Growing a baby burns a lot of calories and makes a lot of pregnant women find themselves wanting to eat a lot more than usual. Unfortunately, when you are pregnant there is a long list of foods that are no-no’s for various reasons, but most importantly because they are unhealthy for your unborn baby.
Raw Meat: Uncooked meats (fish, chicken or beef) run the risk of being contaminated with toxoplasmosis and salmonella.
Deli Meat: Deli meats need to be heated up to the point of steaming or they run the risk of being contaminated by listeria.
Fish with Mercury: Fish we high levels of mercury have been linked to causing brain damage and developmental delays.
Raw Shellfish: Seafood-borne illnesses are frequently caused by raw shellfish: oysters, clams and mussels.
Raw Eggs: Raw eggs or any food containing raw eggs can cause exposure to salmonella.
Soft Cheeses and Unpasteurized Milk: Soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Feta, Gorgonzola and Mexican Style cheeses are usually unpasteurized and can cause exposure to listeria. Listeria passes the placenta and cause infection and blood poisoning.
Pate: Meat spreads should be avoided because they can contain the bacteria listeria.
Alcohol: Alcohol reaches the fetus and can cause developmental delays, and over a prolonged amount of time of usage can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Artificial Sweeteners: Saccharin has been shown to cause birth defects and cancer in rodent studies.
What food did you miss the most when pregnant?
Photo Source: TMAB2003
