Foods & Drinks To Avoid While Pregnant

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You're Expecting. Health information on this site is based on peer-reviewed medical journals and highly respected health organizations and institutions including ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics), as well as the What to Expect books by Heidi Murkoff.

Learn more about pregnancy nutrition at www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/eating-well

Hot Dogs & Deli MeatsTurkey, bologna, salami and ham from the deli, as well as hot dogs, are often preserved in chemicals that aren't good for a developing fetus.

Alcoholic DrinksAlcohol enters your baby’s bloodstream in the same concentration as it does yours but takes twice as long to leave it.

Raw SeafoodUncooked or undercooked seafood is completely off-limits during pregnancy; the risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites is too high.

UnpasteurizedFoods & Drinks Soft cheeses like brie, goat cheese and blue-veined cheeses that aren't pasteurized can contain listeria and other bacteria.

Raw, Runny, Eggs

Undercooked eggs can harbor salmonella, so make sure any eggs and omelets you do eat are cooked through.

High-Mercury Fish That means no swordfish, shark, bigeye tuna, marlin, king mackerel and tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, to name a few..

Raw Sprouts Raw sprouts have been linked to E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, so leave them out of your diet during pregnancy.

Too Much Ca�eineA couple small cups of coffee a day are fine during pregnancy, but going over that can pose a risk

Undercooked MeatEven if you’re a medium-rare kind of girl, this is not the time for blood-red meat.