foods-to-avoidRaw Meat ? Avoid uncooked seafood and undercooked beef or poultry

Deli meat ? This is safe if it is toasted or heated to kill bacteria

Unpasteurized anything ? cheeses, milk, juices, ciders ? soft cheeses made with pasteurized milk are safe.

Smoked seafood ? Refrigerated, smoked seafood should be avoided.

Raw shellfish ? Including clams, oysters, and mussels. Cooked shrimp is safe.

Raw eggs ? Watch out for homemade salad dressings, mayonnaise, and ice cream. Also avoid cookie dough or cake batters. Cook eggs thoroughly, until the yolk is firm.

Pate ? refrigerated pate or meat spreads

Unwashed vegetables

Fish is healthy and contains fatty ? 3 omega acids which are excellent for your baby?s brain development in addition to being a great source of protein, but you need to limit your consumption of any fish to less than 2-6 oz servings per week to prevent exposure to too much mercury. Mercury in large amounts, may damage the brain and nervous system of fetuses and young children. Fish with the highest levels of mercury include shark, swordfish king mackerel and tilefish and these should be avoided altogether. These precautions are also for breastfeeding moms and children under age 3.

Vegetarian diet ? Be sure you are getting enough protein. You will probably need to take supplements, especially iron, B12 and vitamin D.

Lactose intolerance ? During pregnancy, symptoms of lactose intolerance often improve. If you are still having problems, you may need a calcium supplement. Calcium can also be found in cheese, yogurt, sardins, certain types of salmon, spinach, and fortified orange juice.

Artificial Sweeteners – These are OK to use but we would recommend limiting it to 1-2 servings per day. You should avoid the use of saccharin (Sweet-N-Low) while pregnant. If you have diabetes the artificial sweeteners are better than sugar to help control our blood sugars.

Caffeine ? Up to 200 mg of caffeine a day is safe in pregnancy. This is approximately 1 cup of coffee. Energy drinks should be avoided.

Alcohol – There is o safe amount of alcohol calculated so we recommend avoinding all alcohol during pregnancy. Drinking alcohol can cause birth defects, mental retardation and abnormal brain development.

Smoking ? Smoking is one of the most harmful things you can do during pregnancy. The baby is exposed to all of the 2,500 chemicals in cigarettes which pass directly into the baby?s blood. It has been associated with low birth weight babies preterm delivery, placental abruption, stillbirth, and preterm premature rupture of membranes. In addition, after delivery children exposed to smoke in the home have increased risk of asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, and sudden death syndrome. Every cigarette counts. The less you smoke the better the outcome for you and your baby. Pregnancy is a great opportunity to quit cold turkey. If you need assistance please let us know.