Pregnancy comes with huge responsibilities for mothers because basically you’re carrying another human being in your body. As a mother, you need to ensure that your baby and yourself are also healthy.
In order to have a healthy pregnancy journey, there are foods that mothers can eat and there are also foods that should be avoided at all cost.
A mother’s healthy diet can ensure good growth and development of the child. Thus, by avoiding these foods will help you tremendously during your pregnancy!
10 Foods to Avoid When You Are Pregnant
1) Raw Meat
When you are pregnant, your diet should change too. Raw meat should not be in your food intake at all. Raw meat may contain parasites that could potentially lead to a miscarriage of the baby.
If you are craving for meat, pregnant women should at least eat cooked meat to secure the health of the baby.
2) Blue Cheese
Who doesn’t love cheese? We all do. However, blue cheese is categorised as unpasteurised food which is dangerous for the baby and pregnant mothers.
Blue cheese contains bacteria that can develop listeriosis which is an infection to the baby. Sadly, the result of eating unpasteurised food will lead to the circumstances of still-born, food poisoning and miscarriage.
3) Fish that Contains Mercury
Uh-oh, pregnant mothers may wonder, can I eat fish? Yes, you may but any type of fish that is high in mercury should not be touched at all.
There are plenty of fishes that fit into this category such as shark, swordfish tuna and king mackerel. The consumption of these types of fish will affect the baby’s brain development which can cause a delay in the brain.
4) Sushi
As we all are familiar with, sushi is a type of food that contains raw fish and ingredients. From the information that has been shared above, pregnant mothers should avoid raw meat and certain fish. Thus, sushi is not a good choice to eat during pregnancy.
Sushi can cause nausea, diarrhoea, and vomiting which is some common reaction to the food. What if you crave for sushi? Well, you can make your own sushi without raw meat and fish which is safe for you and the baby!
5) Eggs
In our daily life, we may use a lot of eggs in our cooking. However, pregnant mothers should only eat cooked eggs. Raw eggs should not be eaten at all for mothers because it contains a bacteria named, Salmonella which can be really harmful to both mothers and babies. Remember, make sure to cook your eggs properly!
6) Cookie Dough
For pregnant mothers who love baking, eating raw cookie dough is a big NO. Munching on cookie dough is tempting but this should be avoided because it contains raw eggs.
As we are aware now, raw eggs can be damaging during pregnancy, so bake your cookie dough before you enjoy them.
7) Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, Caesar Salad dressing and Hollandaise sauce are the dressings that we all love, don’t we? But it can be injurious during pregnancy because the main ingredient in making these delicious dressings and sauce is…raw eggs! Yes, and again the word raw eggs should be cancelled out of the dictionary of pregnant mothers.
8) Raw Sprouts
Similar to raw eggs, raw sprouts should not be consumed by pregnant mothers because it contains the harmful bacteria, Salmonella.
Researches have found that Salmonella can contribute to food poisoning. So if you want to taste the crunchiness of sprouts, it is better for you to cook it and not to eat it raw.
9) Pâté
Pate is an Italian dish that contains liver as the highlight and main ingredient. It is very dangerous for pregnant mothers to consume this because liver has an excessive level of vitamin A. Thus, this could be toxic to pregnant mothers.
A safer option for mothers would be, is to make sure the meat is pasteurised and you are good to go.
10) Rock Melon
It is true that fruits are good for the health of pregnant mothers and babies, but rock melon definitely should not be touched and eaten by pregnant mothers.
Rock melon’s outer skin can transmit Salmonella and Listeria, which are the bacteria that have been proven harmful for pregnant mothers and babies. Worry not, as you can still consume other fruits that are guaranteed safe and contain sufficient nutrients.
Eat Good, Stay Healthy!
So, pregnant mothers out there should be cautious of the food that will be consumed so that the health of yourselves and the babies are taken care of.
Eat anything you want, but don’t forget the foods that are listed above so you can avoid it at all cost!