Eating & pregnancy
Eating a healthy balanced diet when you are pregnant is really important, to help your baby develop and grow, and to keep you fit and well and maintain your energy levels.
Eating healthily doesn't mean going on a special diet - rather it means eating a variety of foods each day to ensure that you and your growing baby get all the nutrients you need. See the fuel for life section for general advice about eating a balanced diet, or ask your doctor, midwife or health visitor for advice.
If you're on a restricted diet (e.g. gluten-free or vegan), you may find it helpful to have some extra advice on how to eat healthily during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor who may refer you to a dietician.
See below for information about certain foods you should avoid or cook carefully during pregnancy:
Cheese / pate
Hard cheeses (e.g. Cheddar), cottage cheese, processed cheese and cheese spreads are all safe to eat whilst you are pregnant.
However, you should avoid soft ripened cheeses (e.g. Brie, Camembert), similar blue-veined varieties, or cheese made from goat or sheep milk, because of the risk of Listeria infection. Similarly pate can also contain high levels of Listeria, so you should avoid all types of pate during pregnancy.
There is no need for you to avoid these foods before you know you are pregnant or after the baby is born, even if you are breastfeeding.
Listeriosis is a very rare disease, but even in its mildest form (which resembles flu) it can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in the newborn baby.
Milk
Do not drink raw milk from cows, sheep or goats, as this milk has not been heat-treated and may contain bacteria and other organisms which can cause illness. You should avoid risks by drinking only pasteurised, sterilised or UHT (ultra-heat treated) milk.
Eggs
Eggs may contain Salmonella bacteria which cause sickness and diarrhoea. Whilst Salmonellosis may have no direct effect on your unborn child, it is a distressing illness and therefore it is sensible to do your best to avoid it during pregnancy.
Whilst you are pregnant you should only eat eggs which are cooked until both the egg white and egg yolk are solid. Raw eggs or foods containing them (e.g. mousses, home made mayonnaise etc) should always be avoided.
Commercially produced products such as bottled mayonnaise are made with pasteurised eggs, so may be eaten safely. Some shops sell pasteurised egg products (in either liquid or dry form for use at home). These can be used safely in recipes that would otherwise require the use of raw or partially cooked eggs. Once opened or made up, these products should be treated as fresh egg and used straight away or stored in a refrigerator until needed.
Shellfish
It is advisable to avoid oysters, prawns, mussels, crabs, and other shelled seafood, unless they are part of a hot meal and have been thoroughly cooked. When raw these foods may be contaminated with harmful bacteria and viruses.
Ready cooked foods sold chilled and ready-to-eat poultry
Ready cooked foods sold chilled (not frozen) for the customer to eat cold or reheat at home, and ready-to-eat poultry, have been found to contain listeria. Therefore, to be on the safe side, make sure you reheat these food thoroughly (until they are piping hot) throughout, rather than eat them cold or lukewarm.
Poultry, meat and meat products
Avoid liver or liver products (e.g. liver pate or liver sausage) as they may contain a lot of vitamin A, too much of which could harm your baby.
Uncooked poultry and meat may be contaminated with bacteria which cause food poisoning. Raw meat may also contain Toxoplasma, an organism which can, in rare cases, affect the unborn child.
Bacteria and Toxoplasma are killed when you cook the meat at high temperatures, so cook all poultry and meat (including burgers and sausages) so that the juices run clear and there is no remaining blood or pinkness. Thoroughly wash your hands and all work surfaces which have been in contact with raw meat and poultry, after handling and preparation.
Fruit, vegetables and salads
Always wash these carefully to remove any soil and dirt which can carry bacteria and other organisms. Make sure that any soil is washed away from hands and surfaces also.
Peanuts
Avoid eating peanuts and foods containing peanut products if you, the baby's father or any previous children have a history of hayfever, asthma, eczema or other allergies. This may reduce the risk of your baby developing a potentially serious allergy to peanuts.
Hints & tips
- Store raw and cooked food away from each other. Keep raw meat and poultry on the bottom shelf of your fridge in a covered container to prevent juices dripping onto other foodstuffs.
- Wash your hands before and after preparing food (especially raw meat or poultry, soil covered vegetables and salad stuff).
- Don't eat raw or lightly cooked eggs and don't use them in recipes where no cooking is involved (use dried or pasteurised eggs instead).
- Use different chopping boards for preparing raw meat/poultry and other foods. Wash boards, knives and your hands carefully between preparation stages.
- Ensure you cook all meat and poultry until they are well done all the way through.
- When eating out (at friend's houses, parties, BBQs, restaurants, pubs etc) make sure any meat or poultry you eat is thoroughly cooked right through and is served piping hot.
- When reheating food, make sure it is piping hot throughout.
- Don't eat food that has passed the manufacturer's 'use by' date.
Other ways to have a healthy pregnancy:
Contacts
The contacts database contains details of organisations that may be able to offer information or assistance on this issue.
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Based on information obtained from the leaflet, "While you are pregnant: how to avoid infection from food and from contact with animals", produced for the Welsh Office by the Central Office of Information.
