You want to avoid raw fish and shellfish, including sushi during your pregnancy. When you eat raw fish none of the bacteria present are killed as they usually are when you cook it.
Raw fish is okay when you're not pregnant, but your baby is unable to fight off illness caused by bacteria in raw fish.
Soft, Raw, Lightly Cooked Eggs
If you like your eggs a little on the runny side you need to give it up while you're pregnant. Not only do you need to not eat soft or lightly cooked eggs themselves, you need to watch for foods that have raw eggs in them. The biggest culprit of this is Caesar Salad.
Unpasteurized Juices
The process of pasteurization heats up the juice and kills any bacteria present. When you don't use this process there are still bacteria present that can make you and the baby sick.
Raw Sprouts ~ Especially Alfalfa Sprouts
Sprouts are grown in the ground. The ground has many bacteria present. When the sprouts are grown the bacteria becomes part of the sprout. They are killed when the sprouts are cooked, but if you eat them raw you put you and your baby at risk.
Soft or Unpasteurized Cheeses
This includes cheeses like Brie, and Camembert. These cheeses may have bacteria that can cause food poisoning, and you want to avoid that while pregnant.
Unpasteurized Milk
Unpasteurized milk provides the same issues as cheese and eggs. The bacteria living in the milk are not killed since there has been no heating through pasteurization. This leaves them available to cause food poisoning in those who have weakened immune systems, including unborn babies.
Make sure you avoid not only unpasteurized milk, but any foods that may contain it.
Herbal Supplements and Teas
Herbal supplement often contain herbs that are counterindicated for pregnancy. There are some herbs that can actually induce labor. This is great when you are past your due date but could be fatal for an unborn baby who is not ready to be born. It is best to avoid herbal supplements, and teas.
You want to make sure you maintain a healthy pregnancy diet, and that includes knowing which foods you need to avoid. If you avoid the above mentioned foods you will be less likely to get sick and harm your baby.
