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Foods to Avoid

There are some foods to avoid or take care with when you're pregnant, as they might make you ill or harm your baby.

Make sure you know the important facts about which foods you should avoid or take precautions with when you're pregnant.

Cheeses to avoid in pregnancy

Soft cheeses with white rinds

Don't eat mould-ripened soft cheese (cheeses with a white rind) such as brie and camembert. This includes mould-ripened soft goats' cheese, such as chevre. These cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked.

Soft blue cheeses

You should also avoid soft blue-veined cheeses such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and roquefort. Soft blue cheeses are only safe to eat in pregnancy if they've been cooked.

It's advised pregnant women avoid some soft cheeses because they are less acidic than hard cheeses and contain more moisture, which means they can be an ideal environment for harmful bacteria, such as listeria, to grow in.

Although infection with listeria (listeriosis) is rare, it is important to take special precautions in pregnancy - even a mild form of the illness in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby.

Read about the symptoms of listeria. If you're pregnant and showing signs of listeria infection, seek medical help straight away.

Cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

All hard cheeses are safe in pregnancy

You can eat hard cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much water as soft cheeses, so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It is possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low.

Soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

Other than mould-ripened soft cheeses, all other soft types of cheese are OK to eat, providing they're made from pasteurised milk. These include:

cottage cheese
mozzarella
feta
cream cheese
paneer
ricotta
halloumi
goats' cheese
processed cheeses, such as cheese spreads

Cooked soft cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy

Thorough cooking should kill any bacteria in cheese, so it should be safe to eat cooked mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie, camembert and chevre, and cooked soft blue cheese, such as roquefort or gorgonzola, or dishes that contain them.

It's important to make sure the cheese is thoroughly cooked until it's steaming hot all the way through.

Pâté in pregnancy

Avoid all types of pâté, including vegetable pâtés, as they can contain listeria.

Avoid raw or partially cooked eggs if you're pregnant

Some eggs are produced under a food safety standard called the British Lion Code of Practice. Eggs produced in this way have a logo stamped on their shell, showing a red lion.

Lion Code eggs are considered very low risk for salmonella, and safe for pregnant women to eat raw or partially cooked. So you can eat raw hen eggs or food containing lightly cooked hen eggs (such as soft boiled eggs, mousses, soufflés and fresh mayonnaise) provided that the eggs are produced under the Lion Code.

If they are not Lion Code, make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid to prevent the risk of salmonella food poisoning. Salmonella food poisoning is unlikely to harm your baby, but it can give you a severe bout of diarrhoea and vomiting.

If you don't know whether the eggs used are Lion Code or not (for example in a restaurant or cafe), ask the staff or, to be on the safe side, you can follow the advice for non-Lion Code eggs.

Non-hen eggs such as duck, goose and quail eggs should always be cooked thoroughly.

Raw or undercooked meat is risky in pregnancy

Do not eat raw or undercooked meat, including meat joints and steaks cooked rare, because of the potential risk of toxoplasmosis.

Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so it's steaming hot and there's no trace of pink or blood – especially with poultry, pork, sausages and minced meat, including burgers.

Wash all surfaces and utensils thoroughly after preparing raw meat to avoid the spread of harmful bugs. Wash and dry your hands after touching or handling raw meat.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite that can be found in raw and undercooked meat, unpasteurised goats' milk, soil, cat faeces and untreated water.

If you are pregnant, the infection can damage your baby, but it's important to remember that toxoplasmosis in pregnancy is very rare.

Toxoplasmosis often has no symptoms, but if you feel you may have been at risk, discuss it with your GP, midwife or obstetrician. If you are infected while you're pregnant, treatment for toxoplasmosis is available.

Be cautious with cold cured meats in pregnancy

Many cold meats, such as salami, Parma ham, chorizo and pepperoni, are not cooked, they are just cured and fermented. This means that there's a risk they contain toxoplasmosis-causing parasites.

It's best to check the instructions on the pack to see whether the product is ready to eat or needs cooking first.

For ready-to-eat meats, you can reduce any risk from parasites by freezing cured or fermented meats for four days at home before you eat them. Freezing kills most parasites and makes the meat safer to eat.

If you're planning to cook the meat (for instance, pepperoni on pizza), then you don't need to freeze it first.

If you're eating out in a restaurant that sells cold cured or fermented meats, they may not have been frozen. If you're concerned, ask the staff or avoid eating it.

Pre-packed meat is safe to eat if you're pregnant

Pre-packed meats such as ham and corned beef are safe to eat in pregnancy. Some websites based in other countries may suggest that you avoid pre-packed meats in pregnancy, but this is not the advice in the UK.

Liver can harm your unborn baby

Don't eat liver or liver-containing products such as liver pâté, liver sausage or haggis, as they may contain a lot of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby.

Game

It's best to avoid eating game that has been shot with lead pellets while you are pregnant, as it may contain higher levels of lead. Venison and other large game sold in supermarkets is usually farmed and contains no or very low levels of lead. If you're not sure whether a product may contain lead shot, ask a retailer.

Vitamin and fish oil supplements

Don't take high-dose multivitamin supplements, fish liver oil supplements, or any supplements containing vitamin A.

Fish in pregnancy

What you can eat

cooked fish and seafood
raw or lightly cooked fish in sushi, if the fish has been frozen first
cooked shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams
cold pre-cooked prawns

What to be careful with

• smoked fish, such as smoked salmon and trout

Smoked fish and listeria

Due to a listeria outbreak linked to smoked fish, people at higher risk of serious infection (including people who are pregnant ) should only eat smoked fish products that have been thoroughly cooked.

