mamma&meWhat NOT to eat during pregnancy: practical list
They take away certain things but leave many — and substitutions exist for almost everything. Here's a clear list.
Always avoid
- Raw fish (sushi, sashimi, carpaccio, tartare)
- Raw or undercooked meat (beef carpaccio, rare burgers, salami and prosciutto crudo unless you have Toxoplasma immunity)
- Unpasteurized milk and cheeses
- Raw or undercooked eggs (homemade tiramisù, homemade mayo, soft-boiled)
- High-mercury fish: bluefin tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel
- Alcohol — even for cooking
- Liver in large amounts (vitamin A excess)
Limit
- Caffeine: max 200 mg/day (≈ 2 espresso shots)
- Liquorice teas, high-dose herbs (ask your pharmacy)
- Excess industrial smoked foods
Everything else is fine
Pasteurized cheeses (industrial mozzarella, ricotta, cream cheese, parmigiano), well-cooked low-mercury fish, salami only if Toxoplasma immune (your early tests will tell you), cooked ham.
General information, not medical advice. Every decision about your health and your baby's belongs to your midwife or doctor — and if it's urgent, to your emergency number.
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