Mom's Editorial

The moment you get to know that you are expecting a baby, one of the first things you do is watch your diet. You not only start having a better diet than you previously did but also start avoiding certain food items. More often than not we unknowingly consume some food which should be avoided at all costs. So in order to make things simpler for you, here’s a list of foods to avoid in pregnancy that you can bookmark for reference.

Although there is an exhaustive list of items to avoid, both beverages and solids, but here are a few of the must-avoid ones…

Anything unpasteurized

Pasteurized means that the item has been cooked or boiled before being put up for sale. Meat, milk, cheese… should be avoided if it is not cooked or undercooked. Most of the food items run the risk of contamination with bacteria and others which only increase the chances of you getting sick from contamination. So even if you are having milk, make sure either the carton says it is pasteurized or bring it to a boil first before consuming it yourself. As a matter of fact even consuming raw or undercooked eggs can increase your chances of developing food poisoning thereby affecting your and your baby’s health.

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Raw sprouts

Raw sprouts in any form like mung beans, radish, broccoli, soybean etc are extremely prone to bacteria and salmonella that can cause severe tummy troubles. Not only that, they are also known to contain listeria which is a severe infection that leads to premature birth, infection in newborns and miscarriages. If you have cravings for sprouts, it is advisable to only have them cooked before eating.

Caffeine in any form

It is a known fact that caffeine in any form, whether coffee, tea, chocolate or even sodas is more harmful to the developing fetus than you ever imagined. Consuming more than the required quantity of caffeine a day (i.e. about 200 mg a day), you run the risk of not only miscarriage but also low birth weight of the baby. If you have to have a beverage, try to go in for decaffeinated ones and limit your intake of caffeine as much as you can.

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Foods rich in sugar

No doubt sugar in some form is required by the body to some extent but as they say excess of everything is bad. If you want to lower your risk of premature birth, preeclampsia, metabolic syndrome etc., then it is highly advisable to keep away from foods that are rich in sugar. Foods such as desserts, chocolates, cakes, traditional Indian sweets have very high sugar content and should be avoided at any cost.

Canned food, fruits and vegetables

Although you may think that canned foods are very convenient to consume, you have to understand that most of them contain BPA which is a substance known to cause fertility problems, liver and heart problems in pregnant women. Not only that, if you consume canned tuna (fish), because of high mercury levels that it contains, it can really affect both the mother and the fetus adversely.

Do You Have Any Question? Speak To Our Expert

As mentioned above, these are only some of the foods you must, at all times, avoid consuming in pregnancy. Apart from these foods, take proper care for as far as hygiene is concerned because it all comes down to your and your baby’s health in the end.

Which foods did you avoid when you were pregnant? Let us know.