FOOD AND BEVERAGES TO AVOID DURING PREGNANCY.

Everybody needs food. In fact, some of us love it!

From food, we get essential nutrients, vitamins and energy to live our normal lives. The food we eat influences our bodies in so many ways.

Pregnancy is all about bringing a new life into this world. Have you ever stopped to wonder the role food plays in this process?

Well, we have! And we have all the info right here for you. This article contains a list of some of the foods to AVOID during pregnancy.

As an expectant mom, the choices you make affects your little one in more ways than one. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid the following meals/foods because they may end up affecting your baby in negative ways:

1. LIVER ( in excessive amounts)

Everyone knows that fried rice without liver is no fried rice at all. However, liver contains high levels of Vitamin A which may be harmful for the baby.

2. RAW EGGS

Eggs can be fried, boiled, mashed into other dishes or even added to pastries. However, they shouldn’t be taken raw. As an expectant mom, the eggs you eat should be cooked properly until the yolk and white parts are both solid and edible.

Eating raw eggs expose you to certain infections that can cause food poisoning and harm your baby.

3. OILY FISH

Fish is good. It supplies you with essential proteins which help your baby grow properly. Nevertheless, it is better to limit oily fish like Sardines, Tuna and Mackerel as much as possible. Oily fish contains certain pollutants that may be harmful in pregnancy.

4. SUYA

Cook your meat well. Before you eat meat, make sure there is no trace of blood or pinkish colour in it. As an expectant mom, Suya may not be very safe for you as it exposes it to you certain harmful infections.

5. UNPASTEURIZED MILK

Milk and dairy products are a great source of calcium. Pasteurization is a process that involves heating a liquid to a temperature that kills harmful germs. After heating, the liquid is then cooled and made available for consumption.

This process ensures that your milk is safe and healthy for consumption. Thankfully, all milk products sold in supermarkets and shops around you are pasteurized.

6. UNPASTEURIZED CHEESE/WARA

Cheese, or Wara in local terms is made from fresh milk.

This is a refreshing meal/snack that comes in handy on a sunny afternoon. Sometimes, Wara is made from upasteurized milk that contains harmful bacteria. In addition, it is safer to simply avoid goats’ cheese.

7. CAFFEINE

Excess coffee consumption during pregnancy can cause miscarriage and low birth weight for the baby. Pregnant women are advised to avoid coffee as much as possible

Interestingly, Caffeine is also found in CocaCola. Therefore, certain medical sources advise expecting moms to limit Coke to one can a week.

8. ALCOHOL

It is a lot safer to simply avoid alcohol during pregnancy. This tiny bit of info is particularly important in the first three weeks of pregnancy.

Women who consume alcoholic drinks during pregnancy expose their growing babies to a wide range of fatal medical conditions. If you must drink alcohol, make sure its not more than a tiny glass taken once a week.

Nevertheless, alcohol can harm you and your baby. Secondly, experts cannot confirm that any amount of alcohol is safe for a growing child.

Therefore, the safest option is to avoid it completely

Finally,

If you’ve already eaten something risky; don’t fret.

The best option is to speak with your doctor about any dietary concerns. However, if the food didn’t make you feel sick at the time you ate it, it’s unlikely to have affected your baby.