Things Pregnant Ladies Should Not Eat!

You want what is best for your child, so why you combine fruits with cereals at breakfast.  But there are things pregnant ladies should not eat, foods that need to be avoided. A lot of such foods may affect the your healthy or your baby`s.

The list of forbidden foods during pregnancy is one of the highest priorities during the entire 9 months. The severe consequences that these foods may have on your baby`s health are too serious not to be taken into consideration.

Things Pregnant Ladies Should Not Eat

When expecting, besides following all the recommendations your doctor gives you regarding your lifestyle and the tests you have to do, you need to have a list on your refrigerator`s door with everything you shouldn`t eat while pregnant.

Avoid Unpasteurized Foods

Many dairy products that have a low fat content, like cottage cheese, skimmed milk or mozzarella, can be healthy foods while pregnant. You are allowed to eat baked parmesan on pasta, but don`t put your mouth on any cheese based sauces. They are made of unpasteurized milk that can be a good environment for bacterium Listeria monocytogene, which can not only be dangerous, but can even endanger both your life and your baby`s life. Any foods that contain unpasteurized milk should be avoided, as they may cause food poisoning. It`s best to avoid the following cheeses:

• Brie.
• Camembert.
• Feta.
• Blue Cheese.
• Questo Fresco.
• Questo Blanco.
• Gorgonzola.
• Gorgonzola.

If you are eating out, avoid foods that contain this type of sauces:

• Pasta or pizza with quattro formaggi.
• Beef meat with cheese sauce.

Cheeses that can be consumed safely during pregnancy are:

• Cheddar.
• Edam.
• Emmental.
• Parmezan.
• Smoked cheese.

Meat That Isn`t Heated Enough

You only need to eat steaks if they are well fried. Avoid burgers if you don`t know how well they were cooked. Insufficient thermal preparation of meat leads to toxoplasmosis and the development of a large variety of bacteria. When eating out, you need to mention that you want your steak hot and well prepared.

Any meat that isn`t well prepared represents a risk of Salmonella`s food poisoning. Pregnancy changes your entire immune system, making you more susceptible to digestive infections than you used to be before being pregnant.

Salmonella infection won`t affect the baby, but when concerning the mother, it may cause:

• Severe vomiting and diarrhea.
• Abdominal pain.
• Headache.
• Fever.

Proper meat cooking under hygienic conditions will destroy germs and make it safe to be consumed while pregnant. Well prepared meat is an excellent source of proteins, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

Follow these tips:

• Stores raw meat in your refrigerator so that its juice don`t come in contact with other foods.
• Don`t cooked food on the same surface that you used to cut raw meat. First, clean that surface well with hot water and detergent or antibacterial solution and cleat wet cloth.
• If you marinate the meat, keep it in your refrigerator in a covered box.
• Wash your hands as well as the utensils before and after handling the raw meat.
• Cook the chicken and any other type of meat until there won`t be any pink areas. – Read more!
• Also, make sure its juice is clean by sticking a fork in the thickest part of the meat.
• Be careful when making barbecue. Even if the burgers are black outside, it doesn`t mean they are well cooked inside. Always check with a knife by cutting the thickest part of the meat or using a meat thermometer.

Besides the fact that certain sausages might contain Listeria monocytogenes, there are a few ingredients in the composition of these sausages that may harm the organism:

• Animal fats which are involved in the occurrence of atherosclerosis or heart disease.
• Salt – sausages have a high salt content, which worsen hypertension.
• Sodium nitrite (E 250), which in the acidic environment of the stomach interacts with amino acids and leads to the formation of N-nitrosamines, which in turn lead to cancer.

Dough for Cookies

When you cook biscuits, you might be tempted to taste a bit of dough while preparing it, looking if it`s consistent or sweet enough. This isn`t a good idea as it contains raw egg, which isn`t healthy during pregnancy. Even a small bight can put you at great risk. Statistically, 1 out of 20.000 eggs contain Salmonella bacteria. To avoid any problems, try to resist any temptation of tasting uncooked dough or raw egg stuffing.

Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables

Now it`s time to consume lots of fruits and vegetables, but try to wash them well first. A parasite, known as toxoplasma, may live on unwashed vegetables or fruits. This leads to toxoplasmosis, which can be extremely dangerous for your baby. During the first trimester of pregnancy, it may even lead to a loss of pregnancy. Don`t wash them with soap; rather take a special brush for vegetables and rub their surface well. Cut all the damaged areas because they can develop bacteria as well.

Although they might seem extremely healthy, budding plants seriously affects the health of the pregnant woman or her future baby. So, pay a lot of attention to them.

Avoid Fish Rich in Mercury

Fish is an important source of proteins, iron and zinc, which are essential nutrients for the development of the baby. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids that can be found in many fish help develop the baby`s brain.

But certain types of fish – especially large predatory fish like shark, swordfish or king mackerel – may contain large amounts of mercury. Although for the adult, the mercury in the fish doesn`t pose any risk, if you are expecting a baby or you are trying to remain pregnant, you need to keep a few advice into mind. If you are consuming fish rich in mercury frequently, this may accumulate in your bloodstream and reach the baby eventually, having a harmful effect on his brain and nervous system.

