy and baby websites. Debra writes on pregnancy related topics such as pregnancy , pregnant, symptoms of pregnancy and etc. She also writes on women's health and beauty issues and contributes travel articles to glossy magazines in London and the Home Counties.