Pregnancy Food Guide

Nutrition during pregnancy isn’t always the same as your regular diet. While you might know as much as 2,400 calories per day are recommended during the last trimester of pregnancy, you might not know some foods will be off the menu. Even foods typically regarded as healthy options may be harmful to your growing baby. Some of those include:

Alcohol. Wine, beer or liquor can easily pass through the placenta to the baby. Exposure to alcohol increases the baby’s risk of developing a congenital disability or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, drinking even small amounts of alcohol while pregnant can lead to fetal harm or death.

Deli meats. Lunchmeat can be contaminated with listeria, even though the meat is cooked. That’s because contamination can occur after the meat is cooked but before it’s packaged. According to the CDC, 1,600 cases of listeria infection occur every year in the United States, and it causes around 260 deaths annually.

Soft cheeses. Queso blanco, brie, camembert and feta are made with unpasteurized milk and can contain the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, which causes an infection known as listeriosis that may lead to miscarriage, premature birth or stillbirth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cheeses are up to 160 times more likely to cause listeriosis when made with unpasteurized milk.

Some fish. Swordfish, tuna and other fish have high mercury levels, which can be toxic for your kidneys as well as your nervous and immune systems. It’s linked with developmental problems in children as well. Aim for low mercury choices like salmon or tilapia.

Sushi. Even though it’s delicious, there are risks of vibrio, salmonella and listeria. And according to the CDC, being pregnant raises listeria risks tenfold.

Undercooked meat. There are few things as delicious as a prime cut of steak — the kind with a juicy, ruby-red center. Unfortunately, undercooked meat can contain toxoplasma, E. coli, listeria and salmonella. When toxoplasmosis passes to a fetus, it can cause premature birth, jaundice, developmental disorders and brain damage. Although infections are rare, moms-to-be should ensure their meat is at a safe internal temperature by cooking it all the way through. Use this list as a guide when you’re cooking meat:

• Beef, pork, veal, lamb: 145° F
• Ground beef, ground pork, ground veal, ground lamb: 160° F
• Fish: 145° F
• Poultry: 165° F

Back