Foods to Avoid When You're Expecting

When expecting your precious newborn, it is imperative to keep both yourself and your baby healthy. Since your baby basically eats what you eat, there are a number of foods to avoid that could potentially harm your child. Although you might have enjoyed these foods before becoming pregnant, here is a list of items that you should do without for your nine months.

Fish High in Mercury. Although eating fish can give you the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, some fish contain high amounts of mercury that cause retardation and delayed development in your child. Luckily, not all fish have lots of mercury. You might like to try some lower-mercury fish, such as mahi mahi and snapper, instead of the high-level mercury fish like grouper and orange roughy.

Smoked Seafood. While smoked seafood might seem okay because it isn't raw, it can still contain listeria, a bacteria that can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, or infections in the baby.

Raw Meat and Shellfish. It should be fairly common sense to avoid raw meat. This includes chicken or other types of poultry, beef, fish, and shellfish. Raw shellfish can contain the pollutants caused by red tides. Uncooked meat can have E. coli, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.

Deli Meats. Like smoked seafood, deli meat can contain listeria. This may be slightly misleading because we think of deli meats as perfectly fine because they are cooked. However, the listeria can infect the already-cooked meat. Again like smoked seafood, if you reheat deli meat until it is nice and hot, it can kill the listeria and make the deli meat safe to eat.

Unpasteurized Milk. Milk that is not pasteurized is at risk for carrying listeria. Milk does not have to be avoided as long as you make sure that it is pasteurized, which means that it is heated almost to the point of boiling to slow bacterial growth.

Raw Eggs. If you love eating raw cookie dough, you should hold off while pregnant. Raw eggs can carry salmonella. Although salmonella does not usually directly affect your child, it can cause severe food poisoning, which can leave you (and subsequently your baby) dehydrated. Be careful ingesting "hidden" raw eggs-like in some Caesar salad dressings and homemade ice cream. Commercial products should be fine if they contain pasteurized eggs.

Cheeses Made from Unpasteurized Milk. Soft cheeses, which are typically the "moldy" cheeses, can contain listeria. These include Roquefort, bleu cheese, brie, and queso fresco. The harder cheeses made with pasteurized milk are fine, like most cheddars.

Unwashed Vegetables. Although pregnant women should consume a large amount of vegetables due to the beneficial vitamins and nutrients they provide, the veggies should be thoroughly washed before being eaten. Toxoplasmosis, which can damage the baby's eyes and brain, can live in the soil where the veggies are grown and cling to the produce after it is picked and sent to the grocery.

Pate. Pate, like deli meat, can be a carrier of listeria.

It is a good idea to avoid the foods listed above in order to protect yourself and your baby from harmful bacteria. Thus, you can keep your baby safe from health issues and developmental problems that occur due to eating improper foods. For more information on birth injuries and other damaging things that can happen to your child, check out this Philadelphia birth injury law firm.