Top Foods to Avoid While Pregnant

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During pregnancy you tend to become very aware of your diet as you’re the sole provider of nutrients to your growing baby. If you’re concerned about the food you’re eating, you may be interested to learn about foods to avoid while pregnant. There are actually quite a few foods you should avoid due to possible contamination that could harm your baby’s health and development.

Foods to Avoid While Pregnant: Lunch Meat, Hot Dogs and Unpasteurized Dairy
These foods should not be consumed during pregnancy because they are prone to Listeria monocytogenes contamination. This bacteria causes listeriosis and may result in stillbirth, miscarriage and other health issues. This category includes lunch meats like bologna, salami and deli meat, along with other processed meats. You should avoid any processed smoked seafood as well, which may be labeled as jerky, smoked, lox, nova-style or kippered. If you want to eat deli or lunch meat, make sure you reheat it until it’s steaming to kill any potential bacteria. Unpasteurized dairy items may also be prone to listeria so avoid raw milk, queso fresco, Brie and other dairy products made from unpasteurized milk.

Foods to Avoid While Pregnant: Raw and Undercooked Meat
Any undercooked food of animal origin, including clams, sushi, unpasteurized eggs, raw dough and eggnog may have a wide range of parasites, viruses or bacteria. Always test the doneness of meat with a thermometer and don’t eat eggs if they’re runny to avoid harming yourself or your unborn child during pregnancy.

Foods to Avoid While Pregnant: Certain Fish and Seafood
The FDA has standards for nursing and pregnant women and advises them to eat up to 12 ounces per week of seafood that’s low in mercury. This includes salmon, shrimp, canned light tuna, tilapia, sardines and catfish. Certain fish, especially large fish, are foods to avoid while pregnant because they may have dangerously high concentrations of mercury, which can interfere with your baby’s nervous system and brain development. Fish to avoid include: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and albacore tuna.

Foods to Avoid While Pregnant: Raw Vegetables Sprouts
Finally, you should avoid eating raw sprouts, including mung bean, radish, clover and alfalfa. The FDA recommends everyone, especially pregnant women, avoid this food because bacteria can get into the seeds of the sprouts and it’s nearly impossible to clean away. It is safe, however, to eat thoroughly cooked vegetable sprouts during pregnancy.