What foods should I avoid during pregnancy?

But, in turn, this makes it harder for your body to fight off invading bacteria. By knowing what foods to avoid during pregnancy – and which ones are OK on a pregnancy diet – both you and your baby can stay safe while you’re expecting. There’s a lot of myth surrounding the subject though, so let us take you through what you can and can’t eat during your pregnancy.

Eat up!: Hen’s eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice

Don't eat: Unstamped hen’s eggs Duck, goose, quail or other ‘alternative’ eggs

Eat up!: Pasteurised cheese All hard cheeses

Don't eat: Uncooked blue-veined soft cheeses, e.g. gorgonzola Uncooked mould-ripened soft cheeses, e.g. brie

Eat up!: Pasteurised milk and yoghurt Processed ice creams (make sure ‘artisan’ or ‘homemade’ varieties are made without egg / use a pasteurised egg substitute)

Don't eat: Unpasteurised milk, yoghurts and ice cream

Eat up!: Piping hot and thoroughly cooked meat (no pinkness or blood) Pre-cooked, packaged meats

Don't eat: Uncooked chorizo, pepperoni, prosciutto, salami and other cured meats – freeze for 4 days and defrost to make safe

Don't eat: All pâté can be dangerous, even ones made from vegetables and fish

Eat up!: White fish Smoked fish Shellfish Tuna in small doses, max 4 140g cans a week or two fresh 140g steaks Max 2 portions of sea bass, sea bream, halibut, turbot, crab and similar

Don't eat: High-mercury fish, e.g. swordfish

Runny eggs are back on the menu! In the past, pregnant women have been advised to avoid raw or partially cooked eggs for fear of salmonella food poisoning, but this advice has now changed. Hen’s eggs produced under the British Lion Code of Practice have a Red Lion logo on the box and stamped on the shell of each egg.

These eggs have been shown to be very low risk for salmonella, so it’s fine for you to have them raw or runny, such as soft-boiled eggs, soufflés, fresh mayonnaise, mousses and truffles. But you must stick to these eggs. For unstamped chicken eggs, or duck, goose or quail eggs, you need to cook them through until the whites and yolks are solid. This will destroy any salmonella bacteria present.

Alternative choice: still a bit wary of eating eggs while you’re pregnant? There are lots of alternatives, from using chia seeds, flax meal, or vegan egg replacements in your baking, to scrambling up some tofu with eggy-tasting Himalayan black salt or tasty turmeric to top your toast.

Previous advice was that women should avoid peanuts in pregnancy if they had a family history of allergy, such as asthma, eczema, food allergy or hay fever, for risk of triggering it in their baby. But a 2012 study, published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, showed there’s no clear evidence that eating nuts or peanuts in pregnancy will cause allergy in your baby.⁶ Of course, if you’re allergic yourself, you’ll still need to steer clear!

Alternative choice: if you do have a nut allergy, we understand it can be difficult to find your favourite foods – our nut-free selection should help you out with some tasty treats and classic staples that are safe for you and your baby.

It’s best to avoid blue-veined soft cheeses, like gorgonzola, and mould-ripened soft cheeses, like brie – unless cooked. In general, soft cheeses contain more moisture and are less acidic than hard cheeses, providing the ideal conditions for the bacteria listeria to thrive. Although rare, even mild listeria infection in pregnancy could cause miscarriage, stillbirth or illness. There are lots of cheeses that are safe to eat in pregnancy. Cream cheese, cheese spread, feta, mozzarella and ricotta are fine, as long as they’re pasteurised. And all hard cheeses are safe too, like cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they contain mould or are unpasteurised.

Alternative choice: whip yourself up some vegan cashew cheese if you would rather avoid dairy cheese altogether. Cashews are packed with copper, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, carbohydrates and vitamins, which are great for you and your baby!

Stick to pasteurised milk and yoghurts when pregnant. Processed ice creams are safe but check homemade or artisan varieties are made without egg or using a pasteurised egg substitute.

Make sure all meat and poultry is piping hot and thoroughly cooked through, with no trace of blood or pink before you tuck in. Be especially careful with poultry, pork, sausages, burgers and mince.

This is because of the potential risk of toxoplasmosis, a symptomless infection caused by a parasite that’s found in raw meat, and which you can pass to your baby. To be on the safe side, freeze meat for a few days before defrosting carefully and cooking it. Pre-cooked, packaged meats, like ham and corned beef, are safe. But certain other cold meats, such as chorizo, pepperoni, prosciutto and salami, haven’t been cooked but cured; a process which doesn’t kill the parasites. For these meats, freeze them for four days first, then defrost and enjoy. There’s no need to freeze if you’re going to be cooking them.

Alternative choice: Lots of women have craving for meat during pregnancy – even the staunchest of vegans have been seen to drool at a steak! Research suggests that this craving is due to extra requirements of protein and iron – which red meat fulfils perfectly, but its not your only choice. If you don’t want to eat meat, why not try an alternative? Our Vegan Philly Cheesesteak recipe is full of plant-based protein and iron (it’s tofu based).

In pregnancy, aim to avoid all pâté, whether it’s made from meat, fish or vegetables, as it may contain high levels of listeria. Meat pâté is often made from liver, which should also be avoided. Liver is high in vitamin A, which can harm your baby.

Stick to two fresh steaks (140g each, cooked) or four cans (140g, drained) per week. Oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel and fresh tuna, are good for your baby’s developing brain, but don’t eat more than two portions a week as they may contain pollutants.

You can still consume drinks containing coffee while you’re pregnant, but make sure it is no more than 200mg per day. To help you stay under the limit, here’s the average caffeine content of your favourite drinks:

If you drink alcohol while you are pregnant you could be causing long-term harm to your baby. Going tee-total while you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant is the safest approach.

It’s recommended that you drink no more than 4 cups of herbal tea a day.

Normal liquorice is safe to eat but you should avoid liquorice root.

Avoid high-dose multivitamin supplements or any supplements containing vitamin A – too much vitamin A can harm your baby.

Minimise your risk of food poisoning with these simple steps: