Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy To Keep You and The Baby Safe

One of the most crucial steps to take to keep you and the baby safe during pregnancy is maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.

This might require you to cut off certain foods while still including foods from all food groups to derive the right nutrients and vitamins.

During pregnancy, particularly in your first trimester, moderation is key. Eating anything in excess poses a threat to your pregnancy. However, these particular foods are the main culprits:

Raw Sprouts

Sprouts are a favorite for most people. However, during pregnancy, you might want to stay away from raw sprouts like alfalfa, clover, mung bean, and radish sprouts because they tend to carry salmonella.

Sprouts are grown in humid conditions making them a breeding ground for salmonella bacteria. If you do feel the need to consume sprouts still, only consume them cooked.

Seafood

We know how you love your seafood! However, most seafood, such as sushi, shellfish, sashimi, oysters, and prawns, are polluted with listeria. Listeria is harmful to pregnant women because it can cause preterm labor or a miscarriage. 

Raw seafood mainly puts you at a high risk of being contaminated with certain parasites like viruses and tapeworms. These parasites then expose you to infections like food poisoning, and listeriosis.

If you must consume seafood, make sure you cook it well. Be careful while dining in specific restaurants that serve raw seafood.

Unpeeled and Unwashed Vegetables

During pregnancy, women are advocated to eat green leafy vegetables. However, unwashed or raw vegetables are not healthy for pregnant women because they contain toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, a severe infection.

If infected with this parasite, a pregnant woman can easily pass it to her unborn baby. Hence, for your safety and that of your child, we recommend soaking the vegetables in clean saltwater and then wash them under running water before any consumption.

Always peels, rinse, and cook your veggies well. It is also imperative to make sure that the cutlery you use while preparing your vegetables is washed and wiped clean.

Eggs and Poultry Products

Pregnant women are advised to stay away from eggs and poultry products because they carry salmonella, bacteria that lead to specific problems like diarrhea, intestinal bleeding, food poisoning, fever, and sometimes miscarriages.

However, you never know where pregnancy cravings take you. In which case, if you must eat eggs, make sure they are thoroughly cooked until the yolk and the white is solid.

Cooking the eggs thoroughly kills this bacterium and makes them safe to consume. A pregnant woman should also stay away from certain poultry products like mayonnaise, eggnog, soufflé, mousse, and smoothies bearing raw eggs.

Processed Meats

We know this one is tough, but you have to avoid them! Eating processed meats like stuffed mat, salami, sausages, bacon, minced meat, deli meat, pate, and pepperoni while you are pregnant is unsafe.

Meats may have bacteria like listeria, Toxoplasma gondii, or salmonella, which are notorious for causing food poisoning. Hence, during your pregnancy, we advise avoiding consuming raw or undercooked meats because these bacteria can lead to severe issues like premature delivery, miscarriage, or stillbirth.

During these nine months, therefore, properly cook your meat and rewarm well before any consumption.

Unripe Papayas

Unripe papayas, as well as green papayas, should be avoided during pregnancy because they have laxatives components that can bring about premature labor.

Papaya seeds also have enzymes that propel contraction of the uterus, causing a miscarriage.

Sesame Seeds

Particularly during the early stages of your pregnancy, you should stay away from sesame seeds. Sesame seeds, especially when consumed with honey, can be harmful to you and the baby.

However, in the later stages of your pregnancy, you should look for black sesame seeds because they are believed to help with delivery.

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