Foods You Should Not Eat While Pregnant List – As an expectant mother, you are told to include certain foods in your diet that will help you. However, to help you stay safe, we’ve put together a list of foods to avoid during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes, which affect the development of the baby in many ways. When it comes to nutrition, expectant mothers need to make sure that they have enough food that is getting enough nutrients for the healthy growth of the baby. Sometimes, certain foods that you ate before your pregnancy are not safe to consume during pregnancy for various reasons. You may be wondering what not to eat during pregnancy. So, our post can help you explore different foods during pregnancy, their reasons and other safe methods.
Avoiding certain foods will keep you and your baby safe and healthy. Below we provide a list of foods that you should avoid during the first month of pregnancy and also during the second month.
Foods You Should Not Eat While Pregnant List

Fish such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish are high in mercury and should be avoided. Dr. Maya Bellinger, a specialist in internal medicine, immunology and gynecology, says:
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Mercury, a substance found in oceans, rivers and lakes, is converted to methylmercury in the human body. It is a neurotoxin.
The toxin affects nervous system function and has been linked to brain damage and developmental delays in children. You can choose fish such as salmon, catfish, cod and canned tuna, which have low levels of mercury. According to the US FDA, you can eat 8 to 12 servings of fish per week, which equates to two or three servings. Consumption of albacore tuna (albacore) should be limited to six ounces per week (1).
Answer: Choose fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, meaning essential fatty acids found in foods that the human body cannot produce and low in mercury, such as high-protein, low-fat, and nutritious foods. Foods rich in It is useful for the baby’s heart. . and support brain development, and proper development. However, you should consult a doctor or nutritionist to know what fish you can eat.
Avoid smoked and chilled seafood, labeled lox, jerky, Nova style and capered, as they contain Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. This bacteria causes listeriosis (associated with symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting), which can cause illness in newborns and miscarriage or stillbirth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women are ten times more likely to contract leishera than others. Additionally, processed seafood is high in salt, which can cause high blood pressure and inflammation of the body’s organs (2).
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Answer: You may have occasionally added canned seafood or fresh-caught fish. However, avoid such foods as much as possible.
Industrial chemicals with carcinogenic properties (PCBs). Exposure to these pollutants can affect fetal health, causing low birth weight, large head size, learning disabilities and memory problems. Avoid eating in areas where striped bass, northern pike, bluefish, salmon, trout and walleye have been caught.
Also, follow a few tips when choosing fish from a local river, lake or stream. First review the water supply recommendations. You can find information on fishing law websites or from your local health department. This information is about fish caught in local waters and not what is available in local supermarkets. Avoid raw fish as it is susceptible to foodborne illness (3).
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Avoid eating raw shellfish such as oysters, clams and mussels to avoid seafood and food poisoning. They contain harmful bacteria, viruses and toxins that make you sick.
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You should not eat raw, undercooked, or soft-boiled eggs because they contain harmful salmonella bacteria that can cause food poisoning. You may have diarrhea, severe vomiting, headache, stomach pain and high fever. All these symptoms may not harm your baby, but your immune system becomes weakened, which can affect the baby’s development.
Foods that contain raw eggs and should be avoided include: homemade Caesar dressing, custard, ice cream, mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce, béarnaise sauce, aioli sauce, desserts including mousse, tiramisu and meringue.
Solution: Buy egg-free products. You can choose from homemade ice cream, mousse, eggnog and dressing. Eat hard-boiled eggs with a hard-boiled yolk or a well-cooked omelette and salad (4).
Eating raw or undercooked chicken meat, such as pink or raw meat with blood, can be dangerous because it contains the Toxoplasma parasite.
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Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and the harmful bacteria salmonella. Salmonella increases the risk of food poisoning. Toxoplasma causes toxoplasmosis with flu-like symptoms that develop several weeks after ingestion. It can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.
