dangerous food to avoid for pregnant women

dangerous food to avoid for pregnant women

Most women know that some food items are dangerous during pregnancy. A very simple example is raw papaya . Papaya is usually eaten by  some women and girls to have a easier menstruation period / increase menstrual flow. But the same papaya consumed during pregnancy ( especially the beginning of the first trimester )  is considered to be dangerous, since consumption of raw papaya might be linked  with uterine contractions (the latex in unripe papaya might contain chemicals which might induce uterine contractions / labor symptoms ). Some medical professionals also ask pregnant women to avoid eating grapes and raisins due to resveratrol in grapes during pregnancy (especially the third trimester) . Some women also avoid pineapple, sesame seeds when they are pregnant. Egg plant or brinjal is another such vegetable which is avoided by some pregnant women. Licorice is also avoided by some pregnant women ( because of a possibility of premature birth ).

There are some other food items that are best to avoid during pregnancy. There is a very high risk of contamination of raw meat and undercooked meat by salmonella and some other types of bacteria. So it is best to avoid consuming raw meat, raw seafood and undercooked meat, undercooked poultry, rare steaks etc ,and in general food  that is undercooked when pregnant. Overall, it is best to eat meat that is properly cooked and it is best to consume the cooked meat when it is hot.

Similarly with eggs, it is best for pregnant women to avoid half boiled eggs , undercooked eggs , and stick to  eating properly cooked hard boiled eggs where both the yellow and white are firm/solid. Note that some of the home made toppings of cakes / pastries and some salad dressings might contain uncooked or partially cooked egg . Tasting raw dough used for cookies might also be dangerous since the cookie dough may contain raw eggs.

The main problem with undercooked / raw meat is the risk of toxoplasmosis (infection by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii ) Toxoplasmosis is not usually  risky for adults with strong immune systems. But toxoplasmosis carries a high risk for pregnant women since toxoplasmosis may cause miscarriage, or it may directly infect the unborn child.

Liver has high amounts of vitamin A and is usually not recommended for consumption by pregnant women.

 Some sea fish ( like shark and swordfish / larger fish with a longer lifetime to accumulate mercury ) have a higher chance to contain traces of mercury, and mercury might cause ill effects to the baby ( mercury poisoning is related to problems of brain ) in the womb of the  pregnant woman. So it is best for pregnant women to avoid those sea fish which might be tainted with mercury. Sushi is also considered to be bad for pregnant women, because of the likely presence of raw or improperly cooked fish.

It is better for pregnant women to avoid soft cheese and cheese from unpasteurized sources.  Soft cheese might contain higher levels of moisture which might be helpful for the  growth of harmful bacteria in soft cheese.

High doses of caffeine ( found in coffee, cola etc ) is not good for pregnant women, since very high doses of caffeine might be linked to miscarriages. So it is good for pregnant women to limit the quantity of coffee and other beverages which might contain caffeine.

It is better to avoid alcohol completely in pregnancy. Alcohol is known to pass into the baby's  body in the womb from the blood of the mother and the body of the small baby cannot handle the alcohol. There are many birth defects which might happen because of regular consumption of alcohol by pregnant women. Such defects are usually given the name fetal alcohol syndrome.. ( you can read more about fetal alcohol syndrome here.  )

(  testing for pregnancy     )

( chemical pregnancy )

( trying to concieve ttc ) (  stress-of-ttc-or-stress-of-trying-to conceive ) ( fetal alcohol spectrum disorders ( fasd ) )

( first trimester of pregnancy } ( anxiety in pregnant women ) ( some first trimester problems of pregnant women) (  some more symptoms of the first trimester )


( second trimester of pregnancy ) ( second trimester problems / symptoms for pregnant women )



( third trimester of pregnancy )

( labour and child birth )

( tips on male fertility )

(  bipolar disorder medicines during pregnancy )

( changes-in-women-after-childbirth )

( ttc after 30 )

( some information about knives )


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