Foods during pregnancy?

Question

What foods should you definetly avoid during pregnancy?

Answer 1

There's nothing you should _definitely_ avoid.

There're things that have a higher degree of risk of food poisoning, fish with too much mercury, etc, etc.

But it's your call how much you want to restrict your diet, and what represents acceptable risk to you. There're places and people who think raw vegetables are a bad idea for pregnant women (possible bacteria risk -- toxoplasmosis, say, or e coli). There're people who won't touch undercooked eggs -- but when was the last time you got sick off a poached egg? Soft cheeses are often mentioned, but if you're in North America, they're usually pasteurized. If you're worried, just bake your brie. Caffeine has never been totally restricted, and it was recently in the news that it wasn't posing risks as previously thought.

Moderation is key.

Things to consider:

"Children born to women who ate more seafood during pregnancy have higher IQs compared to those whose mothers ate little or no fish, according to a new study.

"We recorded no evidence to lend support to the warnings of the U.S. advisory that pregnant women should limit their seafood consumption," the study's authors concluded."

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/02/15/seafood-pregnancy.html

"Many women, when their pregnancy is detected, worry that something they did or ate or drank before realizing their condition might jeopardize their unborn child. While these concerns are quite common, experts say that most that occur before your second missed period, which would make you 8 weeks pregnant, are unfounded.

Experts estimate that while there's about a 4 percent risk of birth defects in any pregnancy, only about 6 percent of these are related to anything in the environment -- meaning anything a woman took, did, or was exposed to. The vast majority of birth defects have a genetic origin..

http://www.yourbabytoday.com/features/postconception/index.html

"Abstaining for foetal health: The fiction that even light drinking is dangerous

There is a strong ideological and political movement in the USA to convince pregnant women not to drink any alcohol. An examination of the research literature on the results of drinking during pregnancy does not provide any evidence that light drinking is harmful to the foetus."

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1360-0443.1991.tb01873.x

A v. good article on the whole debate(s):

http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,,2090058,00.html

Answer 2

Hi there, I've recently worked in the Obstetrics Department and this is the advice we give all our patients.

You should avoid soft cheese, pate and liver products as these can contain Listeria Monocytogenes - a bacteria that can cause birth defects in the baby.

You should also ensure that your meat is cooked well and your fruit and veg is well washed as you can catch Toxoplasma from these which can lead to problems with the baby's brain. Incidentally - if you have a cat you should also avoid cat faeces as these also may contain toxoplasma.

Make sure that you have a healthy diet, and take folic acid supplements or fortified foods. You should also check any medications you are taking with your doctor as some drugs can have an effect on the growing baby.

Best Wishes.

Answer 3

Honestly I made the mistake by eating everything and anything that I craved. When you say avoiding food there are two different things that you should look into.. Well Seafood I know for sure that you have to be careful eating while you are pregnant.. You should ask your doctor for a list of foods that might be unhealthy. My down fall though when I was pregnant was fast food I ate it at least once a day and by the end of my pregnancy I gained 67lbs. Learned to love fruit and vegetables..

Answer 4

I've heard that cold cuts are not good, because they can be contaminated with Listeria, which can be harmful to a growing fetus. Shark, tilefish, orange roughy and other fish contain high levels of mercury which also have shown to cause problems. Canned tuna can be eaten, but only in moderation....5 ounces a week I think they say.

Answer 5

There are a kazillion myths and scraps of misinformation.

Sushi is a good thing to avoid, as there is a good possibility you can get sick from it, and t he drugs they use to treat those illnesses are pretty bad for the fetus.

Soft cheese - MYTH. Any soft cheese (unless you're making it yourself or buying it from an unregulated farm) made in the US or Canada is totally safe to eat. Be careful of some imported soft cheeses, as other countries may not regulate as we do.

Fish - avoid high-mercury ones, like Albacore Tuna, Shark, Marlon (sp?) - the large top predators. You're safe to eat some non-albacore tuna. Salmon, Haddock, Sole, eat'em up, they're very very healthy for you.

Deli meats - enh. You're probably safe. Avoid'em if it makes you feel better.

"raw foods" - for heavens sakes, most veggies are better for you raw and they're not gonna hurt you.

(a big hurrah to Kmennie. If I could give you twenty thumbs-ups I would. Good answer!)

Answer 6

Sushi or even cooked fish because of mercury levels.
Camomile because it might induce the pregnancy.
Caffeine--I know some women never give it up and things are fine but if it's not great for us, can it be good for a fetus?

Answer 7

I basically ate what ever I wanted, and I have birthed five children. If you start to put on too much weight rapidly than that is time to be concerned. I ate a lot of salads, chicken, beef, and home made vegetable soups. make sure you drink milk, and or use milk products. talk to your doctor about your diet, and your concerns. good luck

Answer 8

Large fish (they've been in the water longer and have more mercury... othe fish eat sparingly), alcohol, veined cheese (like blue cheese), rare meat, and others may make it uncomfortable... like spicy food or foods that cause lots of gas.

Answer 9

Any raw fish
Any uncooked veggies
Lunch meat

Answer 10

FISH cause it has mercury and thats bad for the baby. Spicy foods can give you heartburn too.