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General Expecting
Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy
Here are the foods you must avoid:
| Don’t Eat These Foods | Why | What to Do |
| Soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk, including Brie, feta, Camembert, Roquefort, queso blanco, and queso fresco | May contain E. colior Listeria. | Eat hard cheeses, such as cheddar or Swiss. Or, check the label and make sure that the cheese is made from pasteurized milk. |
| Raw cookie dough or cake batter | May contain Salmonella. | Bake the cookies and cake. Don’t lick the spoon! |
| King mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico), and tuna (big eye) | Contain high levels of mercury, but there are many other choices of fish that have lower levels of mercury. | See this fish advice chart that has 36 “best choices” and 19 “good choices” of fish to eat while pregnant. |
| Raw or undercooked fish (sushi) | May contain parasites or bacteria. | Cook fish to 145° F. |
| Unpasteurized juice or cider (including fresh squeezed) | May contain E. coli. | Drink pasteurized juice. Bring unpasteurized juice or cider to a rolling boil and boil for at least 1 minute before drinking. |
| Unpasteurized milk | May contain bacteria such as Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, or Salmonella. | Drink pasteurized milk. |
| Salads made in a store, such as ham salad, chicken salad, and seafood salad. | May contain Listeria. | Make salads at home, following the food safety basics: clean, separate, cook, and chill. |
| Raw shellfish, such as oysters and clams | May contain Vibriobacteria. | Cook shellfish to 145° F. |
| Raw or undercooked sprouts, such as alfalfa, clover, mung bean, and radish | May contain E. colior Salmonella. | Cook sprouts thoroughly. |
| Be Careful with These Foods | Why | What to Do |
| Hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli-style meat and poultry | May contain Listeria. | Even if the label says that the meat is precooked, reheat these meats to steaming hot or 165° F before eating. |
| Eggs and pasteurized egg products | Undercooked eggs may contain Salmonella. | Cook eggs until yolks are firm. Cook casseroles and other dishes containing eggs or egg products to 160° F. |
| Eggnog | Homemade eggnog may contain uncooked eggs, which may contain Salmonella. | Make eggnog with a pasteurized egg product or buy pasteurized eggnog. When you make eggnog or other egg-fortified beverages, cook to 160°F |
| Fish | May contain parasites or bacteria. | Cook fish to 145° F. |
| Ice cream | Homemade ice cream may contain uncooked eggs, which may contain Salmonella. | Make ice cream with a pasteurized egg product safer by adding the eggs to the amount of liquid called for in the recipe, then heating the mixture thoroughly.. |
| Meat: Beef, veal, lamb, and pork (including ground meat) | Undercooked meat may contain E. coli. | Cook beef, veal, and lamb steaks and roasts to 145° F. Cook pork to 160° F. Cook all ground meats to 160° F. |
| Meat spread or pate | Unpasteurized refrigerated pates or meat spreads may contain Listeria. | Eat canned versions, which are safe. |
| Poultry and stuffing (including ground poultry) | Undercooked meat may contain bacteria such as Campylobacter or Salmonella. | Cook poultry to 165° F. If the poultry is stuffed, cook the stuffing to 165° F. Better yet, cook the stuffing separately. |
| Smoked seafood | Refrigerated versions are not safe, unless they have been cooked to 165° F. | Eat canned versions, which are safe, or cook to 165° F. |
Sources:
Kidshealth. (2018, June). Eating during pregnancy. Retrieved 19 September 2018 from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/eating-pregnancy.html.
Familydoctor.org. (2017, January 4). Healthy eating and pregnancy. Retrieved 19 September 2018 from https://familydoctor.org/eating-healthy-during-pregnancy/?adfree=true.
Foodsafety.org. (2018, September). Checklist of foods to avoid during pregnancy. Retrieved 19 September 2018 from https://www.foodsafety.gov/risk/pregnant/chklist_pregnancy.html.
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