Food to avoid during pregnancy

It's important to know which foods are safe to eat and which you need to avoid while pregnant. Eat a safe pregnancy diet, and learn about safe food storage and handling by following these tips.

Raw meat such as sushi, seafood, or rare/undercooked beef or poultry, because of the risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.

Raw eggs, or foods containing raw egg, such as Caesar dressing, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or custard, unpasteurized eggnog, or Hollandaise sauce, because raw eggs may be contaminated with salmonella.

Soft cheese such as blue cheese, feta, Brie, Camembert, and Latin-American soft white cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco, because they may harbor harmful bacteria.

Fish containing accumulated levels of mercury in their fatty tissues such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. When a pregnant woman consumes large amounts of mercury, her baby may suffer brain damage resulting in developmental delays (for example, delays in learning to walk or talk).

Fish containing high levels of an industrial pollutant called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in their fatty tissues such as bluefish and striped bass, and freshwater fish such as salmon, pike, trout, and walleye from contaminated lakes and rivers. According to the March of Dimes, consumption of large amounts of PCBs by pregnant women is linked to decreased attention, memory, and IQ in their babies. Check with your local Health Department to determine which fish in your area are safe to eat.