Know Your Pregnancy Foods To Avoid

Posted on Saturday, 16 January 2010 by admin

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Numerous medical studies and much research have given lists of pregnancy foods to avoid. While variety in food choices is encouraged among pregnant women, not all food is safe for the baby. To ensure normal fetal development, pregnant women are advised to be careful in choosing the food that they eat. Maintaining well-balanced pregnancy nutrition is essential to maintaining health, both for the mother and the baby. Whatever the mother consumes is passed on to the baby. Hence, it is important for pregnant women to take note of the following foods that they should exclude in their diet.

Contaminated Fish. Due to increasing pollution in the lakes and seas, fishes may be contaminated with toxic elements such as mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. These chemicals tend to slowly accumulate in the baby’s body through the mother’s diet. These toxic chemicals have been linked to developmental delays and brain damage. Shark, swordfish, tilefish, king mackerel, bluefish, striped bass, salmon, pike, trout and walleye are included in the list of pregnancy foods to avoid because they usually contain these toxic elements.

Raw Meat. Raw or semi-raw meat may be contaminated with bacteria such as e-coli, toxoplasmosis and salmonella. Pregnant women are strongly advised to avoid eating raw shellfish, such as oysters, clams and mussels, for they carry a majority of seafood-borne illnesses, particularly algae-related infections. Such infestations in food can impede the baby’s development.

Deli Meat. Deli meats can contain listeria and is a definite pregnancy food to avoid. Listeria is a type of bacteria that usually crosses the placenta of pregnant women, which is detrimental to the health of the baby as it causes infection and blood poisoning in the fetus. To make certain that your deli meat does not carry this pathogen, make sure that you cook or heat it until it is steaming.

Soft Cheeses. Blue cheese, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Camembert, Feta, and Mexican style cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco, and many other imported cheeses may bring serious health risks on the baby. Imported soft cheeses may contain listeria, which is directly linked to life-threatening risks on the baby’s health. Alternatively, soft non-imported cheeses made from pasteurized milk are safe for pregnant women.

Raw Eggs. Salmonella is the number one reason why raw eggs are included in the list of pregnancy foods to avoid. Salmonella can lead to poisoning and other related problems.

Liver. Animal liver is rich in Vitamin A. An excess of vitamin A can cause birth problems so this food must be consumed in moderation.

Caffeine. High caffeine intake has been related to the increased risk of miscarriages, premature birth, low birth weight and withdrawal symptoms among infants. Since caffeine is diuretic, it tends to eliminate fluids from the body, which results to water and calcium loss.

Alcohol. Alcohol holds pole position on the list of pregnancy foods to avoid. Alcohol is never good for babies for it increases the possibility of birth defects and impedes fetal development.

Junk Food. Junk foods are usually loaded with preservatives and artificial flavorings, which are not good for the baby. In addition, it will only cause problems such as vomiting and jaundice.

There are ongoing studies on the different aspects of pregnancy nutrition to guide all pregnant women in ensuring their health as well as their baby’s health, as they carry the baby in full term. Being cautious of the items included in the pregnancy foods to avoid is important in limiting the factors that affect healthy pregnancy.

Give your child the best possible start in life by knowing the pregnancy foods to avoid pregnancy nutrition advice

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