A lot of women know what they are supposed to do and eat, but you should also know what not to eat when pregnant.
If you had some information a year ago it may not be considered correct this year, because the researchers always find some new information about the effects of certain foods.
Caffeine
For a long time it has been said that high doses of caffeine could lead to miscarriage. According to a recent study, the women who had 200 mg of caffeine per day or more had risks of miscarriage twice as high as other women. Don’t forget that you can get caffeine from other sources as well, not only coffee.
When it comes to what not to eat while pregnant you should know that cola, tea, energy drinks and cocoa also contain certain amounts of caffeine.
This is why during pregnancy it is a good idea to have decaffeinated beverages mostly in the first trimester when the chances of miscarriage are the highest.
Soft cheese
In case you are asking what not to eat when pregnant, consider Brie, Camembert, goat, queso blanco, feta and blue cheeses. This is because they are contaminated with listeria, bacteria that can be associated with food poisoning, and they are unpasteurized.
These cheeses should be listed among what not to have during pregnancy because they aren’t aged, like Parmesan or cheddar.
In their case the bacteria is killed in a natural way. Keep in mind that pregnant women have a weakened immune system and they are more prone to be affected by different illnesses.
Meat
Women usually don’t think about meat when considering what not to eat while pregnant and so they get cold cuts at the deli.
The danger in this case is that the meat could get infected with listeria at the manufacturing company or at the deli. To make sure that the cold cuts are safe, you should heat them to kill the bacteria.
If you would like to know more about what not to eat when pregnant, you should consider beef, pork or lamb. In fact, you could have them, but make sure that they are cooked medium-well or medium. This is because meats of this kind could be infected with toxoplasma that could lead to stillbirth.
Fish
Doctors don’t usually include fish on the list when it comes to what not to have during pregnancy, but it is known that some fish could have mercury in them, which is dangerous for the baby. This is a toxin that affects the brain development of the baby. Usually the big fish are the most contaminated.
Some of the most important fish to think about when considering what not to eat while pregnant include shark, king mackerel, tilefish, albacore tuna and swordfish. Nonetheless not all kinds of tuna are bad. You could have tuna sandwich with canned tuna, but don’t have it more often than twice a week.
When thinking about what not to eat when pregnant there is a mistake that a lot of women do: they don’t have any fish. It is alright to have those that are low in mercury, such as salmon because these are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. No matter what you eat, don’t eat it undercooked or raw.
Eggs
Nobody really refers to eggs regarding what not to have during pregnancy because they are high in protein and they also come with choline. Still there are some risks, such as the eggs being contaminated with salmonella that is even more dangerous in case of pregnant women than in case of other people.
This is why it is important to be careful regarding what not to eat while pregnant. Make sure that you eat only refrigerated eggs and don’t eat those that have broken or dirty shells. Don’t have runny eggs, Caesar salad dressing, homemade ice cream or unpasteurized eggnog. Also don’t taste any batter.
Alcohol
If you are thinking about what not to eat when pregnant, alcohol should make it to the top of the list. According to official information, women shouldn’t have any alcohol during their pregnancy and there is no such thing as safe level. Still some doctors say that it is alright to have a drink every now and then.
The women should know that alcohol gets through the placenta very fast and so if they drink, it’s likely that baby will drink as well. The baby may be affected by fetal alcohol syndrome disorder if the mother drinks alcohol.
As you can see, there is a lot to think about when it comes to what not to have while pregnant as far as food is concerned.
