While you’re pregnant, it’s important to remember that your baby is more vulnerable to foodborne illness caused by listeria, salmonella, and E. coli. These can live in raw, undercooked, or processed foods.
To protect you and your baby’s health, it’s important to limit certain foods when pregnant, such as the following:
High-mercury fish
Limit shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and albacore tuna to 1 serving a week.
Undercooked or raw fish
Avoid raw oysters and sushi that contains raw fish.
Undercooked, raw, and processed meats
Limit processed meat, such as hot dogs, deli meats, and smoked meats. They are high in sodium and can contain listeria.
Soft cheeses
Avoid feta, Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, and Mexican-style cheese, like queso fresco, panela, and asadero, as they may be unpasteurized.
Raw eggs
Avoid foods made with raw eggs, including homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, cookie dough, frostings, and homemade ice cream.
Unpasteurized milk
Avoid unpasteurized dairy products. Look for “pasteurized” on the label. This means it has been heated to kill germs.
Honey
Avoid honey while you’re pregnant, and don’t give it to children under 1 year old, as it may contain bacteria that can threaten your and your baby’s health.
The dirty dozen
It’s important to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but some have more pesticide residue than others. Watch out for these “dirty dozen” and choose organic whenever possible: strawberries, spinach, nectarines, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, pears, tomatoes, celery, potatoes, and sweet bell peppers.
For more information on staying healthy during every stage of your pregnancy, visit our Pregnancy Guides page.