What to eat while pregnant

What to eat while pregnant and what foods to avoid

Pregnant? Congratulations! Have fun. Treat yourself, it's important!

I suppose you've already read quite a few articles/posts about what to eat and not to eat during pregnancy. You've probably also heard that you’re eating for two, well that's not exactly true. 

You may not necessarily be eating for two but you have a definite responsibility here for two (or more ...) therefore, responsible eating is a pregnancy must!

What do I mean by responsible eating? You need to know what to avoid and what to reduce and very possibly adopt some new rules.

Avoid food poisoning

The likelihood of food poisoning during pregnancy is much higher than before you were carrying, so what may have caused just mild illness in a non maternal woman may lead to severe illness and may possibly endanger your unborn baby. Therefore, care should be taken especially when eating out and in unfamiliar places. Stay away from foods that it is unclear as to when the food was prepared, such as ready-made salads in buffets, airports, or any time of self serve foods. 

In recent years, the FDA and the American Dietetic Association, have published a list of foods that you should avoid eating during pregnancy:

• Raw meat or meat that has not been cooked long enough – such as carpaccio, tartar steak, and steak cooked rare. 

• When preparing ground beef or handling raw meat/chicken or fish at home, special care should be taken. Make sure to wash your hands with soap after handling uncooked meat and or poultry and avoid accidentally touching your mouth. 

• Avoid Raw fish - that means no sushi, ceviche, or sashimi. Also, vegetarian sushi should be avoided because it is prepared on the same work surface where sushi with raw fish is prepared and contamination easily passes through surfaces. It is possible to make homemade sushi while strictly separating the work surfaces between vegetarian and regular sushi. Some Sushi Restaurants have special menus or accommodations for pregnant women, so make sure you ask.  

• Smoked meat and smoked fish - The smoking process is not enough to reduce the amount of dangerous bacteria. Such food should only be eaten if heated to a temp that produces steam.

• Large fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish may contain high levels of mercury. In 2004, the FDA recommended that sensitive populations such as women trying to conceive, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children should avoid these foods completely, while canned tuna should be limited to two cans per week.

• Raw eggs/undercooked eggs  - eggs with runny yolks such as eggs cooked sunny side up and soft boiled egg should be avoided. 

• All foods containing raw eggs such as Caesar salad dressing, or homemade mayonnaise and desserts such as tiramisu should be avoided. Also,  when making cakes, avoid tasting the batter if it has eggs.

• Sprouts of all kinds, including alfalfa sprouts, may have bacteria, so make sure you wash thoroughly with soap and water before consuming.  

• Cheeses or juices that have not been pasteurized. This is not the time to go cheese tasting or to buy natural juices at the flea market stall. These foods are sensitive to the development of dangerous bacteria and should only be consumed if they have been pasteurized. You should also avoid ripe cheeses such as Camber, Brie, and moldy cheeses such as Blue cheese and Rouqfourt cheese unless explicitly prepared with pasteurized milk.

• Expired products, this sounds obvious, right? Not always, sometimes we rush through the supermarket and we don’t always check the expiration date.  Make sure to Look at the expiration date while buying the products in the supermarket.

• Fruits and vegetables should be rinsed well with soap and water.

• It is also advisable to skip not ordering salads or other cold-served foods such as cold sandwiches, foods cooked or stored at high temperatures are best as they keep foods free of bacteria.  

Better hygiene in the home kitchen:

The CDC recommends washing your hands for 20 consecutive seconds, at least 10 times a day (especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers). But hey, we’re all experts at hygiene after COVID-19. I personally keep a large bottle of alcohol gel in my kitchen and every time before touching food I make sure to give it a squeeze. Refrigerate food properly – keep meat and uncooked foods separately from fruits and vegetables. The most dangerous temperature range for the development of harmful bacteria in food is between 4 and 60 degrees Celsius. Food should be stored at a low or high temp. Remember the "two hours rule", food that was at room temp two hours or more must be thrown out. If left out in a room with a temperature of 32 degrees Celsius or more (during summer), for over an hour, make sure to toss. 

Food cravings during pregnancy: 

You may be craving certain foods or food combinations that may never have appealed to you before you were pregnant. This is fine and very normal - don’t fight the urge, your body is telling you something.  As long as you follow the guidelines you will be fine. 

