If you go research this topic online, you might drive yourself crazy by all the different information that you find.
My dietary recommendations for women who are pregnant are pretty basic.
It goes back to what we all learned in elementary school about a basic healthy diet and hitting all of the food groups.
However, there are certain foods that, perhaps, are best to avoid during pregnancy.
Foods You Should Not Eat While Pregnant
- Swordfish
- Shark
- Unpasteurized, soft cheeses
Swordfish and sharks, in particular, may contain a potentially high mercury content and should be avoided. But most other seafood is perfectly fine.
As you can see, my list of foods to avoid during pregnancy is quite short.
Is Tuna Fish OK to Eat When Pregnant?
In moderation, yes, tuna fish is ok to eat when pregnant.
The limit to this should be about 5 oz. per serving, a couple of times a week.
Even if you happen to get a batch of tuna that has a higher-than-expected mercury level, if you’re eating it in moderation, it’s not going to be a problem.
Is It OK to Eat Lunch Meat When Pregnant?
Another thing that people will find by reading online is a lot of questionable information on cold cuts and sandwich meats.
Now, you probably should avoid a cold-cut sandwich bought from a street vendor while pregnant, but buying sandwiches from places like Subway, Jimmy John’s, or your grocery store all should be fine.
Also, packaged lunch meat from the grocery store is fine.
What About Listeria Concerns?
Once in a while, a situation may come up where a certain item is recalled based on a listeria scare.
We saw this years ago in Colorado, and recently, there have been a lot of avocados that have been recalled for a listeria scare in California.
When these specific things happen, we do want to pay attention.
But these are self-limited situations and are infrequent.
I pay attention to those situations while they’re occurring, and as soon as they are cleared, it’s certainly fine to go back to normal.
Again, in moderation, there should not be any problems with cold-cut sandwiches during pregnancy.
Can I Drink Coffee While Pregnant?
You do want to minimize caffeine intake during pregnancy.
If you\’re keeping your caffeine intake to one caffeinated beverage a day, there are plenty of studies that support that kind of intake without a risk to the baby.
Can I Drink Alcohol While Pregnant?
No. Women need to avoid alcohol during pregnancy.
