Many women, especially first-time mothers, may get conflicting advice about a number of pregnancy-related issues, including what is and isn’t safe to eat.
If you’re pregnant, it’s important to have a healthy diet to ensure the health of your baby.
These toxins can cause serious illnesses, and they can affect your baby’s development. You should avoid or limit consuming certain foods and beverages while you’re pregnant. Discuss your diet with your doctor and let them know about any questions, concerns, or symptoms you have.
Any raw or undercooked food can have bacteria in it. Because of this, you should make sure that all food you eat has been cooked thoroughly. In particular, certain foods are known to carry Salmonella, such as:
chicken
shellfish
eggs
Pregnant women should also wash their hands after handling eggs because Salmonella is commonly present on the shells. You should also rinse eggs thoroughly before cooking.
Limit your caffeine intake
It’s safe to have moderate amounts of caffeine while you’re pregnant.
However, caffeine is a stimulant and can increase you and your developing baby’s heart rate and blood pressure. According to the America Pregnancy Association, pregnant women should consume no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day. Caffeine is present in:
coffee
certain teas
certain sodas
chocolate
Avoid honey
Honey may contain the bacteria that cause botulism or other toxins that can be harmful for pregnant and breast-feeding women.
These toxins can also potentially harm your developing baby or infant younger than 1 year old. You should avoid eating honey while you’re pregnant, and you should also avoid giving honey to children under 1 year old.