Views

Food Items to Avoid During Pregnancy          

Life has many beautiful phases. One of them includes the parenthood chapter. The most sacred and beautiful feeling of life’s journey, parenthood brings so much to learn and cherish in this lifetime. Expecting a newborn comes with high responsibilities that one needs to take care of.

Going through mood swings during pregnancy is common for all the moms-to-be. In this fluctuating and emotional lability stage, one needs to control their food cravings and make sure to follow the dos and don'ts of the gestation period. Let's have a look at the food items to avoid during pregnancy to give your newborn a healthy life. 

Harmful Foods During Pregnancy 

Here is a list of food items to avoid during the pregnancy period to keep yourself and your unborn in good health:

1. Raw Sprouts 

Raw sprouts in general are considered very nutritious for wealth health but during pregnancy, they should be highly avoided as they contain harmful bacteria like Salmonella and E.coli. These bacteria don't generally wash off easily and cause various diseases after consumption.

Raw Sprouts

Alfalfa, mung bean, clover, Brussels and radish must be cooked at a temperature of 165°F to make it fully cooked and consumable for a pregnant lady.

Suggested for you

Benefits of Eating Pineapple to a Pregnant Woman

2. Undercooked Fish and Meat 

Half-cooked foods are not good for anyone's health, especially for the pregnant ones. Undercooked fish and meat might contain bacteria which did not die because of improper cooking and now can cause unimaginable health issues like preterm delivery or even pregnancy loss.

Under-cooked fish

Raw meat or fish have a high chance of being infected with norovirus, salmonella, listeria and toxoplasma. Minced meat is one of the food items to avoid during pregnancy. 

3. Processed Food Items 

Processed food items have mostly less nutrition and high added sugars, fats, and calories. Pregnancy demands a good diet which has protein, iron, vitamins, and folate and one must stick to this diet routine for the healthier health of the unborn.

Processed Food Items 

Consuming processed items will not just bring pregnancy complications but also affect your health as well. 

4. Unpasteurized Dairy Products 

Consuming raw milk and its products like gruyere and parmesan can be harmful during this phase as it contains deadly bacteria like E.coli, salmonella, and campylobacter which in turn can cause food poisoning.

Unpasteurized Food Items

Pasteurization kills all these bacteria and makes it safe for consumption for both the developing infant and mother. 

5. Unwashed Fruits or Vegetables

Unwashed fruits and vegetables are contaminated with various parasites and bacteria that can cause life-threatening issues to the unborn.

Unwashed Fruits and Vegetables

A parasite named Toxoplasma found mostly in plant foods, can cause the fetus risky health damage from the very moment of birth. Washing fruits and vegetables thoroughly can lessen these uninvited complications.

6. Raw Eggs 

Raw eggs or even foods that have raw eggs like tiramisu, salad dressings and hollandaise sauce are harmful to pregnant women as they contain deadly bacteria.

Raw Eggs

Consuming these salmonella bacteria present in raw eggs can cause fever, nausea and bad stomach cramps. These cramps can also affect the uterus leading to preterm birth or even baby loss. 

7. Deli Meat 

Deli meats or lunch meats are the sliced meat served in sandwiches, sausages, pepperoni or hotdogs containing bacteria and parasites that might have infected the meat during processing or storing. These cold meats also have high sodium and fats that are not at all healthy for the mom-to-be or the unborn baby. 

Deli Meat

8. Alcohol 

Alcohol or drugs are injurious to health, especially for pregnant ladies as they can have adverse impacts on your health as well as the baby's. It can cause pregnancy loss and fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).

Alcohol

Fetal alcohol syndrome can affect your unborn’s brain and heart resulting in unfortunate consequences. No brand or label of alcohol has ever proven to be scientifically safe for consumption during pregnancy. Hence it is best avoided.

9. Caffeine 

Caffeine can cause increased heart rate which is one of the reasons it should be avoided during pregnancy. Coffee, tea or any cocoa product that has caffeine is highly indigestible by babies as they don't have much developed metabolic system. One is recommended to intake caffeine limitations by 200 milligrams per day. 

Avoid Caffeine, that comes from Coffee, Tea and any Cocoa Product

10. Unpasteurized Fruit Juices 

Fruit juices and smoothies are beneficial in pregnancy but only when it's homemade and pasteurized with no added sugars. Unpasteurized fruit juices can risk your baby's health and increase weight which will result in pregnancy complications. Fruit juices at stalls or smoothies might contain harmful bacteria so better avoid consuming road-side beverages or juices during this phase. 

Risk of Consuming These Foods 

There are so many adverse impacts of consuming these foods and beverages on your baby's health. Let's have a look at those:

• Uncooked, raw or unwashed foods have a high chance of being infected with the bacteria listeria which can cause listeriosis. These bacteria infect the fetus and lead to miscarriage or stillbirth.

 

• Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite toxoplasma leading to mutations in your unborn’s gene. It can cause brain damage and even eye blindness at birth. Unwashed, undercooked or unpasteurised foods are contaminated with this type of bacteria and should be highly avoided at this time. 

• High mercury fish should be avoided as mercury is a heavy element, that can cause damage to your unborn’s nervous system.

Toxic Household Stuff to Avoid in Pregnancy

We should not forget that our surroundings include products having toxins and chemicals that are harmful to babies. Let us have a look at the risky household products for our fetus’s health : 

1. Mosquito Repellent 

This is one of the most used products in every house but what one must care about is its bad impact on your baby. The repellent has chemicals that might not be liked by the fetus and result in bad health. To avoid this one can use mosquito nets or get your repellent checked by a doctor. 

Mosquito Repellent home spray

2. Cleaning Products 

One of the most used household products, these items reportedly have chemicals that can cause wheezing after birth in a baby. To avoid these strong chemical-based cleaning products, consider using gloves or masks when working with them.

Use masks and gloves while household cleaning 

3. BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastic or plastic products. One of the most used BPA products in every house is plastic bottles, even toys. These BPA chemicals can cause asthma issues in the early childhood period of your child and even behaviour problems at later stages. One can opt for glass bottles to avoid using plastic bottles. 

Conclusion 

Pregnancy is a golden period in every mother's life. Food cravings at this time are very normal but one should be fully aware of the food items that are harmful or risky for the baby's health. To avoid these pregnancy complications caused by the consumption of unfavourable foods during pregnancy we have penned down the bad impacts and the list of food to avoid during pregnancy in this article.