What Should You Avoid?

Proper nutrition is such an important part of pregnancy. Here are some guidelines to help you sort through all the contradictory information about the foods you can eat and what you should avoid.

The Feta Debate

Can you eat Feta? Yes, you can and you should. Feta is delicious and comes on greek salads which are also delicious and good for us. The only thing to watch for with feta cheese is to MAKE SURE ITS PASTEURIZED. Ask your server while dining out or if you are buying it in the supermarket, check the label to be sure that it says, PASTEURIZED. If it does not say that is it PASTEURIZED or you are unsure, then don't eat it. Better to err on the side of caution when pregnant.

Caesar Salads

Can I eat a caesar salad? Absolutely NOT! Just kidding! Of course you can, as long as the dressing does not contain raw eggs. Many caesar salad loving pregnant women believe they have to deny themselves but its not true. The problem with caesar salad is that when made from scratch it contains raw egg. And raw egg can cause salmonella , a type of food poisoning which can make you very ill and some have suggested can may comprimise your pregnancy. Its best to avoid any caesar salad dressing and anything else that may contain raw egg..   

Alcohol Consumption

Should you have a glass of wine? This is a tough question and there is much debate over the subject of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. In the first trimester the baby is developing all of his important organs and most doctors would agree that alcohol consumption should be avoided in the first trimester. If you want to have the occasional drink in the second or third trimester that is something you should discuss with your doctor.

Will a glass of wine hurt the baby? Probably not, BUT, since there doesn't seem to be a clear answer to what a safe amount of alcohol is. If you do decide to have yourself a glass of wine or a beer, keep it to a minimum. Best to be on the safe side when it comes to baby's health and development.

Salt Intake

Up until recently women were told to watch their salt intake during pregnancy. It was thought that excessive swelling and extra fluid was caused by water retention due to a high intake of salt. Nowadays we realize that in fact, pregnant women require extra sodium in their diet anyhow, so unless you are increasing your sodium intake by quite a bit, you need not worry too much about it.

Sugar Intake 

Should you watch your sugar intake? Yes and no. Don't go overboard and give in to every sugar craving. Many of us would live at Dairy Queen eating blizzard after blizzard while pregnant if our husbands would let us. However, from what I have seen, and experienced myself, blizzards lead to trouble. Not only are you going to have to work harder to lose the extra blizzard pounds but your baby may enjoy the extra sugar pounds too. Although unproven, there is speculation that too much sugar, meaning EXCESSIVE sugar can lead to larger babies. Again, moderation is the key here. Indulge your cravings, you deserve it, but be careful and keep track of what you eat.

Caffeine

Can you drink coffee? Yes, most doctors will say that coffee is fine if, again, kept to a minimum. As there are not enough studies performed on humans (due to the lack of willing pregnant participants of course) its not really known what caffeine does to a fetus. The few studies performed on animals suggest that excessive caffeine can cause problems with extremity development (fingers and toes) as well as smaller organ and brain size. However keep in mind that these studies were performed on animals who were given at times the equivalent of 40 cups of coffee a day, hardly what the average human ingests. Basically, most doctors would suggest that you keep your caffeine to not more than 3 or 4 cups of coffee a day.