A pregnancy diet is essential not just for the child, but also for the mother. Find out some of the foods you shouldn’t eat when you are pregnant and why they are dangerous to your child’s health.
Following pregnancy, diet is a great way to ensure the health and safety of the child and the pregnant mother. However, while some foods may seem harmless, they are bad for your health and the health of your child, especially when you are pregnant.
Mothers carrying a child are gifted the challenging task of not just taking care of their minds, but also their bodies. Health becomes more important as the mother takes care of herself and the child inside her.
To help you remain healthy during pregnancy, there are a few dietary restrictions that you can follow to keep you and your baby healthy. While some of these foods might not seem so bad, some can be very harmful, and it would be better if you didn’t eat them.
8 foods you shouldn’t eat if you are pregnant
1. Fish that is high in mercury
While fish is known to be a healthier choice of protein, some of them that are high in protein can be toxic to the body. For example, higher amounts of mercury can affect your nervous system, immune system, and kidneys, potentially affecting your child’s development.
Some fish are often caught in highly polluted seas and should be avoided when pregnant. Examples of high-mercury fish include tuna, shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and marlin.
2. Raw fish and shellfish
Raw or undercooked fish can cause potential infections due to the bacteria, parasites, or viruses they carry. In addition, you risk putting yourself through salmonella and other health hazards when eating undercooked or raw fish when pregnant.
Although you might love sushi, staying away from it all together could be best, especially when you are pregnant. While many mothers have no problem with their immune systems and nutrition when pregnant, others don’t function this way. So avoiding any potential infection altogether instead of risking it on undercooked or raw fish would be better.
Also, avoid shellfish such as clams, mussels, and oysters. Shellfish are filter-feeders, meaning they filter water through their gills to collect nutrients — water and environmental quality can affect their safety.
3. Organ meat
While organ meat can be healthy, too much vitamin A drastically affects your body, especially during pregnancy. When you overeat organ meat during the first trimester of your pregnancy, you risk malformations and miscarriages of your child. If you can’t help staying away, limit your consumption of foods like liver to a few ounces a week.
4. Caffeine
If you’re the type of mother that enjoys high doses of caffeine during pregnancy, it would be best to limit how much you drink.
Pregnant women are limited to just 200 mg of caffeine daily, and beyond this, there is a risk of affecting their babies.
The placenta quickly absorbs caffeine and can potentially restrict the growth of the fetus when taken in high doses. There is also a change in low birth weight during delivery.
Examples of products with caffeine aside from coffee include tea, soft drinks, and even cocoa.
5. Raw sprouts
As a mother, the risk of contamination is not worth it, so eating all cooked foods and avoiding raw produce or vegetables is better. Also, if you keep raw sprouts in a humid environment, they attract different types of bacteria, making it difficult to wash them off.
The FDA highly suggests that you cook your sprouts before consumption to avoid the risk of salmonella. Examples of sprouts include clover, radish, mung beans, and alfalfa.
6. Unpasteurized milk, cheese, and fruit juice
You must be very careful when consuming raw milk since it could include harmful bacteria. The same goes for cheese and even fruit juice.
As this article explains, your stomach is more sensitive, especially when pregnant, so it is essential to watch what you eat. In addition, unpasteurized foods have a higher risk of contamination from harmful bacteria and other contents.
7. Alcohol
Although some people say having a glass of wine or two during pregnancy is not harmful to kids, others would argue that no level of alcohol has been proven safe during pregnancy.
Because of this, it would be better to avoid alcohol when carrying the little one in your body. In addition, when you drink alcohol, there is a risk for your child to adopt fetal alcohol syndrome, which causes deformities, heart defects, or even intellectual disability.
8. Junk foods
Junk foods are another big no-no when it comes to pregnancy, and since all junk foods are often different, aside from usually having a lot of sodium, it is better to stay away. Eating whole foods is recommended during pregnancy, and it can be hard to track what you eat when you digest highly-processed junk foods.
Try to stick to healthy snacks like veggies or other foods when snacking as a substitute for junk foods.
In conclusion
As a mother, it is better to be safe than sorry and avoid some foods altogether instead of risking damage to your body and your child. Avoid raw foods and stick to whole foods and produce as long as they are adequately cooked.
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