When cooking smoked fish products at home, make sure they are steaming hot all the way through.

Find out more about the listeria outbreak in smoked fish from the Food Standards Agency

What to limit

you should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring
you should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or 4 medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week

Tuna does not count as an oily fish

You can have 2 tuna steaks, or 4 medium-size cans of fish, as well as 2 portions of oily fish.

What to avoid

swordfish
marlin
shark
raw shellfish

Why

You should limit tuna because it has more mercury in it than other fish. If you eat too much mercury, it can be harmful to your unborn baby.

You should limit oily fish because they can have pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in them. If you eat too much of these, they can be harmful to your unborn baby.

You should avoid raw shellfish because they can have harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins in them. These can make you unwell and give you food poisoning.

Shellfish in pregnancy

Always eat cooked rather than raw shellfish (including mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams) when you're pregnant, as they can contain harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause food poisoning. Cold pre-cooked prawns are fine.

Smoked fish in pregnancy is safe

Smoked fish, which includes smoked salmon and smoked trout, is considered safe to eat in pregnancy.

Sushi and pregnancy

It's fine to eat raw or lightly cooked fish in dishes such as sushi when you're pregnant, as long as any raw wild fish used to make it has been frozen first.

This is because, occasionally, wild fish contains small parasitic worms that could make you ill. Freezing kills the worms and makes raw fish safe to eat. Cooking will also kill them.

Certain farmed fish destined to be eaten raw in dishes like sushi, such as farmed salmon, no longer need to be frozen beforehand.

This is because farmed fish are very unlikely to contain parasitic worms as a result of the rearing methods used. If you're unsure, contact the Food Standards Agency (FSA) for advice.

Lots of the sushi sold in shops is not made at the shop. This type of sushi should be fine to eat – if a shop or restaurant buys in ready-made sushi, the raw fish used to make it will have been subject to an appropriate freezing treatment.

If you're in any doubt, you might want to avoid eating the kinds of sushi that contain raw fish, such as tuna.

The safest way to enjoy sushi is to choose the fully cooked or vegetarian varieties, which can include:

cooked seafood – for example, fully cooked eel (unagi) or shrimp (ebi)
vegetables – for example, cucumber (kappa) maki
avocado – for example, California roll
fully cooked egg

If a shop or restaurant makes its own sushi on the premises, it must still be frozen first before being served. If you're concerned, ask the staff.

If you make your own sushi at home, freeze the fish for at least four days before using it.

Peanuts are safe in pregnancy

You can eat peanuts or food containing peanuts (such as peanut butter) during pregnancy, unless you are allergic to them, or a health professional advises you not to.

You may have heard that peanuts should be avoided during pregnancy. This is because the government previously advised women to avoid eating peanuts if there was a history of allergy (such as asthma, eczema, hay fever and food allergy) in their child's immediate family.

This advice has now been changed, because the latest research has shown no clear evidence that eating peanuts during pregnancy affects the chances of your baby developing a peanut allergy.

Milk and yoghurt in pregnancy

Stick to pasteurised or ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk – which is sometimes called long-life milk.

If only raw (unpasteurised) milk is available, boil it first. Don't drink unpasteurised goats' or sheep's milk, or eat foods made from them, such as soft goats' cheese.

All types of yoghurt, including bio, live and low-fat, are fine. Just check that any homemade yoghurt is made with pasteurised milk and if not, avoid it.

Ice cream in pregnancy

Soft ice creams should be fine to eat when you're pregnant, as they are processed products made with pasteurised milk and eggs, so any risk of salmonella food poisoning has been eliminated.

For homemade ice cream, use a pasteurised egg substitute or follow an egg-free recipe.

Foods with soil on them

Wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil and visible dirt.

Caffeine in pregnancy

High levels of caffeine can result in babies having a low birth weight, which can increase the risk of health problems in later life. Too much caffeine can also cause miscarriage.

Caffeine is naturally found in lots of foods, such as coffee, tea (including green tea) and chocolate, and is added to some soft drinks and energy drinks.

Some cold and flu remedies also contain caffeine. Talk to your midwife, doctor or pharmacist before taking these remedies.

You don't need to cut out caffeine completely, but don't have more than 200mg a day.

The approximate amount of caffeine found in food and drinks is:

one mug of instant coffee: 100mg
one mug of filter coffee: 140mg
one mug of tea: 75mg
one can of cola: 40mg
one can of energy drink: 80mg
one 50g bar of plain (dark) chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 25mg
one 50g bar of milk chocolate: most UK brands contain less than 10mg

So, if you have one can of cola and one mug of filter coffee, for example, you have reached almost 200mg of caffeine. Don't worry if you occasionally have more than this amount – the risks are small.

To cut down on caffeine, try decaffeinated tea and coffee, fruit juice or mineral water instead of regular tea, coffee, cola and energy drinks.

Herbal and green teas in pregnancy

There's little information on the safety of herbal and green teas in pregnancy, so it's best to drink them in moderation.

The FSA recommends drinking no more than around four cups of herbal or green tea a day during pregnancy, and to seek advice from your GP or midwife if you are unsure about which herbal products are safe to consume.

Bear in mind that green tea contains caffeine.

Liquorice

You can have moderate amounts of liquorice sweets or liquorice treats in pregnancy - there's no recommendation to avoid them. However, you should avoid the herbal remedy liquorice root.

Find out about healthy eating in pregnancy.

Last Updated: 05/04/2022 07:52:52
The information on this page has been adapted by NHS Wales from original content supplied by NHS website nhs.uk

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Source: https://111.wales.nhs.uk/LiveWell/Pregnancy/FoodsToAvoid/