When you’re pregnant it’s important to take care with what you do and don’t consume. There are some foods that are known to cause potential risks to your unborn baby and drinks containing caffeine or alcohol could also could problems. But if you’re unsure as to what you should and shouldn’t be eating, here’s a guide to get you in the know.

 

 

Let’s start with the easy bit – what you can eat! The best advice is to eat a healthy, nutritious and balanced diet during pregnancy, so that you get all the essential nutrients you need and at the same time give your baby the best start in life. To achieve this, you should be eating:

 

* Lots of starchy foods, such as pasta, bread, rice and potatoes. Wholegrain varieties are extra beneficial as they’re high in fibre.

* Five portions of fruits and vegetables each day. Including plenty of variety and multi-coloured options increases the amount of different vitamins and minerals you’ll get.

* Food such as meat, fish, eggs and pulses that are packed with protein. Try and aim to eat two portions of fish per week, including one portion of oily fish.

* Dairy foods, such as milk, yogurt and cheese, which contain calcium.

 

As at any time, regardless of whether you’re pregnant or not, it’s good to keep fatty and sugary foods to a minimum. It’s also worth bearing in mind that not gorging on cream cakes and pastries will help you later on, as you’ll have less excess weight to lose when you’ve had your baby!

 

 

You need to be careful with some foods as there are a number of infections that could harm your baby. The main food-related infections are listeria, which is caught through eating unpasteurised soft cheese or unwashed fruit, toxoplasmosis, which is caught through eating undercooked meat and salmonella, which causes food poisoning.

 

To guard against these infections:

 

* Avoid eating soft, ripened cheeses (e.g. brie and camembert), blue veined cheeses (e.g. stilton), feta cheese and all unpasteurised cheeses.

* Avoid eating pate and any other products containing liver.

* Avoid raw meats, such as salami.

* Wash fruits, vegetables and salads carefully before eating them.

* Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly.

* Avoid raw or undercooked eggs or foods containing them as ingredients, such as mousse, meringue, mayonnaise or sorbet.

* Avoid unpasteurised milk from cows, sheep or goats.

* Avoid soft, whipped ice cream – e.g. as sold from some ice cream vans.

* Avoid raw or undercooked shellfish.

* Avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin.

* Limit your tuna intake to no more than two tuna steaks or four medium sized cans per week. This applies to when you’re breastfeeding too.

* Avoid eating pies, pastries, cold buffet foods or cold meats that are sold loose.

* If you’re re-heating convenience foods, always follows the instructions on the packet and ensure they’re thoroughly cooked.

 

 

When it comes to drinks, there are a few issues to be aware of, mostly with caffeine and alcohol.

 

Experts recommend that caffeine is limited during pregnancy to 300mg per day. Studies have shown that more than 300mg a day is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, having a baby with birth defects or a low birthweight. The caffeine quantities in drinks are:

 

One mug of instant coffee – 100mg

One cup of instant coffee – 75mg

One cup of tea – 50mg

One cup of brewed coffee – 100mg

One can of cola – 40mg

One 50g bar of plain chocolate – 50mg

One 50g bar of milk chocolate – 25mg

One can of energy drink – 80mg

 

It’s also important to note that some painkillers and medicines have caffeine in too, so always check read the packaging of over-the-counter products and check with your pharmacist or doctor if you’re unsure.

 

It’s always been advised that women limit alcohol during pregnancy (to one or two units per week), but as of May 2007 this advice was revised. Experts now recommend women avoid alcohol completely when they’re pregnant. This is because it’s known that any amount of alcohol, however small, can pass through the bloodstream to the placenta and the baby. Alcohol can affect the usual functioning of the foetus and can have an effect on normal development.

 

Rachel Newcombe