Pregnancy Diet to Eat and Foods to avoid when Pregnant

Once you and your husband are over all the hugs and kisses after finding you’re pregnant comes the bad news. And the bad news is that you can’t eat a whole lot of foods because pregnancy alters your immune system to the extent of making you more prone to food-borne illnesses. This can be as serious as miscarriage and dehydration, so why take the risk? Instead, just be careful of what you eat. Check the list we’ve compiled for you so that  you don’t eat them mistakenly anytime.

Pregnancy Foods  for firsttimers

Foods and Drinks you should avoid during Pregnancy:

Undercooked meat: Red meat should be avoided completely as it contains bacteria. In fact, deli meat contains listeria that is responsible for miscarriages and infecting the baby, which could be dangerous. Besides, they also contain toxoplasma gondii parasite that cause cysts that is known to enter the body of the fetus through the umbilical cord and cause havoc.

Therefore, avoid all ready to eat meats, stuffed poultry and meat spreads as they are likely to contain harmful bacteria. Liver should also be avoided as it is rich in vitamin A, an excess of which can be damaging to the fetus.

Avoid Raw Eggs in Pregnancy

Raw eggs: Eggs cooked with raw eggs may just be infected with salmonella, a bacterium that can make you vomit, and have fever and diarrhea, so stay away from Caesar Salad, Hollandaise salad, eggnog, homemade mayonnaise, sunny side eggs and scrambled eggs.

Unpasteurized foods and drinks: If unpasteurized, it means drinks like cider and certain foods like cheese, almonds, cream and vinegar contain microorganisms which could harm you. But pasteurization kills these microorganisms and renders them healthy to consume.

Sushi: Except for California rolls, it isn’t safe to eat Sushi when you’re pregnant because it contains parasites that cause illness. Besides, these parasites can also harm your baby, so steer clear of Sushi during your pregnancy.

Raw fish: Shark, swordfish, shellfish and marlin are some kinds of fish to be avoided during your pregnancy as they contain a high level of mercury which can damage the brain of the fetus.

Avoid raw fish alcohol in pregnancy

Soft cheese: Yet again, being unpasteurized, soft cheese should be avoided as it contains listeria. Examples of soft cheese include brie, camembert, feta, bleu cheese and Mexican-style cheese.

Unwashed vegetables and fruits: Fruits and vegetables are good hiding places for listeria bacteria and toxoplasma gondii parasite, so wash your fruits and veggies before you eat them or they could damage your baby. Don’t eat raw sprouts either, as it is likely that harmful viruses and bacteria could enter the sprouts and spread disease. So, either cook them thoroughly or don’t eat them and that includes moong, clover, alfalfa, radish, etc.

Canned food: The can you pick up may just be quite old or its water content could contain bacteria, so avoid eatingcanned food while pregnant. The lining of the cans also contain Bisphenol A (BPA) that affect your endocrinal activity and brings harm to the fetus.

Home-baked items and ice cream: Perhaps, your homemade cookies, baked with love, are raw. If they are, they could lead to bacterial infection and food poisoning. Homemade ice creams too fall under the same category, so instead of laboring over them in the kitchen, buy them from the store.

Fats: Avoid eating saturated foods during your pregnancy, and instead opt forOmega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids foods. Saturated fats make you put on weight and give you high cholesterol. So, stay as far away as possible from butter, peanut butter, bacon, hydrogenated oil and sour cream as you can.

Artificial sweeteners: You can go with Sucralose, Saccharin and Aspartame in moderation, but do not sweeten your tea or coffee with Sweet ‘N Low, Stevia and Cyclamate.

Caffeine: Ensure that you have only 200 mg of caffeine-based beverages per day as it has been proved that doses any higher than this could give you a baby with low birth weight. So, be careful of the coffee and tea you drink each day.

Herbal supplements: The ingredients of herbal supplements are not known, so it’s best to steer clear of these supplements during pregnancy. Besides, there are a lot of fake supplements in the market, so you don’t know what you’re dealing with. In such a case, it’s best not to take them, lest you harm your baby.

There are those herbal elements that cause your muscles to contract and even end up causing a premature birth. Others contain high doses of caffeine and weight reducing ingredients, which are not applicable to you. If the herbal supplements you’re looking at contain herbs like saw palmetto, senna and wormwood, take your doctor’s advice on taking these supplements or not.

Alcohol and tobacco: Tobacco and alcohol are both bad for your fetus as they cause physical and mental retardation in newly born babies. In fact, your baby could suffer from any one of the range of disorders titled Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. These disorders include facial abnormalities, spinal defects, heart defects, retarded growth, retarded nervous system and problems relating to cognition.

Once you take stock of all that you can eat and drink and can’t, you’re sure to give birth to a beautiful and healthy baby.

