There are definitely foods that you should probably stop eating now that you’re pregnant.
The safety of your baby is your biggest concern, but you’re also concerned about your own health. You want to take this pregnancy to term, and you’re worried about the things that you put into your body.
Let’s be honest for a moment, you definitely shouldn’t become too obsessive about these things, but it’s good to think everything through. You can’t be too harsh on yourself when it comes to your diet because too many restrictions can have just as much of a bad impact on your and the baby’s health.
Of course, you should consult your doctor, but nonetheless, take into consideration your allergies and other issues with foods that you may have. Here’s just a list of foods that you should definitely avoid now that you’re pregnant so that you don’t experience any difficulties.
7 foods that you should probably stop eating now that you’re pregnant
1. Seafood
There are some lovers of seafood out there who simply can’t let go of their adoration. However, that’s not necessarily safe. People love to debate whether some seafood is okay, considering that they’re throwing out any fish that’s high in mercury (for example shark, tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, and others).
Some other seafoods have less mercury in them, some might even say that it isn’t a significant amount, but it’s still mercury that we’re talking about. If your doctor clears you and tells you that you can eat some, then you’re fine.
Also, raw fish is definitely a no-go. If you love eating sushi, then you may want to wait until you give birth to your baby before you eat it. Raw fish has a high risk of containing bacteria and parasites.
These infections can cause dehydration for the mother, but they can also be transferred to the baby. The parasites and bacteria can lead to stillbirth, loss of pregnancy, early delivery, and many other things that you wouldn’t want to risk.
CDC notes that you’re 10 times more likely to get a listeria infection during your pregnancy. So, you should probably not eat seafood and raw fish for the time being.
2. Undercooked meats
Most bacteria are stationed on the surface of the meat, but if the meat is not cooked well enough, it can also linger inside the muscle fibers. Because of this, it’s extremely important to stay far away from uncooked meats.
You’re at a much higher risk of getting infected by bacteria and parasites, such as Salmonella, Listeria, E. Coli, or Toxoplasma. These bacteria and parasites will endanger your health and the health of your baby.
During pregnancy, it’s really important to stop eating uncooked meats. Some meats like pork, minced meat, burgers, or cut meats should never be eaten raw. However, you know, just as well as I do, that a medium-rare steak is juicy, but you should really stay away from it for now.
Make sure to eat meats that are well done, or you could put your health and your pregnancy at risk. It’s just 9 months, so you should be fine!
3. Unwashed fruits and veggies
The surface of fruits and vegetables can become infected with different types of bacteria and parasites from handling or from the soil. They could even become infected during harvesting and storage, so you should keep that in mind as well.
I would even recommend that you peel them, even though you love the crunch of an apple because of its skin, you should still peel it.
Parasites such as Toxoplasma, which we’ve discussed already, can be transferred through the placenta onto your little one. You may not even show any symptoms once it hits you, but your baby could suffer serious issues.
In some cases, this parasite may cause a loss of vision in the newborn, or learning difficulties later down in life. In the most severe cases, your child could face serious brain damage and blindness right at birth. So, this is genuinely not something to play around with.
As I stated before, it’s only a 9-month period. You’ll be able to eat everything as you did before the pregnancy postpartum. But for now, you have to be careful and avoid putting yourself and the child at risk.
4. Processed foods
Processed foods in general are a health hazard for everyone, not just pregnant women. However, during pregnancy, you’re more at risk when it comes to food poisoning, parasites, and bacteria.
Processed foods are extremely low in nutrients, and vitamins. On the other hand, they’re high in calories, sugars, and unhealthy fats. They are the main cause of weight gain, high blood sugar, and even high cholesterol.
If you want to give your baby the best foods to keep it healthy and to have a problem-free pregnancy, then you should definitely have a nutrient-dense diet, that contains proteins, minerals, iron, choline, and folate.
The risk of processed foods can increase the possibility of problems during pregnancy and delivery, but they could also be the main cause of childhood obesity.
If you’re the type of person who never liked veggies, then you should consider finding new and creative ways to incorporate more nutrient-dense foods into your diet. Fruits and veggies are your best friends, but you should still be careful as you can develop certain allergies along the way.
I can promise you that you’ll find something new to add to your diet that’s healthy just as much as it’s delicious.
5. Raw eggs
Salmonella is extremely dangerous to any human, and you’re even more likely to get infected with it during pregnancy. Raw eggs are quite likely to contain Salmonella, which means that you should avoid it at all costs.
This is the type of infection that won’t go unnoticed. You’ll get the symptoms almost right away. The symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, and cramps in the uterus. If you’re not careful enough, and you end up getting infected, there’s a high risk of pre-term labor and stillbirth.
That’s why it’s important to always cook eggs thoroughly. Even if you’re buying your foods at the supermarket, make sure to read the labels of everything to be positive that there’s nothing that could harm you or the baby in it.
Some foods that may contain raw eggs are homemade mayonnaise, tiramisu, lightly scrambled eggs, homemade egg nog, raw batter, and others. Most of the time you won’t even be aware of it if you don’t pay close attention to everything that you’re consuming.
6. Soft cheese
I know that we all love cheese. It’s delicious, and it adds so much flavor to our meals! This is especially hard if you’re the type of person who loves soft cheese, but you have to be extremely careful and make sure that you’re avoiding this at all costs.
Soft cheeses can contain bacteria that’s called listeria. If you’re infected, you can suffer from severe illness or even lose your pregnancy completely. No one wants to go through that, especially if you’re taking all the necessary steps to make sure that you have a pregnancy with no complications.
Examples of soft cheeses that you shouldn’t eat are queso blanco, queso fresco, queso ranchero, and many others. Do your research before you eat cheeses during pregnancy.
You should always read the label on the cheese to make sure that it was made with pasteurized milk. Otherwise, it could be fatal for your baby, and it could cause you severe health issues.
7. Unpasteurized dairy products
Raw milk and other dairy products that aren’t pasteurized can cause health problems in even the healthiest of us. Lactose intolerance can occur during pregnancy, or you may not even be aware that you have an issue with dairy products until you get that positive test result.
The harmful bacteria in raw milk are the same as stated in raw meats, which are salmonella, listeria, E. Coli, and even Campylobacters. They can cause an infection that we usually refer to as food poisoning. The milk gets infected with these during storage or even during the collection of milk.
It’s important that you only eat pasteurized dairy products because otherwise, you’re largely at risk of infections that can be fatal for your unborn child.
Takeaway
Of course, you shouldn’t just restrict every food group out there out of fear that it may harm the baby. You’re already under so much stress that stressing out about food is only going to make things worse for you.
If you end up eating any of these foods, you should consult with your doctor, but you shouldn’t immediately go into panic mode. Your body is currently creating life as we speak, which means that it’s more than capable of withstanding stress, and you won’t feel any big changes if you take the proper precautions.
Limiting your food intake out of fear will put you at an even bigger risk. As long as you stay in touch with your doctor and you make sure to stay away from the foods that were mentioned above, you should be more than fine, and your baby will come to this world happy and healthy.
