Foods to Avoid When Pregnant
During pregnancy, you need to be careful about what you eat. You must know the foods to avoid when pregnant. You cannot eat whatever you want if you are pregnant.
Your body is more sensitive when you are pregnant. More importantly, the food you eat affects the baby. So, if you eat foods that are harmful in any way, you put not only yourself but also your baby at risk.
In this article, we will look at a list of foods to avoid when pregnant. Down here, you can see 18 things that you stay away from during pregnancy.
Foods to Avoid When Pregnant
The first thing you should be worried about is bacterial infections that you can get in many ways. Since the immune system gets weaker during the pregnancy, bacteria in the various foods can cause infections easier. Such infections can present risks for both you and your baby.
Raw meat
Raw or undercooked meat products, such as jerkies or rare steaks, can contain many bacteria. And those are among the foods to avoid when pregnant. This group can include ready-to-eat meat products like spreads, pastes, hot dogs, cold cuts, or premade meatballs. Since these products are usually consumed undercooked, and they spend a considerable amount of time in production and storage, they carry a particularly high risk for pregnant women.
Seafood
Seafood is also can be risky for similar reasons. Sea creatures can carry many types of parasites and bacteria. These can present various dangers for pregnant mothers and their babies. The primary way to deal with these bacteria and parasites is to be sure that the seafood is cooked well. So, raw or undercooked seafood types are also among the foods to avoid when pregnant. Sushi types, mussels, oysters, clams, or any type of smoked fish present such risks, so you should stay away from them during pregnancy.
Turkey and Chicken
For similar reasons, whole Turkey and Chicken that are sold with stuffing in them provide bacteria an ideal environment to produce too. So, pregnant women should avoid such products as well.
Raw egg products
Raw eggs can carry many bacteria too. So, pregnant mothers should not eat eggs without cooking them well. This includes any products that contain raw eggs such as mayonnaise, bearnaise sauce, hollandaise sauce, and caesar salad dressing. There are also many desserts that are made with raw eggs. So, desserts such as tiramisu, meringue, and mousse are among the foods to avoid when pregnant unless they are made with pasteurized eggs.
Raw milk products
With the bacteria types it can carry, raw milk can be risky to consume as well. So, pregnant women should not consume unpasteurized milk. This risk can apply to dairy products that are made with raw milk, as well. Therefore homemade dairy products are among the foods to avoid when pregnant.
Raw Fruits and veggies
Not only animal-based foods can be dangerous for pregnant women. Fruits and veggies can carry parasites and bacteria too. This is why you should never eat them without washing and rinsing them thoroughly. However, some of these bacteria cannot be cleaned by washing. Sprouts are especially risky for this problem. They grow in places that are rich in water, which makes many bacteria produce in them too. This is why you should avoid eating under-cooked or raw when you are pregnant. Buying squeezed fruit juice can be dangerous in a similar sense, as well. So, pregnant women should avoid unpasteurized fruit juice too.
Caffeine
Pregnant women should also avoid drinks that contain caffeine. High amounts of caffeine can affect the development of a fetus. During pregnancy, it is not safe to take more than 2 or 3 cups of coffee worth of caffeine. Don’t forget that caffeine is not only found in coffee. Tea and many soft drinks contain caffeine too.
Alcohol
Speaking of drinking, drinking alcohol is one of the most critical consumption that you should avoid while you are pregnant. Alcohol causes very harm to the baby. If you drink alcohol in any amount during your pregnancy, you risk your baby’s health and even life. There are many known mental development disorders, heart issues, and deformation problems directly related to alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Remember that unlike other foods to avoid when pregnant, any small amount of alcohol can cause the same problems.
