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. Thankfully, in Singapore it’s necessary for all milk to be pasteurised — but it doesn’t hurt to check. Be extra careful if you’re buying milk overseas during a trip.

King mackerel, shark and swordfish contain high levels of mercury which can be potentially dangerous to your unborn baby. 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. You can have that sashimi after you give birth!

The argument on how much caffeine a pregnant can consume has been going on for ages. Under 200mg is fine — but 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. 200mg of caffeine should equate about two cups of instant coffee.

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 meat and harm an unborn baby. That means no Subway meat for now, even if the sub is toasted.

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.

In their uncooked form, 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 costs, 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. To be safe, avoid raw vegetables for now — yes, that includes salad, too.

Sorry, seafood lovers, but you have to hold off on this for now. 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.

Text: Shenielle Aloysis & Camillia Dass

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