Medical guides recommend that a pregnant woman needs to eat up to 340 g of fish each week, which means around 2 servings per day.

You can eat a large variety of fish with a low content of mercury and which is rich in omega-3, such as:

• Salmon.
• Herring.
• Sardine.
• Trout.
• Mackerel.
• The anchor fish.
• Shrimp.
• Canned tuna.

However, it`s best to limit your consumption of white tuna at 170 g per week.

If you love sushi, you need to abstain from this delicacy for the whole 9 months. Although any foods that contain fish and seafood are good sources of proteins, still, raw crustaceans can also be a source of parasites and dangerous bacteria. Pregnant women need to eat only fish and seafood that are well cooked.

It`s best to remember:

• To avoid large fish predators – reduce your exposure to mercury, don`t eat shark, fish-sword or king mackerel.
• Avoid consuming uncooked fish or shells. To prevent indigestion of dangerous viruses and bacteria, don`t consume uncooked shells or fish, including sushi, sashimi, smoked fish or frozen seafood.
• Any consumed fish or seafood need to be cooked properly. The fish needs to be cooked until an internal temperature of 63° C. It`s considered that the fish is well done if it can be split into pieces and has an opaque aspect on its entire surface. Cook the shrimp, lobster and shells until they become white and milky. Prepare shells, mussels and oysters until their shell opens and avoid those without their shell opened.

Avoid Eating Raw Eggs

Raw or soft boiled eggs contain Salmonella, which can cause food poisoning. To destroy these bacteria, the eggs need to be cooked until become solid. – Check more!

• Boil the egg with peel for at least 7 minutes.
• Boil the peeled egg until the whites becomes completely opaque and the yolk firm.
• Cook the egg on both sides.

If you are eating out or shop from the market, be cautious when buying ice cream, mousse, tiramisu, marshmallow or mayonnaise. These foods usually contain raw eggs about which you aren`t sure of their source. The mayonnaise bought from the supermarket is generally prepared pasteurized eggs, so it`s safe to consume. Check the label and ask questions when in doubt. – Visit us here!

If you are cooking something at home from raw eggs, you can use pasteurized eggs. By pasteurizing, the egg is heated, so the bacteria are destroyed.

Store the eggs safe:

• In the refrigerator.
• Without coming into contact with other foods.
• Don`t use eggs with scratchy or dirty peel.
• Don`t keep boiled eggs in the refrigerator more than 3 days.

When cooking the eggs:

• Don’t scatter the raw egg on other foods, utensils or the area of where you prepare the food.
• Wash and wipe your hands carefully after touching or cooking eggs. The bacteria can sometimes be found both outside and inside the egg.
• Wash all the utensils with hot water and detergent.
• Wash the preparation area with hot water and detergent or use a disinfectant solution as well as a clean wet cloth.

Avoid Consuming High Amounts of Vitamin A

It`s important to avoid foods rich in vitamin A during pregnancy, because this may lead to fetal problems. The liver has a high content of vitamin A and should be consumed in moderation, as well as sausages or pate. The liver contains large amounts of retinol, which may accumulate in the organism and may become dangerous for the future baby.

However, you need a certain amount of vitamin A for your skin or eye health as well as for your immunity system. You may obtain this by having a well balanced and healthy diet, which includes butter, eggs, cheese or oily fish. This type of foods contains a lower amount of retinol.

If you take supplements of vitamins and minerals, check if they contain vitamin A in the form of retinol. Don`t take other liver supplements if you are expecting, like cod liver oil.

It`s best to look for a supplement of vitamins especially for pregnant women like yourself, which contains vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene. The body will turn beta-carotene in vitamin A, but there are no limits for beta-carotene during pregnancy.

Moreover, vegetables like carrots or broccoli contain beta-carotene, which will help in the development of circulatory, respiratory or nervous systems.

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine

Pregnant women who are consuming alcohol pose a high risk of miscarriage and even the birth of a dead child.  Too much alcohol during pregnancy may lead to fetal alcohol syndrome, causing facial abnormalities, mental retardation or heart malformations. Even a moderate consumption of alcohol can affect the development of the baby`s brain. So, why risk? – Click for more details!

Caffeine may pass through the placenta and affect the baby`s heart rate. Some studies suggest that too much coffee may lead to miscarriage.

Due to the potential negative effects that coffee can have on the baby, the doctor may limit the consumption of coffee to less than 200 mg/day.

Avoid Herbal Teas

There are little studies regarding the consumption of tea while pregnant and the effects of plans on the pregnancy. Still, it`s best if you`ll avoid drinking tea during pregnancy, if your doctor doesn`t recommend it to you. Some teas may contain caffeine, while some plants may cause diarrhea or constipation.

You should avoid black or green tea. They contain caffeine, have a diuretic effect and can lead to dehydration.

The following teas are considered to be safe to consume during pregnancy: ginger, nettle, dandelion or mint teas (in case of diarrhea, vomiting or nausea).

You may also find in pharmacies herbal teas especially designed for pregnant women.