Answer: Meat and poultry should be cooked thoroughly and hot. Eat home-cooked varieties where the temperature should be 160°F for a roast, 145°F for a cut of meat and 165°F for a chicken breast (5).
Processed foods, also known as processed meats, such as sandwich meats, deli meats, lunch meats, hot dogs and sliced meats should be avoided. It is known to carry Listeria bacteria, which can easily travel from mother to placenta and cause serious problems, including fetal death.

Solution: Pasteurization and cooking at high temperatures kill Listeria. Therefore, you should eat delicious meat only after heating it until it is hot. (6).
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It is not safe to drink unpasteurized or raw milk during pregnancy. It has no nutritional value, and milk and milk products are responsible for a large portion of foodborne illness. They contain harmful bacteria such as salmonella, listeria, E. coli, and cryptosporidium that can be dangerous to you and your baby (7).
Solution: Buy only unpasteurized milk and milk products. Pasteurization involves exposing milk to high temperatures to kill disease-causing bacteria. If you buy milk from a local supplier, boil the milk thoroughly, as a high boiling point kills bacteria. You can also choose non-dairy milks like soy milk, rice milk, almond milk and oat milk as they are safe and have the same health benefits.
Do not eat soft cheeses such as Camembert, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Brie, feta, blue cheeses, queso fresco, queso blanco and panela unless pasteurized. Burnt soft cheese contains Listeria (8).
Solution: Eat hard cheeses (cheddar or Swiss cheese) because, unlike soft fats, they do not contain water. As a result, these cheeses are unlikely to harbor bacteria. Soft cheeses that have not been imported pasteurized are safe to eat (4).
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Pasteurized or unpasteurized soft or blue cheese, warmed to room temperature, can be eaten during pregnancy (22).
Unwashed fruits and vegetables contain the Toxoplasma virus, which is harmful to a developing baby. Toxoplasmosis contaminates the soil where fruits and vegetables are grown, and if you eat unwashed food, you can ingest the harmful bacteria.
Solution: Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water. Scrape or clean the area and cut off broken parts, as these are more prone to infection. Boil the vegetables, especially the leaves (9).
Do not eat raw sprouts, including clover, alfalfa, peanuts, radishes, broccoli, sunflower, onions, soybeans and snow peas. They are more susceptible to Listeria, Salmonella and E. coli bacteria. As you know, listeriosis can cause premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth and infection in newborns. Salmonella and E.coli can cause serious illness (5).
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Eat soy, wheat, cow’s milk, eggs, tree nuts, tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.), fish and shellfish only if you are not allergic to them. However, some studies show that consuming these foods during pregnancy can reduce the baby’s chances of developing allergies and asthma later in life (10). But you can’t be sure about that.
Answer: Since not all studies support this, it’s best to ask your doctor what is safe and what isn’t, especially when it comes to allergies.
Avoid restaurant-prepared salads such as Caesar salad dressing, prepared meats (ham, chicken salad) and seafood salads because they contain harmful bacteria. Also, these salads contain mayonnaise, raw eggs and salad dressings that are high in calories (salt and sugar).
Raw eggs, vegetables and leaves used in salads contain salmonella and listeria bacteria, which can cause food poisoning. Eating contaminated salad can cause flu-like symptoms in mothers and serious health problems in children.
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Solution: Make salad at home keeping food safety in mind. Make sure you clean and cut fruits and vegetables in a clean environment, and that you cook meat and eggs properly (4).
Unpasteurized fruits and vegetables, including canned, can contain harmful bacteria. Not only this, but even a glass of fresh juice can be dangerous if the fruits or vegetables are not washed properly.
Solution: Choose pasteurized juice or make some at home. You should wash the fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water, use a brush to clean the dirt and cut the bruised areas (9).
Too much caffeine can increase your chances of miscarriage and low birth weight babies. You should reduce your intake to 200 mg per day. Caffeine is also found in tea, chocolate and many energy drinks. Some research suggests that caffeine is involved.
Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy
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