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Food 'Does & Don'ts'
Friday 20th January 2017
During pregnancy it's important to pay special attention to your diet and avoid anything that may carry the risk of food poisoning.
It's normal to experience changes in your eating habits during pregnancy. You may suddenly go off a favourite food or have the urge for something out of the ordinary.
There are certain foods you should avoid while pregnant due to the risk of food poisoning. Likewise, there are plenty of foods that you might think are harmful for your developing baby, that aren't.
Knowing which foods are safe means you can satisfy your changing tastes while minimising any risks.
Playing it safe with sushi
The raw or lightly cooked wild fish used in sushi should be fine to eat during pregnancy, providing it has been frozen first. Freezing or cooking the fish kills any small parasitic worms that could make you unwell.
Any sushi made on restaurant or shop premises must be frozen first, so check with staff before you order. Ready-made sushi from a supermarket or sandwich shop is usually made with fish that has been frozen, so should be fine. If you're unsure, it's best to avoid varieties that contain raw fish, and choose sushi made with cooked fish instead.
Still unsure? Opt for:
Cooked seafood - unagi (eel) or ebi (shrimp)
Vegetable - kappa (cucumber)
California roll (avocado)
Fully cooked egg
Yes please to cheese
There's often confusion about whether it's safe to eat soft, mould-ripened cheese when pregnant. The answer is yes, providing it has been thoroughly cooked first. This means you can happily tuck into:
Camembert
Brie
Chèvre
as well as cooked, blue cheeses like:
Roquefort
Gorgonzola
or dishes containing them.
Hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Parmesan and Stilton are safe to eat in pregnancy, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. This is because they contain less water than soft varieties, making them less likely to carry listeria.
Enjoy a safe meat feast
Pre-packed, cooked meat like ham or corned beef is considered safe to eat in pregnancy. However, many others, including those listed above, are just cured and fermented. This means they could contain toxoplasmosis-causing parasites. Freezing them for four days before eating, or cooking them thoroughly will kill most parasites, making the meat safer to eat.
NEXT STEPS
Safe food tips to remember:
Raw, wild fish must be frozen before it's eaten
Farmed fish like salmon doesn't need to be frozen first
Shellfish must be cooked before eating
Cheeses made from pasteurised milk are safe to eat
Soft, mould-ripened cheeses must be thoroughly cooked first
Cured meats must be cooked or frozen unless they are ready-to-eat varieties.
