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Home › Articles › Pregnancy › Pregnancy Diet Don'ts

Pregnancy Diet Don'ts

Foods to Avoid While You're Expecting

By Dr. Aneema Van Groenou

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Unpasteurized Foods
Pasteurization eliminates bacteria from foods. Most of the milk and yogurt you buy in the grocery store is pasteurized. That's what you want during pregnancy. Some common foods that you may enjoy are not typically pasteurized, however. These include:

  • Ciders and fresh-pressed juices – Check the labeling carefully to make sure they are pasteurized. Steer clear of roadside juices until after pregnancy.
  • Smoothies – Some bottled smoothies and yogurt drinks are not pasteurized.
  • "Raw milk" cheeses – Many delicious soft cheeses, like blue cheeses, brie, feta, Camembert, soft Mexican cheeses and some mozzarellas are not pasteurized. They can carry an illness called listeriosis, which can be dangerous in pregnancy, but is difficult to detect. So avoid the risk.

Food From the Sea
Fish is healthy, and I recommend you eat about 12 ounces of cooked fish per week.

There are some fish you do need to avoid during pregnancy, however, such as:

  • Shellfish, like oysters, are not a good idea during pregnancy, because they may be contaminated with bacteria.
  • Swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish may have elevated levels of methyl mercury, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and could harm thedeveloping fetus.
  • Self-caught freshwater fish can taste so good, but it often has more contaminants than commercially-caught fish. The EPA recommends you eat less than 6 cooked ounces per week of fish you caught yourself during pregnancy.
  • Tropical fish, such as grouper, mahi mahi and amberjack, also may have some toxins that are not safe during pregnancy.
  • I'm sorry to say that sushi and sashimi (and seared fish) are out of the question during pregnancy, too.

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Pregnancy Diet Don'ts by stressed on 11/17/2009 06:04AM

I love seafood like calamari and prawns. Is it save to eat it once during my pregnancy?

Pregnancy Diet Don'ts by Anonymous on 10/11/2009 10:43PM

I'm a coffee drinker,when i got pregnant,i used to get a cup in the morning to keep me up,or else i'll be drowsy all day and end up w/a headache.I take the decaffeinated one..will it still harm my baby?I'm 21 weeks pregrant now and kinda' have guilty feelings all the time.

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