During pregnancy, it’s important to eat a varied and balanced diet to give you and your growing baby the nutrients you both need. However, there are some foods you should avoid or take extra care with because they may contain bacteria, parasites, toxins or higher levels of mercury that could be harmful during pregnancy.
Here are some of the foods to avoid or take extra care with during pregnancy:
• Raw or undercooked eggs – make sure eggs are thoroughly cooked before eating.
• Fish high in mercury – avoid shark and swordfish. KKH also advises pregnant women to avoid king mackerel (batang) and tilefish, and to limit canned white (albacore) tuna to one serving per week.
• Raw sprouts – avoid raw sprouts unless they have been thoroughly cooked.
• Unwashed fruit and vegetables – wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly before eating. Take extra care with pre-cut or pre-packaged produce if it has been mishandled or is past its expiry date.
• Raw or undercooked meat and seafood – make sure meat and seafood are thoroughly cooked before eating.
• Uncooked processed meats – ham, hotdogs and luncheon meats should be heated thoroughly before eating.
• Cold-smoked or cured fish – such as smoked salmon, unless it has been well cooked.
• Liver and liver products – these can contain high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to your unborn baby.
• Mould-ripened soft cheeses – avoid mould-ripened soft cheeses and soft blue-veined cheeses unless they have been cooked thoroughly.
The safest approach is to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.
It’s also important to limit your caffeine intake during pregnancy. KKH recommends keeping caffeine intake to less than 200mg per day. Remember that caffeine is found not only in coffee and tea, but also in some soft drinks, energy drinks and chocolate.
As a guide, the caffeine content of some common foods and drinks is:
• A cup of instant coffee: 60–80mg
• A cup of filtered coffee: around 140mg
• A cup of tea: 30–50mg
• A can of cola: around 40mg
• A can of energy drink: around 80mg
• 50g of dark chocolate: less than 25mg
• 50g of milk chocolate: less than 10mg
If you’re unsure whether a particular food is safe to eat during pregnancy, or you have concerns about your pregnancy diet, speak to your doctor or healthcare professional for personalised advice.
For more guidance and tips, explore the Karihome blog.