What to eat during Pregnancy to have a Healthy Baby:

If there are certain foods that you cannot eat, there are certain others that you must eat. Here’s a list of them:

Pregnancy Foods to Eat

Whole grains: Eating whole grain bread, pasta and cereals, and rice, pulses, vegetables and fruit are good for you as they are fiber-rich. During pregnancy, you have a higher risk for being constipated, so eating fruits and veggies will lower that risk. You also will reduce the risk of getting hemorrhoids, which are common as your pregnancy advances. Fiber can also keep you from being obese, so go for it.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal, like whole grains, is also high in fiber, plus it has iron, minerals and B vitamins. Eat a bowl of oatmeal with milk and sugar and feel full for a few hours. Sprinkle some oats in your pancake mix, or to your cakes, muffins and cookies and enjoy the taste and nutrition.

Beans: Eat a variety of beans such as pinto beans, black beans, lentils, kidney beans, soy beans to whatever you eat. Add them to your soups and salads, if you like, after all they provide you with the necessary fiber and protein, apart from folate, iron, zinc and calcium.

Nuts: Nuts have an abundance of Vitamin E and minerals. Eat them plain, or add them to your salads, meat, fish or pasta and enrich the taste of your food.

Salmon: Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids which help develop your baby’s eyes and brain. It’s also a rich source of B Vitamins and protein. Since it’s low in mercury content, you can eat about 12 ounces of it every week. Eat it grilled, in a salad or broiled.

Eggs: High in protein, eggs contain all the amino acids your baby needs, besides also being rich in minerals and vitamins that help with the development of your baby’s brain.

Berries: All kinds of berries are good for you since they contain Vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium.

Broccoli: This cruciferous veggie is rich in Vitamins A and C, plus it has calcium and folic acid. It is best eaten when tossed with pasta or stir-fried with chicken or seafood.

Carrots good during pregnancy

Carrots: Rich in Vitamin A that help with the development of your baby’s eyes, bones and teeth, eat them raw or add them to a salad or to cakes. They are also rich in Vitamins B6 and C and fiber, so they keep your digestive system moving well.

Spinach: Your baby’s blood cells will benefit a lot by your eating spinach, thanks to its rich content of Vitamin A, iron, folic acid and calcium. Make lasagna with it, or steam it with fish or chicken or try it in Asian cuisine.

Avocados: The folic acid content of avocados are good for developing your baby’s nervous system and brain. They also contain Vitamins B6 and C and potassium that are good for developing your baby’s brain and tissue. They are perfect food for getting your daily dose of vitamins. Eat them with whole grain bread but go easy with them as they’re also very fattening.

Red pepper: Extremely abundant in Vitamins A and C, and B6, red peppers are natural sweeteners, so enjoy them in a dip or grill or roast them, or add them to your sandwiches and salads.

Low-fat yogurt: Eating one cup of plain low-fat yogurt because it’s rich in calcium, protein and folic acid. Add fruits to it to make a thick smoothie, if you like. The active cultures contained in yogurt are good bacteria, so eating this kind of yogurt can keep you from having a bad stomach and yeast infections.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the list compiled here by us. Now take the initiative, go and share it with those first time to be mothers who can benefit from reading these tips. You may be helping out those first time motherhood’s in bringing a healthy and beautiful baby into this world 🙂

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4 Responses

  1. Elaine says:

    Hello, I believe much of the information is spot on, however a great deal , in my opinion, is shockingly incorrect. What are the nutritionional credentials of the person who wrote this article? For example: advising pregnant ladies to avoid healthful saturated fats (not hydrogenated ones) is dangerous and suggesting that artificial sweeteners and sugary desserts are permissable is not terrific advice. How about grass-fed organic meats and poultry as excellent sources of protein (at the least the meats should be antibiotic and hormone free)? How about encouraging organic fruits and vegetables (especially the “Dirty Dozen”).
    Pregnant women should, if possible consult with a nutritionally-oriented physician or nutritionist (i.e. CNS etc.) concerning the most healthful diet and supplements.

  2. Mariah Riess-Lane says:

    Loved this article. Very accurate and clear. Information presented in a user friendly manner and may make a big difference to readers!

  3. Donna says:

    I agree with Elaine! Some information was good, but certainly not all! I consult with couples who are struggling to conceive, planning to conceive and those who are already pregnant. I have my Masters in Holistic Nutrition and have been practicing for over 7 years. Saturated fats are NOT the cause of high cholesterol (those saturated fats that are not hydrogenated). Elaine is spot on with the grass-fed beef and pastured chicken and eggs. Liver is a great source of heme iron during pregnancy, but I only suggest it to be from a grass-fed animal. There is a huge difference between true vitamin A and beta carotene which can be converted into true vitamin A. But, not everyone is capable of this conversion. True vitamin A can only be found in animal products, so your suggestion of vegetable for vitamin A is not entirely correct either. Yes the information was presented in a user-friendly manner, but when it is not based on current science, it can be dangerous.

  4. Dr. Maureen Muoneke says:

    Eating well balanced meals is important at all times, but it is even more essential when you are pregnant. There are essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that your developing baby needs.

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