Knowing why some foods are considered unsafe during pregnancy will help
you decide which foods to eat.
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Cheese
It's okay to eat:
It's best to avoid:
- Hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Cheshire, Wensleydale, Edam, Gouda and Parmesan, even if these are marked unpasteurised
- Soft, processed cheeses such as Philadelphia, Dairylea, Mozzarella, cottage cheese, cream cheese and curd cheese
Why?
- All soft, ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, even if these are marked pasteurised
- All blue-veined cheeses such as Stilton and Danish Blue, even if these are marked pasteurised
- Soft unpasteurised goats' and sheep's cheeses
- Feta cheese
Risk of listeria
Milk
It’s okay to consume:
It’s best to avoid:
- Pasteurised, sterilised or ultra-heat-treated (UHT) milk
- Raw milk boiled for two minutes before use in puddings or drinks
Why?
- Untreated, green top milk from cows, sheep or goats
Risk of brucellosis and other bacteria that may cause food poisoning Risk of listeria and toxoplasmosis parasite
Eggs
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Eggs cooked until both the yolk and the egg are solid
- Commercially produced mayonnaise in jars and other products made using pasteurised eggs
- Home-made desserts, icing and so on made using pasteurised egg
Why?
- Raw or undercooked eggs
- Sorbet
- Mousse
- Meringue
- Home-made mayonnaise
Risk of salmonella
Pates
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Meat pastes in jars
- Tinned pate; pasteurised, vacuum-packed pate; UHT treated pate
- Pasteurised pate in tubes (except liver pate)
Why?
- All fresh pates (meat, fish and vegetable)
- All liver products
Risk of listeria Liver and liver products are rich in vitamin A and high levels of vitamin A may be harmful during pregnancy
Tea and herbal tea
It's OK to drink tea but too much caffeine is not recommended during pregnancy. Herabl teas are probably OK but no food regulations specifically address these kind ofl teas so:
Stick to:
It's best to avoid:
- Herbal drinks that contain things you consume as a normal part of your diet such as orange or mint
Why?
- Caffeine and especially green tea. When choosing herbal teas stear clear of unfamiliar ingredients such as cohosh, pennyroyal, and mugwort, all best avoided during pregnancy.
Caffeine inhibits iron absorption vital for your baby's development.
Studies have also linked high levels of green tea consumption around the time of conception and during pregnancy with an increased incidents of spina bifida and anencephaly, a birth defect that results in the absence of part of the brain and skull.
Herbs are drugs, often powerful ones. High doses of herbs may cause diarrhoea, vomiting and healrt palpitations.
Cooked-chilled foods
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Cooked-chilled convenience meals
- Ready-to-eat poultry which has been thoroughly reheated
Why?
- Unheated cooked-chilled meals
- Poultry foods that have been pre-cooked and then chilled and which you cannot reheat safely before eating, such as chicken drumsticks and chicken or turkey sandwiches
Risk of listeria
Pies and pasties
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Packaged pies and pasties, date-stamped and bought from a reputable shop
Why?
- Cold foods sold loose from delicatessen counters
- Risk of listeria and of other germs that may cause food poisoning
Vegetables
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid
- Well-washed raw vegetables
Why?
- Unwashed vegetables. Even packaged, supermarket fruit and vegetables should be thoroughly washed under running water
- Risk of toxoplasmosis parasite and other germs that may cause food poisoning
Salads
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Salads made from fresh, well-washed ingredients
- Dressed salads prepared immediately before eating
- Ready-prepared and packaged salads straight from the bag
- Ready-made dressed salads (such as potato salad or coleslaw)
Why?
Risk of listeria and toxoplasmosis parasite
Ice cream
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Packaged ice cream
- Ice lollies kept in a freezer
Why?
- Soft, whipped ice cream sold from vans or kiosks
Risk of salmonella or other bacteria
Meat
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Well-cooked poultry and meat, cooked until no meat remains pink and the juices run clear
Why?
- Raw, rare or undercooked poultry and meat of any kind
Risk of salmonella and toxoplasmosis parasite
Fish
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- White fish like cod, haddock and plaice
- Oily fish such as mackerel, herring, pilchard, sardine, trout or salmon
Why?
- Swordfish, marlin and shark
- Limit consumption of tuna to two medium-sized cans or one fresh tuna steak per week
- Risk of high levels of mercury which can affect the baby's developing nervous system
Shellfish
It’s okay to eat:
It’s best to avoid:
- Cooked shellfish as part of a hot, well-cooked meal
Why?
- Raw or undercooked shellfish such as oysters, mussels, cold prawns, crab
Risk of bacteria that may cause severe food poisoning
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