• Undercooked or raw eggs or foods likely to be made with them, (including home-made mousses, ice cream and mayonnaise, all of which may be made with raw eggs). Eggs should be cooked until hard.
• Undercooked or very rare meat and fish – there should be no pink bits left (even if that’s the way you usually like it!).
• Raw fish or meat in dishes like sushi or steak tartare, and smoked salmon or oysters
• Unpasteurised milk, cheese or yoghurt
• Soft cheeses like brie, camembert, ricotta, or blue veined cheeses (ordinary cheddar cheese or cottage cheese is fine, as long as they are pasteurised – check the label!).
• Pâté or liver – these can have excessive amounts of vitamin A which can harm your baby.
• Some prepared foods such as potato salad or coleslaw can sometimes contain high levels of listeria.
• Check that any ready meals or reheated foods are piping hot all the way through before you eat them.
• Take care at barbecues where meat is often allowed to rest for a period of time before serving.
• Swordfish, marlin and shark. These fish can contain potentially unsafe levels of naturally-occurring mercury which can harm your baby’s developing nervous system. Tuna also contains mercury, so limit the amount you eat to up to four medium-size cans (140g drained weight, per can) OR two fresh steaks (up to 170g raw weight, per steak) a week.
• Peanuts – It is recommended that women should avoid eating peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding, especially if there is a family history of allergies such as asthma, eczema or hayfever.
• Alcohol – excessive alcohol intake has been associated with many foetal problems, and even moderate alcohol consumption may effect the development of your baby’s brain.
This article is sponsored by:
Click here to request for a free sample of our new Mamil Gold PreciNutri Step 2 , which is specially tailored for your child’s growing needs.
