Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy

Filed in archive Pregnancy and Nutrition on January 28, 2008

When you're pregnant, whatever you eat, your baby gets, too. However, what may be fine for you may pose health risks for your unborn child. Here are some foods to avoid when you're pregnant:

1. Fish that are notoriously high in methylymercury such as Swordfish, shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and, to a certain extent, canned albacore tuna fish. This heavy metal is detrimental to your baby's brain development.

2. Raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood (like raw oysters, clams, sushi), and eggs (including eggs in cookie dough and cake batter), as they may be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria and viruses.

3. Unpasteurized dairy foods, including some milk and cheeses, as they may habor Listeria monocytogenes, a bacteria that causes listeriosis, which may result in miscarriage, stillbirth, or other serious health problems.

There's more. See the rest of the list at WebMD.