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(Ditch These Foods!)

There is such a ton of Nutritional Do s & Don ts thrown at New Moms. We ve tried to organize the important Don ts for you with a handy easy-to-remember A-to-Z list.

Calm down - some of these items are NOT likely. However, you should be aware of them to avoid them, where possible.

Alcohol. Unfortunately for some, there is NO amount of alcohol that is known to be safe during pregnancy so alcohol should be avoided. Drinking during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome or other developmental disorders.

Brie. (imported) Like many soft cheeses and blue-veined cheese, this should be avoided as it may contain listeria (bacteria) which can cause miscarriage. Listeria can even cross the placenta and infect the baby leading to infection or blood poisoning which can be life threatening.

Other cheeses to avoid include:

Cambozola
Camembert
Chaumes
Gorgonzola
Roquefort
Stilton

Here s a little haiku to help you remember when in the cheese section:

Refrain, Refrain,

From Soft and Blue-Vein

"Soft cheese and deli meats cause approx 32% of the cases of listeriosis"

Caffeine. While most studies show that caffeine in moderation is okay, others show that it may increase the likelihood of miscarriage. So if you want to be extra safe, cut the caffeine, particularly in the first trimester.

The rule of thumb is to restrict caffeine intake to 300 mg per day. (Note there are about 260 mg of caffeine in one Starbucks Tall Coffee.).

Clams. (see Shellfish, Raw)

Duck pate. (as well as all other Pates)

Eggs, Raw. Raw eggs or any foods that contain raw eggs should be avoided because of the potential exposure to salmonella. Where will you find raw egg? Some homemade Caesar dressings, mayonnaise, homemade ice cream or custards, and Hollandaise sauces may be made with raw eggs. (When in doubt, ask!)

Fish. (local lake, streams- not bought in grocery store)

Fish habitating local lakes and streams can be exposed to industrial pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls. Yuck.

So, avoid these on a menu, when visiting a restaurant or purchasing:

Bluefish
Pike
Salmon, Farm Raised
Striped Bass
Trout
Walleye

Goat Cheese with a white rind (chevres) See Brie for an explanation.

High Mercury Fish. For a long time, medical science has known that mercury consumed during pregnancy has been linked to developmental delays and brain damage in babies. Fish known to be high in mercury include:

Farm raised salmon
Shark
Swordfish
King Mackerel
Tilefish.

This said, more recent data suggests it is extremely important for pregnant women to eat safe seafood. Here are the safe ones.

Inadequately Cooked Meat, Poultry and Seafood. These are to be avoided to avoid listeria. Even with deli meats, pregnant women are advised to cook until steamy before eating.

Junk Food. While you should honor occasional cravings for sweets, making a steady fare of junk food sounds as bad as it is for you and the baby. A study of baby rats whose mothers had been fed principally junk food showed that even when put on a normal diet later in life, these rats were more likely to grow up fat and with a greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.

King Mackerel. (see High Mercury Fish)

Listeria is a type of bacteria found in both water and soil. It has been found in uncooked meats, uncooked vegetables, unpasteurized milk, foods made from unpasteurized milk, and processed foods. The American Pregnancy Association web site

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/listeria.htmln

has an excellent discussion of this important topic, including guidance on how to avoid it. Pregnant women are more susceptible to listeria and advised to avoid potentially contaminated food sources, such as:

- Brie
- Deli meats
- Inadequately cooled meat poultry and seafood,
- Pate

Mussels. (see Shellfish, Raw [link to anchor in this section at Shellfish, Raw text)

Nicotine. Along with the number of well-known health risks associated with smoking for the mom, smoking during pregnancy leads to low birth weights. Smoking moms also have greater numbers of stillbirths and other pregnancy complications. The US Public Health Service has estimated that if all pregnant women stopped smoking, there would be 11% fewer stillbirths and 5% fewer newborn deaths.

Oysters. (see Shellfish, Raw [link to anchor in this section at Shellfish, Raw text)

Pate, especially refrigerated pate.

At a party or eyeing those gourmet goodies in a deli? For safety pass on the duck, goose, liver, even the vegetable pate. While canned or shelf-safe meat spreads can be eaten, refrigerated meat spreads may contain the pregnancy-unfriendly bacteria, listeria.

Queso Blanco, Queso Fresco These soft Mexican cheeses, like other soft cheeses.

Raw Meat.

Uncooked seafood and rare or undercooked beef and poultry should be avoided due to the risk of contamination with coliform bacteria, toxoplasmosis and salmonella.

Shellfish, Raw.

Is the source of the majority of seafood-related illnesses experienced during pregnancy. Food candidates high on your Avoid List should be oysters, clams and mussels.

Sushi dishes with swordfish, mackerel, shark and tilefish.

There is quite a bit of debate on whether sushi can be safely eaten during pregnancy. Falling on the side of safety, it is recommended to avoid the sushi dishes using high mercury fish.

Note It has been pointed out that sushi has been part of the recommended diet for pregnant Japanese women for centuries. Known for their stringent health standards, the Japanese government does not count sushi as a pregnancy risk. As the NY Times piece pointed out, health recommendations to avoid sushi are not based on scientific conclusions that unborn children have been damaged by sushi.

Toxoplasmosis.

Eating raw, cured or undercooked meat has been associated with toxoplasmosis, an infection that while not dangerous to moms, can harm the fetus. While relatively rare, toxoplasmosis causes the most severe damage to the fetus if a woman comes down with it in her first trimester.

Unpasteurized milk and other dairy products.

To minimize the risk of listeriosis (an infection associated with the bacteria listeria, pregnant women should be on the look out for any unpasteurized ingredients in their food.

Vegetables, Unwashed.

Again to minimize the risk of contracting toxoplasmosis [link to internal section topic, Toxoplosmosis], pregnant moms need to pay special attention to food safety, ensuring all their produce has been thoroughly washed.

XFood, Mystery Food. See something in a restaurant or at party that looks delish, but don t know what s in it? Suspect it may have raw seafood, unwashed produce or soft cheeses inside? Be wise: Find something on the table whose ingredients you know and trust.

Yogurt with Saccharin. (okay, anything with saccharin in it)

Although not nearly as frequently used as in the past, saccharin (also known by the brand name, Sweet N Low) still appears in many foods beverages. Earlier studies showed saccharin s use associated with increased risk to bladder cancer. Therefore, conservative moms generally avoid saccharin based foods as saccharin does cross the placenta and may remain in fetal tissue.

Zzzzzzzzzzzz. (Sleeping on your back)

(Okay- we cheated. Sleeping isn t eating. But without good sleep you cannot properly digest!) Many pediatricians recommend that early in your pregnancy, women get in the habit of sleeping on their side. This will ultimately not only be a more comfortable position as the baby s weight gains, but it keeps baby s weight off the large vein (the Inferior Vena Cava) that carries blood back to the heart from your feet and legs.