Pregnancy DO NOT Eat List

Fish and Seafood

Do not eat swordfish, sushi, mackerel, tilefish, shark or fresh tuna in order to avoid exposure to mercury. Go light on canned tuna. That's because these fish may contain enough mercury to harm an unborn baby's developing nervous system. 

Avoid all fresh-water fish, as they are more likely to be contaminated with pesticides and carcinogens like dioxin or PCBs. Game fish such as bluefish and striped bass may contain mercury. Locally caught fish is off-limits too.  Avoid Liver because it has a  large amount of vitamin A. Studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to PCBs may contribute to developmental delays.

Fortunately, you don't have to rule out tuna sandwiches, though you shouldn't have one every day.  The FDA recommends that pregnant women limit their intake of canned tuna to 12 ounces per week, or 6 ounces if they also eat other kinds of fish, because canned tuna contains some mercury.

So what kind of fish can you eat?  Cod, flounder, and snapper are just a few of the many safe options.  According to the FDA, pregnant women can safely eat up to 12 ounces of cooked fish a week (a typical serving is 3 to 6 ounces), as long as you choose safely.

All fish should be cooked until it's opaque and flakes easily to kill any bacteria or parasites.  That means, of course, that you'll also have to avoid all raw sushi dishes and raw shellfish, such as oysters.  These could contain microorganisms that can cause severe gastrointestinal illness.

For reasons that are not entirely understood, pregnant women are more likely than other healthy adults to become sick from food-borne bacteria.  Worse, some of these bacteria can hurt your unborn baby.  You can help prevent these illnesses by avoiding certain foods or changing how you prepare then. 

Milk and Cheese

Don't drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods made from raw milk, such as unpasteurized cheese. Unpasteurized milk has been associated with listeriosis, so don't drink it or eat any foods (such as certain cheeses) made from it.  Some cheeses made from pasteurized milk can later become contaminated with Listeria.  These include soft cheeses such as brie, Roquefort, and Mexican style (such as queso blanco), so avoid these as well.  Cream and cottage cheeses, although soft, are fine.  Though it may seem that lots of foods are off the menu during pregnancy, the majority of healthy food choices are safe.  

Avoid soft cheeses such as feta, Camembert, blue-veined….like the white goat cheese from El Acapulco!

Deli meat and leftovers

Avoid foods from deli counters, or thoroughly reheat (until steaming hot) cold cuts before eating.  Do not eat hot dogs…new study out that they make cause problems in babies. Ready-to-eat foods such as cold cuts, hot dogs, and smoked fish may be contaminated with Listeria, a bacterium that is especially dangerous for pregnant women, so don't eat these foods unless they are reheated until steaming hot. Listeriosis can cause miscarriage, still-birth, or infant death. Most people do not become ill when they eat Listeria-contaminated foods.  However, pregnant women are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to get listeriosis and more likely to become dangerously ill from it.  Listeriosis often starts with flu-like symptoms and sometimes leads to nausea or diarrhea.  However, it can progress to potentially life-threatening meningitis (with symptoms such as severe headache and stiff neck) and blood infection.  If you have these symptoms, call your doctor, who can treat listeriosis with antibiotics.  Prompt and proper treatment may prevent infection in the fetus.

Eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or eggs can increase your risk of contracting listeriosis, salmonellosis, and toxoplasmosis.

Toxoplasmosis, which is contracted from eating rare meat, is a parasitic infection that often causes no symptoms.  But if a pregnant woman contracts it, she may pass it on to her fetus.  Some affected babies develop vision loss or mental retardation.  When toxoplasmosis is diagnosed during pregnancy, antibiotics are often used to help prevent the infection or reduce the severity of symptoms in the baby.

To help avoid these illnesses, use a meat thermometer to ensure that your meat and poultry are thoroughly cooked.  Ground beef should be cooked to at least 160 degrees F, roasts and steaks to 145 degree F, and whole poultry to 180 degrees F.  Eggs, which can be contaminated with salmonella, should be cooked until both the yolk and white are firm.  Avoid foods made with raw or partially cooked eggs, such as hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, eggnog, no bake chocolate pie and homemade ice-crème.

Fruits and Veggies

Fruits and vegetables are loaded with vitamins and fiber, but there are some that shouldn't be part of a healthy pregnancy diet.  Raw vegetable sprouts (including alfalfa, clover, and radish) and fresh, unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juices can carry disease-causing bacteria, such as salmonella and E. coli.  Infections from these bacteria can make a healthy adult very sick with diarrhea, cramps, and fever; the symptoms are worse and more dangerous in pregnant women.  Occasionally mothers-to-be can pass one of these infections on to their baby, who may develop diarrhea, fever, or meningitis at birth.

Don't eat raw sprouts, make sure they're not in restaurant dishes, and stick to pasteurized juices.  To be sure, check the label:  The FDA requires that unpasteurized juices be clearly marked as such.

Drinks

Pass on the caffeine. Although studies don't confirm it, caffeine may cause birth defects, particularly when consumed to excess.

Alcohol: This should go without saying. Don't drink when pregnant! The results are devastating.

Do not drink or eat anything with Aspartame or NutraSweet in it. It is in Diet soda’s and drinks, Crystal Lite, some yogurt, sugar free candy, sugar free gum, peppermint patties, and many other things....read the labels. Also avoid Olestra (Olean) and Saccharin.

Avoid herbal teas

Junk Foods

Try not to eat too much peanut-butter this may make the baby more likely to have an allergy toward it.

Try to avoid junk foods and Do Not DIET during pregnancy!