Foods to avoid when pregnant:

Salt - Beware of very salty foods like salty cheeses, pickles, and foods that were heavily salted pre-cooking.   

Alcohol - In the past, moderate alcohol consumption has been permitted during pregnancy, but in recent years the recommendation has been to avoid it altogether. Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and passes to the placenta of the fetus quickly. Research now shows that it is best to avoid alcohol altogether during pregnancy. 

• Avoid Raw fish - that means no sushi, ceviche, or sashimi. Also, vegetarian sushi should be avoided because it is prepared on the same work surface where sushi with raw fish is prepared and contamination easily passes through surfaces. It is possible to make homemade sushi while strictly separating the work surfaces between vegetarian and regular sushi. Some Sushi Restaurants have special menus or accommodations for pregnant women, so make sure you ask.  

• When preparing ground beef or handling raw meat/chicken or fish at home, special care should be taken. Make sure to wash your hands with soap after handling uncooked meat and or poultry and avoid accidentally touching your mouth. 

• Raw meat or meat that has not been cooked long enough – such as carpaccio, tartar steak, and rare steak. 

• 

• Smoked meat and Smoked Fish - The smoking process is not enough to reduce the number of dangerous bacteria. Such food should only be eaten if heated to a temp that produces steam.

• Large fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish may contain high levels of mercury. In 2004, the FDA recommended that sensitive populations such as women trying to conceive, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children should avoid these foods completely, while canned tuna should be limited to cans per week.

• Raw eggs/undercooked eggs  - eggs with runny yolks such as eggs cooked sunny side up and soft boiled egg should be avoided. 

• All foods containing raw eggs such as Caesar salad dressing, or homemade mayonnaise and desserts such as tiramisu should be avoided. Also,  when making cakes, avoid tasting the batter if it has eggs.

• Sprouts of all kinds, including alfalfa sprouts, may have bacteria, so make sure you wash thoroughly with soap and water before consuming.  

• Cheeses or juices that have not been pasteurized. This is not the time to go cheese tasting or to buy natural juices at the flea market stall. These foods are sensitive to the development of dangerous bacteria and should only be consumed if they have been pasteurized. You should also avoid ripe cheeses such as Camber, Brie, and moldy cheeses such as Blue cheese and Rouqfourt cheese unless explicitly prepared with pasteurized milk.

• 

• Expired products, this sounds obvious, right? Not always, sometimes we rush through the supermarket and we don’t always check the expiration date.  Make sure to Look at the expiration date while buying the products in the supermarket.

• Fruits and vegetables should be rinsed well with soap and water.

• It is also advisable to skip not ordering salads or other cold-served foods such as cold sandwiches, foods cooked or stored at high temperatures are best as they keep foods free of bacteria.  

• Coffee - Moderate intake of caffeine (around three cups a day) is considered safe. Take into consideration that Caffeine is found in tea, chocolate, and Coca-Cola.

• Artificial Sweeteners - The name of the artificial sweetener should appear in the "ingredients" of the product and it is recommended to pay attention to what sweetener is used

The official position of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is that approved sweeteners are also suitable for pregnant women. It should be taken into consideration that most clinical trials on sweeteners are done in laboratory animals. The following artificial sweeteners should be avoided. 

• Saccharin - Currently in low use over the past few years but is still found in many beverages. Saccharin crosses the placenta and remains in the embryonic tissue for a period of time so its safety is questionable.

• Cyclamate - Not allowed in the US but allowed in other countries such as Israel. Not commonly used. Not recommended for use during pregnancy.

• Sucralose ("Splenda") - Sucralose is safe for use during pregnancy as it does not cross the placenta. 

• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet) - Aspartame is considered safe to use during pregnancy. It's also not secreted in breast milk, so you won't pass it to your baby when you're nursing. You may find, however, that aspartame gives you a headache. Don't worry: it won't harm you or your baby. But you may want to avoid aspartame for your own comfort. 

What to eat while pregnant:

Ok so we told you all of the things to avoid, so what should you eat? Don’t stress too much about it - eat as healthy as possible - fruits, vegetables, proteins and carbs - prenatal vitamins and avoid processed foods whenever possible. The important thing is to eat foods that make you feel good, these foods are more than likely to be good for you. 

• Wishing you an easy, healthy, and beautiful pregnancy
  Tal Peleg - Certified Clinical Dietitian