Food to avoid in pregnancy

Some foods can contain bacteria or parasites such as salmonella and listeria that could harm your unborn baby. Although the risk of infection is low, it is still best to avoid these foods during pregnancy:

• Soft blue or mould-ripened cheeses such as gorgonzola, Roquefort, camembert and brie
• Raw eggs or soft, runny eggs that haven’t been cooked thoroughly
• Un-pasteurised milk or food such as goat’s chesses made from un-pasteurised milk
• Pâté including vegetable pâtés
• Raw meat or meat that hasn’t been cooked thoroughly
• Raw fish or shellfish

You should also avoid or limit your intake of foods that contain substances that might be harmful for your baby:

• Liver contains too much vitamin A for your baby, so you should avoid it completely
• Don’t take any nutritional supplements that include vitamin A
• Fish can have high levels of mercury. Avoid eating shark, swordfish or marlin and limit the amount of tuna or oily fish you eat to a couple of meals a week.
• Alcohol can affect your baby’s development, so it is best avoided.
• Caffeine can also affect your baby, so try to limit your intake to no more than two cups of coffee a day.

It is also important to practice good food hygiene with everything you eat. Make sure that you are washing or peeling all of your fruit and vegetables, taking the right precautions with raw meat, and keeping your hands and cooking surfaces clean.