The foods you eat every day of your pregnancy play a critical role in your health; in the health, growth, and development of your unborn baby; in your labor and delivery; and in the health and future development of your newborn baby.
- Deli meat
Deli meats — including hot dogs, sausages, smoked salmon, and other cured meats — can cause foodborne illness, such as listeriosis and toxoplasmosis. Thoroughly cooking these processed proteins well reduces your risk. Always wash produce to help eliminate harmful bacteria. - Unpasteurized milk products
Calcium is very important for growing babies, but moms have to be careful how they get their calcium from dairy. Raw milk isn’t recommended for expecting mothers since it’s unpasteurized. This means it hasn’t been heated to kill bacteria that could make you ill. Specifically, raw milk may contain the bacteria Listeria. It can lead to illness, miscarriage, or even life-threatening consequences. - Raw Sprouts
Raw sprouts, including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean sprouts, may be contaminated with Salmonella. Unlike with most other vegetables, these bacteria can get into the sprout seeds. They are therefore almost impossible to wash off. Pregnant women should avoid raw sprouts altogether. However, sprouts are safe to consume after they have been cooked. - Caffeine
Most studies show that caffeine intake in moderation is permissible, however, there are others that show that caffeine intake may be related to miscarriages. Avoid excess caffeine intake during the first trimester to reduce the likelihood of a miscarriage. As a general rule, caffeine should be limited to fewer than 200 mg per day during pregnancy. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means it helps eliminate fluids from the body. This can result in water and calcium loss. It is important that you are drinking plenty of water, juice, and milk rather than caffeinated beverages. Some research shows that large amounts of caffeine are associated with miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and withdrawal symptoms in infants. The safest thing is to refrain from consuming caffeine. - Unripe Papaya
Papaya is said to stimulate an abortion hence is proved very dangerous to consume during pregnancy. Raw and unripe papaya contains a substance called latex, act like prostaglandin and oxytocin, which the body makes to start labor. Synthetic prostaglandin and oxytocin are commonly used to start or strengthen labor contractions. Papain and pepsin contents in papaya restricts fetal growth. It is advised by the nutritionists and experts to strictly avoid unripe papaya during pregnancy. Although a fully ripe papaya is not thought to be a problem, it is not known for sure if papaya is completely safe during pregnancy.
Proper cleaning of food is always recommended, especially during pregnancy. This is not always easy to do, since somefoods may already be contaminated when you purchase them. For this reason, it is best to avoid the foods on this list as much as possible. The health of the expectant mother and her unborn child should come first.