Every expectant mom knows there are certain foods that should be avoided during pregnancy to protect the health of their unborn baby. The list, however, has become so long and so controversial that it’s difficult to know which foods/drinks actually pose a health risk and which ones are actually safe for consumption.
When it comes to pregnancy, there are certain foods that should most definitely be avoided. Foods that are too high in mercury or Vitamin A can pose a health risk to your baby, as can foods that are known to cause foodborne illness such as Listeriosis and Salmonella poisoning.
If you’re worried about your diet, talk to your doctor to find out exactly what foods you can or cannot eat. In the meantime, you should definitely avoid eating the following 10 foods which have been proven to be the most dangerous when it comes to pregnancy.
If you don’t cut anything else out of your diet during your pregnancy, make sure you remove the following foods:
1. Feta Cheese
Feta is a popular form of cheese, used in many salads and pastas and adored by food connoisseurs all over the world. If you’re a cheese lover who craves it even more during pregnancy, it’s important to know what cheese is safe. Unfortunately, this type of cheese (along with other soft, unpasteurized cheese which we talk about later in this article) has been linked to foodborne illness.
The most popular foodborne illness linked with this particular type of cheese is Listeriosis. In general, if you aren’t pregnant, consuming foods with Listeria would cause flu-like symptoms and not have any lasting effect or damage to your health. But if you are pregnant, avoid any cheeses that have “unpasteurized” on the label and opt for safer choices like mozzarella cheese instead. When infected with Listeriosis, there’s risk of a miscarriage, premature labor, and severe illness. Interestingly, some meats are also a risk to pregnant women because they may contain listeria. Keep reading to learn about these meats.