Pregnancy is a special stage. At this time, the pregnant mother's diet not only affects herself, but also affects the baby. So the nutrition during pregnancy is exceptionally special.

Basically, the diet of pregnant women can still follow the general recommendations for adult diet- Low-sugar, low-fat, low-salt, high-protein diet, with more whole foods, diversified fruits and vegetables. However, under this dietary basis, there are certain foods that are not recommended for pregnant women to consume. The author refers toInformation from the National Health Service, to sort out some foods that should be avoided during pregnancy:

【Foods not recommended during pregnancy】

Dairy products

What to avoid: White mold-ripened cheese (with a layer of white mold on the surface; common styles: Camembert, Brie Cheese), Blue mold-ripened cheese (common styles: Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort), any dairy products that have not been pasteurized.

Why：Unpasteurised dairy products may contain listeria. This bacteria can causes an infection called listeriosis. There's a small chance listeriosis can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell. If you really want to eat this kind of food,Please eat it after it was thoroughly cooked.

Meat

What to avoid: Raw meat and its products (including some European canned meat spreads), liver and liver products.

Why: There's a small risk of getting toxoplasmosis if you eat raw and undercooked meat, which can cause miscarriage. If you really want to eat this kind of food,Please eat it after it was thoroughly cooked. Besides,liver and liver products are rich in vitamin A,Excessive vitamin A may affect fetal health.

Fishes

What to avoid: Raw shellfish, Oily fish (Generally white fish only contain oil in the liver, while oily fish have oil in the soft tissue and the intestinal lumen around the intestine. The total amount of oil of oily fish is more than that of white fish. common oily fish: swordfish, shark).

Why: Uncooked raw shellfish may carry harmful pathogens. If you really want to eat this kind of food,Please eat it after it was thoroughly cooked. Besides,Oily fish may contain more environmental pollutants (such as: Dioxin, PCBs). Excessive intake of oily fish may affect the health of the fetus.

Other

What to avoid: Caffeine, alcohol.

Why：Currently, the official recommendation of caffeine intake is 200 mg per day for pregnant women. However, there are somedatashowing that even if pregnant women who consume caffeine within the recommended amount, their fetuses are still born smaller than the children of pregnant women who have not consumed caffeine drinks at all. Therefore, the author recommended that pregnant women should avoid caffeine intake. Alcohol intake can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature delivery, and low birth weight. It may also affect the health of the fetus after birth (such as behavioural problems and learning difficulties). It is recommended that pregnant women do not consume it at all.

In general,for pregnant women, it is not recommended to consume【raw food】,【unpasteurised dairy products】,【liver and liver products】,【oily fish】,【caffeine drinks】, and【alcohol】. For other details, interested readers can refer to the relevant health education website in the links of this page.

〈The author is former Attending Physician in National Taiwan University Hospital, and Master of Science from National Taiwan University〉