10 New Food Trends Pregnant Women Should Ditch

Any woman who is expecting wants the best nutrition for herself and her baby. That is why you start incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet and eating fortified cereals and breads. You read up on what nutrients are key to your baby’s development. But have you considered what to avoid? Here are the ten new food trends that are not for pregnant ladies.

1 Raw eggs

Consuming raw eggs puts you at the risk of Toxoplasma and Salmonella. When an unborn child is infected with these, serious health issues can occur. Now, I know most ladies are on the Rocky diet of freshly cracked egg yolks in the morning, but there are some recipes out there that call for raw eggs which are trending.

You are going to have to look out for homemade Caesar dressing, bearnaise and hollandaise sauce. Mayonnaise too. Also, if you decide to make a batch of cookies, do not eat the raw cookie dough.

2 Canned tuna

That means you have to avoid tuna pate, sushi, and the like. It is not just tuna either, but any fish that could potentially be high in mercury. The five to avoid completely are shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and tuna. Consuming trace amounts of mercury while you are pregnant actually can make your breast milk toxic.

Instead, opt for wild caught salmon, shrimp, trout, and pollock if you must have seafood. Also, smoked salmon and whitefish unless heated up are out. Sorry, no more lox for you. Unless you want to risk getting listeriosis.

3 Unpasteurized cheese

Everyone loves cheese. And feta is all the rage right now. But there is a hidden danger in raw, unpasteurized cheese that will not necessarily affect you, but it could potentially harm your baby. Unpasteurized cheese is often linked to Listeria, which is caused by Listeriosis.

For women who are not with child, listeria can cause flu-like symptoms. Yet, for those with a growing baby, listeria can actually cause miscarriage, premature labor, and severe illnesses.

Here is a list of some popular cheeses that are commonly unpasteurized so you know what to avoid:

• Feta
• Asiago
• Brie
• Cheddar
• Gouda
• Gorgonzola
• Halloumi
• Pecorino (and all variants)
• Provolone

The good news is that Mozzarella is safe.

4 Raw sprouts

Love adding a heap of mung bean, alfalfa, clover, radish, broccoli sprouts to your salad or stirfry? A new health craze that cannot possibly do any harm, right? Well, for pregnant ladies, raw is a no-no. Even with vegetables and fruits. Bacteria can get into the sprouts through cracks in the shell.

Since sprouts are rarely cooked, you could be consuming bacteria that is dangerous to your unborn baby. Always wash your produce, and be sure to avoid fruits and veggies with cuts, bruises, or other damages.

5 Double coffee

Thought for adults the safe level for caffeine is up to 200 milligrams a day, just remember that for 9 months, you are not a singular entity anymore. That means your baby could wind up swimming in caffeine. Though your baby will not overdose, high levels of caffeine may cause increased blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythms.

Read also – 10 Healthy Fiber-Rich Foods

6 “Natural” energy boosters

On that note, just skip all the “energy” drinks and other natural supplements out there on the market, okay? Excessive consumption of all of these things are not only proven to be unsafe for adults, they are not meant to be taken when pregnant. So steer clear of guarana, ginseng, green tea extract, and yerba mate.

7 Fried desserts

Yes, fried Twinkies and Oreos might be the greatest thing since ice cream floats, but you have to stay away from trans fats. Trans fats sharply increase LDL cholesterol. This is bad for you, because you will be gaining an unhealthy amount of weight. But it also puts your baby at risk for a lower than average size or weight. Also, high cholesterol can cause endometriosis and infertility.

8 Unripe papaya

A popular ingredient at the some Thai and Asian restaurants. While ripe papaya is okay, unripe papaya, which is a yellowish-green, almost like avocado but with seeds, has a latex substance in it that may trigger uterine contractions. This substance acts like the naturally produced hormones oxytocin and prostaglandin. These hormones are involved in commencing labor. When in doubt about what is used in your Asian noodle dinner, ask.

9 Powdered pancake mix

Love whipping up a box of powdered Aunt Jemima pancakes in the morning? Sorry to say, but in order to give Auntie’s pancakes that delectable fluffiness, companies continue to add partially hydrogenated oils to the mix. This becomes a trans fat upon digestion. So while pancake art might seem like a good idea, make sure you are using homemade, all natural ingredients. The same goes for boxed cake and waffle mix.

10 High-sodium food

The ever popular microwaveable meal is often glutted on sodium. While pregnant ladies often crave salt, it is not your friend. Pregnancy already causes you to bloat, swell, and retain water.

Too much sodium will only worsen those conditions. Other places you will find more sodium than what is necessary are breads, crackers, processed deli meats, cheese, and fruit cups. Steer clear of cup noodles, too, which are virtually salt and preservatives.

Read also – 10 Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

There is a lot of bad in the food we eat, and as women, it is key to make sure we are not passing these toxins onto our growing babies. Take special care with everything you pick up when you are hungry. Opt for organic, natural, and unprocessed foods so your baby will be a healthy bundle of joy.

Womanitely does not provide any professional medical advice. The information mentioned above is provided for educational purpose only.