Avoid cheeses like Feta, Brie, Blue and Camembert as they can lead to Listeriosis. This is a serious food borne disease that can be incredibly dangerous for pregnant women, as even a mild form of this infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in newborn babies. Always check the label and avoid any foods that indicate that they are ‘unpasteurised’.

Much like unpasteurised cheeses, unpasteurised milk can pose huge health risks to your unborn baby. Raw milk is at a significantly higher risk of being contaminated with Listeria, which can result in Listeriosis.

King mackerel, shark and swordfish contain high levels of mercury which can be potentially dangerous to your unborn baby. If you are not aware, too much mercury can damage your baby’s developing nervous system.

To be doubly safe, skip raw fish when you order sushi as well, so that you don’t pose unnecessary risk to your unborn child.

The argument on how much caffeine a pregnant can consume has been going on for ages. Be aware that caffeine can cross the placenta and affect your baby’s heart rate. Common sources of caffeine include, but are not limited to, coffee, tea and colas.

Many doctors however, recommend that pregnant women consume no more than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day.

In general, processed meats such as hot dogs, luncheon meat and deli meats should be avoided during pregnancy. This is because they could be infected with various bacteria during the processing stage. The bacteria can linger on the surface of the meet and harm an unborn baby.

Too much Vitamin A, especially during the first few months of pregnancy, has been linked to birth defects. Liver – and most liver products (like liver pate or liver sausages) – contain dangerously high amounts of Vitamin A. It would be good to also avoid high-doses of multi-vitamin supplements, fish liver oil supplements and any supplements containing Vitamin A.

READ MORE: 12 Weird Things No One Tells You About Being Pregnant

In their uncooked forms, eggs pose a risk for salmonella poisoning. Even lightly-cooked eggs like softboiled and poached eggs aren’t 100 per cent safe.

While an unborn baby can’t have salmonella poisoning as the pregnant mother can’t pass it on to the baby, there are several side effects that can impact the baby’s health. Some of these include causing early labour and dehydration, since salmonella poisoning leads to vomiting and diarrhoea.

Alcohol should be avoided at all cost, as there is no amount of alcohol that is known to be safe during pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to alcohol can interfere with the healthy development of the baby. Depending on the amount, timing, and pattern of use, alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to foetal alcohol syndrome or other developmental disorders.

Vegetables are safe, and a necessary part of a balanced diet. However, it is essential to ensure they are washed throughly to avoid potential exposure to toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis may contaminate the soil where the vegetables were grown.

READ MORE: Cooking Tricks To Make Vegetables More Tasty

This includes sushi, sashimi and shellfish, as these foods are at a higher risk of becoming contaminated with bacteria and even parasites. Infections such as listeria (of which pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get) and salmonella can be passed to the unborn baby and lead to a range of problems from premature birth to miscarriage.

READ MORE:
Prunes, Eggs And 8 Other Foods Every Pregnant Woman Should Eat
How Much Pregnancy Weight Gain Is Too Much? We Find Out The Truth
Meghan Markle’s Post-Baby Workout Routine Is Not As Crazy As You Think

This post was updated on September 3, 2019.