Pregnancy Tips: What Food Should Be in Your Meal?

It is very important to watch what you eat and drink when you are pregnant, particularly in those critical first three months. Here are some top pregnancy tips on what food and drink to avoid and the extra measures you should take when it comes to hygiene...

Food in pregnancy:

If you know you are pregnant, or think you could be, these are the food and drink that you should avoid as they could cause food poisoning and/or harm your unborn baby: mould-ripened soft cheese, such as brie and camembert and others with a similar rind and soft blue-veined cheeses such as Danish blue or gorgonzola; p?t?; raw or partially cooked eggs; raw or undercooked meat; raw shellfish; shark, marlin and swordfish and limit the amount of tuna; peanuts; liver; sushi; cold cured meats; unpasteurised milk; caffeine; food with soil on; supplements containing vitamin A.

Clean up your act:

It?s not just food in pregnancy where you have to be careful.

Take care with the hygiene in your kitchen too. Make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before handling any food. If you do wear rubber gloves to handle food, don?t forget to wash these regularly too.

Ensure countertops and sinks are disinfected and take extra care with chopping boards. Scrub them after use or, better still, pop in the dishwasher if you can. Use separate boards for veg, meat, poultry and bread - colour coding them can help with this.

Wash and replace your sponges and dishcloths often. One of our top pregnancy tips: you can temporarily sterilise cloths in the microwave.

Take extra care:

Always cook food thoroughly and don?t eat rare meat or fish. Never eat frozen foods that have been defrosted then frozen again as this breeds bacteria. Refrigerate leftovers as quickly as possible and make sure they are piping hot when you do re-heat them. Keep your fridge at 5?C or lower.

When marinating food, keep it in the fridge and discard the marinade afterwards. Wash all fruit and vegetables before eating, even if they are pre-washed as any dirt could put you at risk from toxoplasmosis.

Better safe than sorry:

Don?t take unnecessary risks with your food in pregnancy. If a jar doesn?t pop when opening it, take it back or throw it away as there is a risk it may be leaky. Take no chances with use by and sell by dates ? if in doubt, throw it out. Avoid eating out anywhere you think could have questionable hygiene standards.

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