Pregnancy is one of the most important and sensitive period a woman goes through. So it is important for to-be-mother to pay close attention to what to eat and not to eat. There are different types of foods that can help in nourishing the body of both baby in the womb and to-be-mother. Maintaining a healthy diet is very important. At this time the body needs additional nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. A nutrient lacking diet will negatively affect baby’s development. Expecting mothers should make sure that they are not eating harmful food.  According to Dr. Garima Tyagi, there are some foods which can harm both the baby and mother for the long term. These foods should never be included in the diet regime.

Let us now check 5 types of foods to avoid during pregnancy:

 

1. Undercooked or raw fish–

Raw fish and shellfish are sometimes contaminated with bacteria and parasites. This bacteria is generally found in soil and contaminated water or plants. Raw fish causes many types of infections i.e. viral, bacterial or parasitic such as Norovirus, Vibrio, Salmonella, and Listeria.

Pregnant women are more likely to get infected by Listeria infection. In the case of pregnancy, some fishes may affect the mother, causing dehydration or weakness whereas in some cases the infection can pass to the unborn child which can be dangerous for their life. The unborn child gets infected from Listeria through the placenta, even though the mother is not showing any sign. It leads to delivery miscarriage, stillbirth, and more health problems.

2.Caffeine –

Caffeine is not recommended during pregnancy as it increases both heart rate and blood pressure as it will directly affect the health of the mother and unborn baby. Caffeine also increases the frequency of urination thus causing a reduction in body fluid level further leads to dehydration. High caffeine intake during pregnancy also causes risk of low birth weight at delivery. This also leads to miscarriage.

So pregnant women are advised to limit their caffeine intake to 200mg per day i.e. about 2-3 cups a day.

3. Processed Junk Food –

Pregnant women need high essential nutrients i.e. Protein, folate, iron, calcium etc. Though a pregnant woman is eating for her yet-to-be-born baby she does not need to have twice the calories. 350-500 calories are enough per day during all the three trimesters. There are fewer nutrients and high calories, sugar, and fats in processed junk food. Little weight gain is necessary but excess weight gain leads to many complications and diseases. Processed junk food causes the risk of diabetes as well as birth complications and the risk of having an overweight child.

4. Alcohol-

A pregnant woman should completely avoid alcohol. It also higher the risk of miscarriage. Even consuming a small amount of alcohol it can damage the brain development of the child. No alcohol is considered safe during pregnancy as it increases the risk of fetal alcohol syndrome. In this alcohol enters into the baby’s bloodstream through the placenta. Drinking in the first trimester of pregnancy may increase the risk of the premature birth of the child. So during pregnancy, it is advised to avoid consumption of alcohol completely.

5. Raw or undercooked eggs-

A pregnant woman should never take raw or undercooked eggs. It has harmful salmonella bacteria that causes food poisoning. It leads to diarrhea, vomiting, headache, stomachache, high fever. Your immune system gets weak and is very harmful to your child. It also affects baby’s development. Custards, ice cream, mayonnaise, desserts including mousse should be avoided as it contains raw eggs.

It is important to be very careful while a woman is expecting. Because it is worth to keep a track of everything as she is entering the world of the motherhood. Thus taking care of the baby and herself is the utmost priority.