17 Top Foods and Beverages to Avoid During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a beautiful journey. The fact that a woman is about to welcome a newborn to this world is itself fascinating. But the phase and journey are not easy – there are several ups and downs, pains and happiness associated with it. One such known fact is having food cravings during pregnancy. But, are all craved foods healthy during pregnancy? Let’s find out the list of foods to avoid during pregnancy.

“There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.” —James E. Faus

The first thing to do when pregnancy is confirmed is to run to the doctors, and he will immediately chalk you a chart of all the dos and don’ts. One of the most common confusions to first-time mothers is what to eat and what not to during pregnancy process.

Top 17 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy:

Listed down are some of the foods you should be giving a stink eye to once you start expecting.

1. Caffeine:

One of the foods that rule around this time should be your coffee tin. You always wonder why the checkups always term your baby as underweight even after your desperate try to eat more and more for the baby. There is nothing wrong with the baby. It is your lifestyle techniques. Doctors regularly say that caffeine can be the reason why your baby is underweight. Excessive coffee intake can even lead to miscarriage. However, cutting off the caffeine from your diet may be a bit too harsh since chocolates also contain caffeine which is a common desire during pregnancy. Keep the limit below 200 mg per day.

See More: Healthy Recipes For Pregnant Women

2. Tin Canned Foods:

With the modern-day setting in, cooking at your own home, preparing the entire process seems much more of a work than to just open an empty can of precooked premade delicious meat and salad. No matter how much they say this is an up to date food and no matter how much they guarantee their presence of intact nutrition, canned food at this time should be a strict no. This is because, in the canned foods, different types of preservatives are added to last long.

3. Cheese:

Even though cheese may be craving to you, usually the soft kind of cheese during pregnancy is a strict no. Some good examples are the cheddar and parmesan, being hard and stout in nature, they often contain little or no water content in it.

4. Certain Veggies and fruits:

The dirt veggies, for example, carrots, bean, leafy vegetables and radishes, should be very carefully dealt with. Clean such type of vegetables for removing soil and if undercooked or raw will entertain the presence of salmonella bacteria or E.coli in it. In fruits do not attempt to eat papaya. Consumption of papaya during pregnancy leads to miscarriage.

5. Sea Food Alert:

Usually the pond and river fishes, salmon and trout can never do the trick but when it comes to delicacies like seafood, seaweed salad, oysters and clams, mackerels and swordfishes contains a high level of mercury in them which may leave a residue even after being cooked. Hence choose only those seafood which has less mercury content.

6. Egg Care:

Avoid half boiled and raw egg during pregnancy as the soft yolks and whites will contain salmonella in it which is harmful. A fully boiled egg with a hard yolk can be the only fix.

7. Frozen Alert:

This is especially for the meats like pepperoni for example or salami, or smoked ham frozen or Parma ham. Often ordered pizza might contain chunks of pepperoni or you might buy a pre-packed smoked ham loaf. These meats are processed or not cooked, just fermented and frozen, hence avoid them.

8. Sushi:

Sushi being a delicious dish is of course half or undercooked fish which is why it should be avoided at its best. It might also aggravate nausea related to pregnancy. Hence this food should be avoided during pregnancy.

9. Excess of Vitamin A:

Doctors say eating of liver-related food like the chicken’s liver or the liver sausages can expose your body to too much vitamin A which is bad for the little one. Excessive consumption of vitamin A leads to storage in the liver and causes toxic effects and leads to serious congenital disabilities in the baby.

See More: Common Food Cravings During Pregnancy

10. Alcohol:

This is probably the worst food or beverages of all time during pregnancy. Avoid alcohol and spirited drinks at any cost while pregnant. The alcohol consumed by the mother can pass into the baby’s bloodstream through the placenta and cause many congenital disabilities and mental retardation. It is known as fetal alcohol syndrome.

11. Herbal Tea:

Herbs used for tea could harm both the mother and fetus. Certain herbs such as Yohimbe, ephedra, kava kava, angelica, black and blue cohosh, dong Quai, borage oil, pennyroyal, and mugwort are uterine stimulants, which should be completely avoided during pregnancy. Comfrey, cascara sagrada, black walnut, fenugreek, goldenseal, echinacea, horsetail, liquorice root, saw palmetto, senna, motherwort, St.John’s wort, shepherd’s purse, wormwood, tansy, and uva ursi might lead to miscarriage. Other herbs which are unsafe to use or ingest are aloe, ginseng, and evening primrose. You should also check with your doctor before taking too much of nettles, dandelion, or chamomile teas.

11. Toxoplasmosis:

This is where all the vegetables and ground fruits, onions and potatoes and fruits from the trees come to action. In due course of time, these foods are washed, but due to ground contact or pollutant contact in case of tree fruits, the dirt and bacteria in it persist. This is when the parasite will be present in them, which now can be in your body if not cooked or washed properly.

13. Spices:

Even though spices make the dishes tasty, a little too much of spices at times can be harmful for the baby. Stick to healthy spices such as oregano or basil and avoid too many in a dish.

See More: Spices to Eat and Avoid During Pregnancy

14. Deli Meats:

You should avoid deli meats, also called as ready-to-eat meats, such as sandwich meat, cold cuts, lunch meat, hot dogs and sliced meats. They are well known to contain listeria bacteria, which can readily move from the mother to placenta, causing serious complications including fetal death.

15. Raw Sprouts:

Avoid raw sprouts, including clover, alfalfa, mung bean, radish, broccoli, sunflower, onion, soybean, and snowpea sprouts. They are prone to listeria, salmonella, and E.coli bacteria. As we know, listeriosis could lead to premature birth, miscarriage, stillbirth, and infections in newborns. Salmonella and E.coli can cause severe illnesses.

16. Street Foods:

You may be craving for those spicy, sweet, and sour treats. They can increase the risk of several infections, stomach problems, and food poisoning. They are harmful because of the unhygienic food and water hygiene standards. Some examples of the street foods to avoid during pregnancy include corn in a cup, burritos, churros, cotton candy, soft pretzels, simit bread, hot dogs, chicken rice, chaat, dosa, kebabs, Pani puri, noodles, etc.

17. Liquorice:

Avoid liquorice (mulethi) during pregnancy as it contains glycyrrhizin, which is associated with several fetal developmental issues. This component impairs the placenta allowing the stress hormone to enter the baby, affecting its IQ. Research shows that “Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder” (ADHD) issues in children and early puberty in girls are also side-effects of liquorice. It may also lead to higher blood pressure and preterm labor.

Knowing what foods to eat and what to avoid during pregnancy really helps keep your baby healthy. Be cautious and selective about what you eat when you are pregnant. Remember that the food you eat defines yours as well as your baby’s health. You can make mundane and dull food tasty at your home. So indulge in some cooking too.

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers:

Q1. What are the miscarriage chance foods to avoid during pregnancy?

Ans: Papaya is one such food that causes miscarriage. Some of the others are sprouted potato, drumstick tree, unpasteurized milk, undercooked meat, raw meat etc.

Q2. What are the foods that you don’t need to take excessive?

Ans: During pregnancy, any type of food should not be consumed excessively. Always limit your food. Consume different types of food.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is solely for educational purpose only and should not be considered as medical advice. Before you avoid any of the foods mentioned in the above list, consult your gynaecologist or healthcare provider for better advice.