The foods to really avoid when you’re pregnant

The good news on the ideal pregnancy diet? Soft-boiled eggs and Camembert are back on the menu (but make sure to read this first)

Drink coffee, don’t drink coffee. A glass of wine is fine, or maybe not. The advice on what you can and can’t consume when pregnant is often confusing, at times baffling. Here’s our guide to the latest recommendations.
Some raw and undercooked eggs should be avoided, but those with the red British Lion stamp are laid in Britain and are at a very low risk of salmonella, so they’re safe to eat runny. “This extremely high safety record [90 per cent of UK eggs are now produced within the British Lion guidelines] is a recent development,” says Dr Philippa Kaye, a GP, author and women’s health specialist, “so you can enjoy your daily breakfast egg habit again”. Mousse and mayonnaise is also fine – as long as they’re made with British Lion eggs. 
The risks: Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause typhoid and fever, which can affect all the primary organs and the digestive tract, leading to septic shock. It can be treated with antibiotics.  
“There are such a huge variety of cheeses and many should be avoided while pregnant,” explains Kaye. Avoid all unpasteurised cheese, ones with a white rind, all blue cheeses such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort and dolcelatte, and soft and gooey cheeses such as brie, Camembert and goat’s cheese. “But,” she adds, “you can eat them cooked.” You can enjoy any cheese sauces, as long as they are steaming hot, and you can still indulge in cottage cheese, paneer and hard cheeses such as cheddar, Gruyère and Parmesan. Drink only pasteurised milk. 
The risks: Listeriosis is 18 times more common in pregnancy and can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature labour and serious illness in newborns. The infection comes from listeria bacteria found in contaminated unpasteurised or soft-ripened dairy products. 
In the past, a glass of stout – like Guinness – was not just allowed but positively encouraged. However, advice has changed. The nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert says: “The current advice is that no amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy and, in fact, it should be avoided before you even get pregnant as it can affect the placenta itself.” So if you are trying to conceive, it’s best to abstain. Although this sounds like killjoy advice, it’s also standard in countries including France, Italy, the United States, Canada and Australia, which all advise abstaining completely during pregnancy. 
The risks: Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) – when alcohol in the mother’s bloodstream passes to the baby – can severely impact overall development, causing a spectrum of disorders and conditions such as behavioural issues and impaired learning ability. Excessive drinking in pregnancy can also be associated with miscarriages and low birth weight. While a couple of decades ago a glass of wine was considered safe, the advice is that this is no longer the case. 
The up-to-date advice is that 200mg of caffeine per day in pregnancy is safe, but caffeine is not just found in coffee and tea, but also in chocolate, green tea, medications and soft drinks. This quantity of caffeine equates to approximately two cups of tea or one can of Diet Coke, explains Lambert. If you switch to decaffeinated drinks, this removes approximately 97 per cent of caffeine. A typical cup of decaf coffee has about 2mg of caffeine, as opposed to 95mg in a usual cup.  
The risks: Over-consumption of caffeine has been linked to constriction of the blood vessels in the uterus and placenta, which could reduce blood supply to the foetus and inhibit growth, leading to low birth weight and a risk of miscarriage. 
“Meat must be cooked through,” says Lambert. “Cured and raw or undercooked meats can contain parasites, so keep dishes like steak tartare off the menu and cook beef and lamb until there’s no pinkness or blood.” In short, cook all meat thoroughly until well done.  
The risks: Toxoplasmosis is usually spread by eating poorly cooked food that contains parasites. These can cross the placenta to your baby and cause brain damage and liver, spleen and eye disorders and increase the risk of premature labour. 
“Avoid game,” advises Kaye, “as goose, partridge or pheasant may contain lead shot.” 
The risks: Eating lead-shot game meat, especially small game, on a frequent basis can expose you to harmful levels of lead and lead to problems with the development of the brain and nervous system. 
Avoid liver and liver products such as pâté because they are naturally high in vitamin A, which can cause harm when consumed in excess, particularly at the beginning of pregnancy. Vegetable pâtés should also be avoided as all pâtés can contain listeria – bacteria that may lead to listeriosis, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth and premature labour. 
The risks: Too much vitamin A can cause birth defects.
Cooked shellfish like mussels, lobster, crab, scallops, clams and prawns are fine, as is cooked fish, although oily fish such as mackerel, herring, salmon and trout should be limited to two portions a week, as they can contain pollutants. Tuna is not considered an oily fish, so in addition you can eat two fresh tuna steaks or four medium-sized cans per week (140g when drained) – but no more as tuna contains higher levels of mercury than other fish.
Swordfish and marlin also have higher levels of mercury and should be avoided altogether. Raw shellfish and cold, cured fish like smoked salmon and gravlax are also off the menu as they can be contaminated with listeria bacteria, while raw shellfish can also cause food poisoning due to viruses and toxins. 
The risks: Mercury in seafood can build up in your bloodstream over time, and too much can affect your baby’s developing brain and nervous system. Listeria can cause listeriosis (see above).
If you have cats, ask someone else to clean their litter boxes. The faeces may contain parasites that can pass from you to your unborn baby. If you have to do it yourself, make sure you wear gloves and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.  
The risks: Toxoplasmosis (see the section on meat, above), which is known to reproduce in the cat family. 
Dr Kaye advises: “While it may seem obvious, food hygiene becomes even more important at this time, so ensure foods are eaten when they are at their optimum, avoid anything after a sell-by date, and keep cooled foods like salads cold and crisp and heated foods piping hot so they’re cooked through properly.”
If you are concerned about food safety in pregnancy, contact your GP or consult the NHS website 
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