The Ultimate Checklist of Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

While Expecting You have to be Careful with Foods

You may be hungry and starving for a medium-rare steak, but when you’re expecting, you have to be more careful about what you put on your plate. Since expecting mothers are more vulnerable to food borne illnesses due to their immune systems being suppressed (as a result of their pregnancy), there are certain foods that they have to give up until their baby is born. Here is the ultimate checklist of foods to avoid during pregnancy:

• Raw and undercooked meat are a no-no when you’re pregnant. Meat that is not fully cooked may be contaminated with E. Coli.
• Soft cheeses that are made with unpasteurized milk are also foods to avoid during pregnancy, due to the possibility of E. Coli and Listeria contamination. These cheeses include Brie, Camembert, feta, Roquefort, queso blanco and queso fresco. If you’re a cheese lover, make sure you eat only hard cheese made with pasteurized milk. When in doubt, check the product label and it will tell you whether the milk was pasteurized or not.
• Seafood with a high mercury content should be avoided. Fish and seafood is a nutritious part of a balanced diet, but when you’re pregnant, certain fish should be avoided due to their high mercury levels. These include marlin, shark, king mackerel, Ahi and Bigeye Tuna, Swordfish, and Tilefish. Seafood that has low mercury levels and are considered safe to eat to eat in moderation includes domestic crab, oysters, salmon, scallops, shrimp, tilapia, freshwater trout, whitefish, catfish, flounder, herring, and salmon.
• Raw cookie dough may give you found memories of your grandmother’s kitchen, but it’s off limits when you’re pregnant. Raw cookie dough may be contained with salmonella, so bake the cookies and resist licking the spoon.
• Another food to avoid during pregnancy is unpasteurized milk due to the risk of bacteria contamination, including E. Coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and Campylobacter.
• Say no to raw sushi when you’re pregnant. Cooked sushi is fine, but you’ll want to avoid eating any sushi that is made with raw or undercooked seafood.
• Don’t eat any raw sprouts when you’re expecting a baby. Sprouts are another food to avoid during pregnancy due to the risk of E.Coli and Salmonella contamination.

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