Foods, Drinks, and Beverages You Should Avoid During Pregnancy

Mothers are way more concerned about what to eat during pregnancy.  Taking care of your diet is essential for the nourishment of both yourself and your unborn child. During this time you may have to avoid some of your favorites like sushi, coffee, and rare steak. But there are many food items that you can enjoy. In this article, we will discuss the food, drinks, and beverages that you should avoid during pregnancy for your child’s sake.

Undercooked or Raw Meat - 

You should avoid eating raw or undercooked meat as it may contain bacteria and parasites such as Toxoplasma, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella.

These bacteria and parasites are harmful and pose a serious threat to the health and the safety of your unborn child. Most of these bacteria are only present on the outer surface of the whole meat but some may also be present inside the muscle fibers.

Some meat pieces are safe to consume even if they are completely cooked inside such as tenderloins, sirloins, or ribeye from beef, lamb, and pork. However, this is only applied when the meat piece is whole and uncut and it should be fully cooked from outside. Keeping these conditions, it is best to avoid eating raw and uncooked meat during pregnancy.

Raw Eggs -

Just like raw meat, raw eggs also contain salmonella bacteria. These bacteria are very harmful, and can cause salmonella infection which can lead to preterm birth or stillbirth. The symptoms of salmonella infection are fever, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. 

Most commercial products containing eggs are made of pasteurized eggs, and are safe to eat. However, read the label before consumption to make sure.

Organ Meat - 

Organ meat is a good source of some essential nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B12, iron, zinc, selenium, and copper. All of these nutrients are important for you and your unborn child. But too much consumption of vitamin A especially in the first three months is healthy and overconsumption of vitamin A can lead to congenital malfunction and pregnancy loss. 

You can eat organ meat such as liver or kidney in moderation to keep vitamin A in check.

Raw sprouts - 

Many people prefer having a salad with green veggies but sometimes people use raw sprouts such as alfalfa, moong bean sprouts, radish, and clover which are popular in the salad. But the sprouting of these seeds requires humid conditions which is ideal environment for salmonella bacteria to grow and it’s not possible to simply wash it off.

Unwashed Veggies and Fruits - 

Everyone advises to eat fruits and green vegetables, but do not eat unwashed fruits and vegetables as the outer surface of these fruits and veggies may contain many harmful bacteria and parasites like salmonella, toxoplasma, E. coli, and listeria.

Toxoplasma is a common parasite that can linger on fruits and veggies; it contaminates the plant food at any time during production, harvesting, storage, transportation, or retail.

Toxoplasma can cross the placenta and can cause vision loss to the baby. Sometimes the complication may not appear at the birth time and may occur later in life. To avoid such complications, it is best to avoid eating unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Unpasteurized Dairy Products - 

Unpasteurized dairy products or raw milk contain harmful bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli, campylobacter, and listeria. These bacteria can cause infections and food poisoning. These bacteria can have life-threatening infections for your unborn child. Bacteria can occur naturally or at any stage of collection, storage, or transportation. To reduce the chances of infection consume only pasteurized dairy products.

Processed Foods - 

Processed foods are also a no-go as they are low in calories, high in sugar, and added fats which are unhealthy for your body. Stick to a healthy diet rich in protein, healthy fats, fibers, and carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and beans.

Caffeine - 

Caffeine is absorbed easily and can reach into the placenta. Babies and the placenta do not have main enzymes that metabolize caffeine. So, it can easily build up. Therefore, it is advised to limit your caffeine intake up to 200mg per day.

Excess consumption of caffeine can lead to premature birth, small weight at birth time, pregnancy loss, or several other development issues.

High Mercury Fish - 

Many polluted water bodies contain mercury, which is a highly toxic element that can affect your nervous system, kidney problems, and immune system. Large fish can accumulate high amounts of mercury. So, it is advised to pregnant women to avoid eating large fish such as tuna, marlin, swordfish, and shark. The mercury present in them can cause serious development issues in the unborn baby, with adverse effects even in the lower amount.