FOODS TO AVOID IN PREGNANCY

Because I have so many friends who are pregnant right now, all I can hear is dos and don’ts while expecting.

With this, I decided to write about foods to avoid in pregnancy as we all know, a healthy diet is vital for the new mum and for the baby. Statistics show that only 7% of women experience real cravings but we all know that once we peed on that stick, our brain is set on tale tales and will induce those fake cravings and morning sickness (nausea). Since the beginning of time, all we heard is that when we are pregnant we will immediately experience weird food cravings and we will be sick. Truth be told, not all of us are. There are some lucky women out there who don’t go through all this and there is the bigger number of women who just induce everything towards themselves.

A positive attitude and a healthy diet, regular exercise – that’s all we need. As soon as you are tuned on those positive vibes, everything will change.

Now, I recently checked the NHS website for foods to avoid in pregnancy as I knew it always changes and I wanted to give my friends the best advice out there.

HERE IS A LIST OF MOST HARMFUL FOODS DURING PREGNANCY

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FISH – Not all of it but definitely avoid: shark, swordfish or marlin. Also, be careful with tuna as it is well known to contain more mercury than other types of fish. The amount of mercury we get from food isn’t harmful for most people, but could affect your baby’s developing nervous system if you take in high levels of mercury when you’re pregnant
Don’t eat mould-ripened soft CHEESE (cheeses with a white rind) such as brie and camembert. This includes mould-ripened soft goats’ cheese, such as chèvre. These cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they’ve been cooked. You should also avoid soft blue-veined cheeses such as danish blue, gorgonzola and roquefort. Although infection with listeria (listeriosis) is rare, it’s important to take special precautions in pregnancy – even a mild form of the illness in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby
Make sure EGGS are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid to prevent the risk of salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella food poisoning is unlikely to harm your baby, but it can give you a severe bout of diarrhoea and vomiting. Same thing goes for non-hen eggs such as duck, goose and quail eggs
PATE – avoid all types of pâté, including vegetable pâtés, as they can contain listeria.
MEAT – Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, including meat joints and steaks cooked rare, because of the potential risk of toxoplasmosis.Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so it’s steaming hot and there’s no trace of pink or blood – especially with poultry, pork, sausages and minced meat, including burgers.
MILK and YOGURT – Stick to pasteurised or ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk, which is sometimes called long-life milk. If only raw (unpasteurised) milk is available, boil it first. Don’t drink unpasteurised goats’ or sheep’s milk, or eat foods made from them, such as soft goats’ cheese. All types of yoghurt, including bio, live and low fat, are fine. Just check that any homemade yogurt is made with pasteurised milk, and, if not, avoid it.
CAFFEINE – High levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birthweight, which can increase the risk of health problems in later life. Too much caffeine can also cause miscarriage.You don’t need to cut out caffeine completely, but don’t have more than 200mg a day.The approximate amount of caffeine found in food and drinks is:
- one mug of instant coffee: 100mg
- one mug of filter coffee: 140mg
- one mug of tea: 75mg
- one can of cola: 40mg
- one 250ml can of energy drink: 80mg (larger cans of energy drink may have up to 160mg caffeine)
- one 50g bar of plain (dark) chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 25mg
- one 50g bar of milk chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 10mg