During pregnancy we should take extra care of our diet. There are many foods which can cause harm to pregnant and baby both. Here are some precautions to take and foods which you should not during pregnancy.
Precaution you should take while preparing foods during pregnancy
- Wash your hands before, during, and after you handle food.
- Wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil, which may contain toxoplasma. Wash the skin of all raw vegetables and fruit well. This can cause toxoplasmosis, which can harm you and your baby.
- Heat ready-meals until they are piping hot all the way through. This is especially important for meals containing poultry. Cook meat, poultry, seafood, fish, and eggs well. Hot dogs and deli meats should be heated until steaming hot.
- Keep leftovers covered in the fridge and use within two days.
- Check “best before” dates on food packages. Do not eat the food after that date has passed.
Foods you should not eat
- Supplements containing vitamin A. Don’t take high dose multivitamin supplements,
fish the liver oil supplements or any supplements containing vitamin A. - Foods made with raw eggs, or that contain eggs that are not fully cooked.
- Unpasteurised milk. Drink only pasteurised or UHT milk which has been pasteurised. If only raw or green-top milk is available, boil it first. Don’t drink unpasteurised goats’ or sheep’s milk or eat certain food that is made out of
them, e.g. soft goats’ cheese. - Raw fish and food made with raw fish (for example, sushi).
- Raw or undercooked meat. Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so that there is no trace of pink or blood. Take particular care with sausages and minced meat. It is fine to eat steaks and other whole cuts of beef and lamb rare, as long as the outside has been properly cooked or sealed.
- Raw seafood such as oysters and clams
- Juices that are not pasteurized, such as unpasteurized apple cider.
- Patés, meat spreads, smoked seafood, and fish products that are not in a can.