5 Foods to Avoid When Pregnant

If you are pregnant, you would be receiving hundreds of advices everyday from your friends and relatives.  There are plenty of ways that you can take care of your unborn child and yourself and you need to understand that you need to take care of your diet.

What is your diet?

Pregnancy is a happy time for women. You need to take care of yourself so that you and the child are safe and get the right nourishment. Keeping a check on your diet is very important to improve your baby’s health. Avoiding the 5 following foods are important when you are pregnant for you and your child’s health else your baby’s health can be at risk.

Raw Fish: Raw fish contains bacteria and parasites that may harm the health of your baby. Always eat cooked fish and do not eat shark, swordfish, etc. as these have high levels of mercury which may be bad during pregnancy. You can have shrimp, salmon or catfish during pregnancy not more than 12 ounces a week. Avoid sushi as well.

Unpasteurized dairy products: Unpasteurized dairy products should be avoided during pregnancy like cheese or milk. Also avoid unpasteurized juice and raw vegetable sprouts as these may lead to food borne illness.

Undercooked eggs and meat: Uncooked eggs and meat can affect the baby’s health adversely and cause food borne illnesses. Cook the eggs until they are yellow and the parts of the eggs are firm. Undercooked lamb, pork, and poultry is also not right for the health of your baby. Pre-cooked or diced chicken should be avoided as well.

Liver: A lot of women like to eat liver, but this is the hardest part to avoid. Liver contains high levels of vitamin A which are not at all suitable during the pregnancy cycle. It may result in increased risk of birth defects. So it is better to avoid it.

Cold, smoked and raw sea food: Refrigerated smoked sea food should be avoided during pregnancy which includes fish labeled as lox, smoked or jerky.

It’s important to keep a check on your diet. You need to understand that you cannot have normal food during the time that you are pregnant. If you have decided to have the baby and not go for abortion, it is important that you bring in a change in the lifestyle which also includes putting a prohibition on smoking and alcohol to ensure the health of your child.