Top 16 Foods Pregnant Women Should Avoid

During pregnancy, eating well to make sure both mother and baby get the nutrition they need is very important. First-time mothers in particular need to pay extra attention to what they eat every day.

Feeling hungry all the time is perfectly normal during pregnancy, so keeping the fridge stocked is a job for the dads-to-be. But it is important to know which foods to avoid or strictly limit to protect the health of mother and baby.

Here are the foods you should steer clear of.

1. Raw shellfish

Snail restaurants are no longer the ideal place for husbands to take their wives for an evening out. Dishes made from shellfish such as snails, oysters and clams are rich in calcium, which is good for the body, but most of these shellfish live deep under water and carry lots of bacteria and parasites, which can seriously affect the health of mother and baby if they are not prepared hygienically.

But seafood-loving mums needn't worry too much: go to the market yourself, buy from the sellers with the freshest seafood and cook your favourite dishes at home.

2. Foods that may contain listeria

Listeria is a type of bacteria that is very harmful to the stomach. If you accidentally eat food contaminated with it, prolonged stomach pain and vomiting will follow. Those are the mild effects; if your body is weak, it can cause stomach ulcers or, for pregnant women, threaten the pregnancy.

These bacteria are commonly found in foods such as unpasteurised milk, cured meats and other raw foods.

3. Animal liver

Animal liver is very rich in vitamin A, which is good for the human body. But for pregnant women, it is considered a "toxic food".

The liver is where most toxins in an animal's body accumulate, so if a mother eats a lot of liver during pregnancy, especially in the first 3 months, it can easily cause birth defects and malformations.

4. Fish high in mercury

Mercury is extremely toxic and, when pregnant women take in a lot of it, can lead to health problems, birth defects and delayed brain development in babies. Fish high in mercury include king mackerel, swordfish, shark, marlin and bigeye tuna, as they live far out at sea and easily become contaminated.

Pregnant women can still eat these fish, but only within safe limits; avoid eating large amounts.

5. Fresh bamboo shoots

Bamboo shoots are a very toxic food. Before cooking them, people usually soak them overnight and boil them 2 to 3 times to remove some of the toxins.

That is what scientists recommend for most people, but pregnant women should avoid them altogether. Toxins such as hydrocyanic acid have very harmful effects on the baby in the womb.

6. Soybeans and soy products

No paper or scientific study has yet clearly shown the effects of soy on baby boys in the womb. But many scientists have previously suggested that pregnant women who eat a lot of soy may raise the levels of female hormones in their newborn sons, causing abnormalities in the reproductive organs of baby boys. Prevention is better than cure, so mums-to-be should cut back on soy.

7. Alcohol, sweetened drinks and fizzy drinks

Even for most people, fizzy drinks, artificially sweetened soft drinks, wine and beer should be limited for health reasons, so pregnant women need to cut back on them many times more.

When mothers overindulge in these drinks, the harm to the baby includes poorer health, delayed brain development, nerve damage and, most seriously, a very high risk of birth defects.

8. Cassava

Dishes such as cassava steamed with coconut milk or grilled cassava are always popular. Delicious as they are, the toxins in cassava should make you think twice before giving in.

The toxins in cassava roots can easily upset your digestion and cause food poisoning, which can destabilise the pregnancy.

9. Balut (fertilised eggs)

Expectant mothers can enjoy dishes made from fertilised eggs, such as balut duck eggs or fertilised quail eggs, twice a week, which is very good for the baby. But eating too many will have the opposite effect on your soon-to-be-born child.

In late pregnancy in particular, mothers should limit fertilised eggs, as they are high in cholesterol and calories and can lead to weight gain and high blood fats, especially for mothers with gestational diabetes or high blood lipids.

10. Katuk (sweet leaf)

Pregnant women's bodies are much more fragile than usual, so it is important to pay attention to how best to look after their health.

Mothers should avoid this vegetable in the first trimester, and mothers in poor health should avoid it completely.

11. Coffee

Those fragrant cups of coffee are very high in caffeine. There is no denying how irresistible coffee is, but if you are about to become a mother, cutting back on coffee during pregnancy (no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day, roughly 1–2 cups) will help your baby develop healthily.

12. Mugwort

Threatened miscarriage can easily occur if expectant mothers don't avoid mugwort. Eating a large amount can cause an immediate miscarriage, so it should be strictly avoided.

13. Green papaya

Papaya stimulates the growth of the milk glands in a mother's body. But its benefits come with equally significant downsides: papaya contains lots of enzymes and latex, which cause the uterus to contract and can lead to miscarriage in the early months of pregnancy.

14. Pineapple

While papaya contains enzymes and latex, pineapple is very high in bromelain, which softens the uterus, makes it contract and can just as easily cause miscarriage. So during pregnancy, dads should show their partners extra love, as they have to give up so many of their favourite foods.

15. Tea

Like coffee, tea contains a lot of caffeine, so mothers should limit it where they can. They don't have to give it up entirely and can still drink it in moderation, but should avoid strong tea, as its high caffeine content can affect the baby's development and give expectant mothers trouble sleeping; keep total caffeine under 200 mg a day.

16. Greasy food

Feeling overheated, heartburn and indigestion are common when mothers-to-be eat greasy food.

Mothers often worry about putting on weight after giving birth, without realising that eating lots of greasy food during pregnancy is one of the causes.

Those are some of the foods we recommend pregnant women avoid or limit. However, diet is only one part of it: staying relaxed, getting enough sleep and having regular antenatal check-ups are things husbands should remind their beautiful wives to do. Always cherish the woman by your side, because she has sacrificed so much to bring your little angel into the world.

Compiled by Ng.D.