TEN FOODS TO AVOID
To protect your and your baby’s health, make sure to avoid these top 10 food nasties
1 UNPASTEURISED DAIRY Say goodbye to all your soft, smelly cheeses, such as brie, camembert and blue cheese – feta, too, if it hasn’t been pasteurised. That’s because unpasteurised cheeses, milk and other dairy products are more likely to grow bacteria, such as listeria. Pregnant women are more susceptible to getting infected by this nasty little germ. It can cause an illness called listeriosis, which is usually mild for you but it can harm your baby and, in rare cases, even lead to miscarriage or death. Here’s the good news: nowadays many soft cheeses and feta are made with pasteurised milk, in which case they’re perfectly fine to eat. Always check the label to be sure and practise this golden rule: if in doubt, leave it out. 2 FISH HIGH IN MERCURY Bigger fish live longer and are higher on the food chain, and the more other fish they eat, the more mercury is accumulated in their meat. Mercury is a neurotoxin that can build up in your bloodstream and can harm your baby. However, seafood is a great source of protein, iron and zinc – all crucial for your baby’s growth, while the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish help your baby’s brain development. So eat fish in moderation, just make sure it’s the kind that’s low in mercury and high in omega 3s, such as anchovies, herring, sardines and trout. A study by marine scientist Brent Newman at the CSIR found swordfish, kingklip, cape salmon and yellowfin tuna to be the South African fish with the highest mercury contents. 3 RAW OR UNDERCOOKED EGGS Raw or undercooked eggs may carry the salmonella bacteria. Salmonella poisoning is unlikely to harm baby, but it will make you unpleasantly ill. So lay off the eggs benedict and – get ready for horrible news – avoid foods such as meringues, chocolate mousse and tiramisu, which all contain uncooked eggs. Most commercial mayonnaises are made with pasteurised eggs and are okay to eat, but check the label to be sure. 4 PROCESSED MEATS Polony, salami, ham, hot dogs... they all carry a risk of listeria. It’s a low risk, but rather be safe than sorry and either avoid these meats or heat them to more than 73°C to kill off any bacteria. 5 RAW SHELLFISH Raw shellfish, such as oysters, mussels, scallops, clams, shrimp, crabs and crayfish, may contain bacteria, viruses and toxins that can make you quite ill. If you eat shellfish, always make sure it’s been thoroughly cooked. 6 LIVER Too much liver and foods rich in liver, such as pâté, are a no-no, because they contain high levels of retinol, a type of vitamin A. Too much retinol can build up in your body, which can be harmful to baby. But don’t avoid vitamin A completely – it’s important to keep your skin, eyes and immune system healthy. Get it in good amounts by eating a diet that includes butter, eggs, cheese, oily fish, carrots and broccoli. 7 RAW MEAT Say goodbye to rare steaks – undercooked meat and poultry has a risk of carrying listeria, salmonella and the toxoplasma parasite (also found in cat litter). This last one can lead to toxoplasmosis, which is a flu-like illness that may be mild for you, but potentially serious for baby, even causing miscarriage or death. 8 SUSHI (BUT NOT ALWAYS) In Japan sushi is considered healthy in pregnancy. But in the West it’s been advised against because raw fish such as salmon can contain small parasitic worms, which have the potential to make you ill and in rare cases can be fatal. So should you or shouldn’t you eat sushi? The latest word from the UK’s National Health Service’s advisers is that eating sushi while pregnant is “usually safe”. Follow these basic rules and you should have no trouble: • If it’s raw fish, make sure it’s been frozen first, as this should kill off worms. • If it’s cured fish, such as smoked salmon, it doesn’t need to be frozen because smoking, pickling and salting should kill off worms. • Only eat shellfish that’s well cooked. 9 SUGAR Studies show that moms who consume loads of sugar during pregnancy give birth to babies “addicted” to sugar, which puts them at risk of health problems, such as diabetes. Too much sugar also increases your risk of gestational diabetes. You don’t have to be diabetic or even prone to diabetes to suffer from gestational diabetes, so reduce your risk by laying off the sugar! 10. TOO MUCH CAFFEINE Avoid coffee, tea and soft drinks that contain caffeine. Three cups of coffee a day or more can decrease blood flow to the placenta and affect baby’s growth. It’s also a diuretic that causes your body to lose fluids containing essential vitamins. If you really need your daily fix, don’t go over the recommended maximum of 200mg a day. YP