Foods to avoid in pregnancy

Cheese, milk and other dairy

There's a small chance that unpasteurised or soft ripened dairy products may contain Listeria bacteria. This can cause an infection called listeriosis.

Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell.

Soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside have more moisture. This can make it easier for bacteria to grow.

Cooking cheese until it's steaming hot kills bacteria, reducing the risk of listeriosis.

You can eat:

• pasteurised or unpasteurised hard cheeses, such as cheddar, gruyère and parmesan
• pasteurised semi-hard cheeses, such as edam
• pasteurised soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, paneer, ricotta, halloumi, goats' cheese without a white coating on the outside (rind) and processed cheese spreads
• soft or blue cheese (pasteurised or unpasteurised) that has been cooked until steaming hot
• pasteurised milk, yoghurt, cream and ice cream

You should avoid:

• any other foods made from unpasteurised milk, such as soft ripened goats' cheese
• pasteurised or unpasteurised mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, such as brie, camembert and chèvre (unless cooked until steaming hot)
• pasteurised or unpasteurised soft blue cheeses, such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and roquefort (unless cooked until steaming hot)
• unpasteurised cows' milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk or cream

Meat and poultry

There's a small risk of getting toxoplasmosis if you eat raw and undercooked meat, which can cause miscarriage.

Cured meats are not cooked, so they may have parasites in them that cause toxoplasmosis.

Liver and liver products have lots of vitamin A in them. This can be harmful to an unborn baby.

Game meats may contain lead shot.

You can eat:

• meats such as chicken, pork and beef, as long as they're well-cooked with no trace of pink or blood; be especially careful with poultry, pork, sausages and burgers
• cold, pre-packed meats such as ham and corned beef

You should be careful with:

• cold cured meats, such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto (unless cooked thoroughly)

You should avoid:

• raw or undercooked meat
• liver and liver products
• all types of pâté, including vegetarian pâté
• game meats such as goose, partridge or pheasant

Eggs

British Lion hen eggs and hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme are less likely to have salmonella in them.

Salmonella is unlikely to harm your unborn baby, but you could get food poisoning.

You should cook all eggs thoroughly, unless they are British Lion hen eggs or hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.

You can eat:

• raw, partly cooked and fully cooked British Lion hen eggs (they have a lion stamp on them) and hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
• foods made with raw hen egg, such as mousse and mayonnaise, if made with British Lion eggs or hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
• well cooked eggs (white and yolk) from any hen eggs that are not British Lion eggs or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
• well cooked eggs (white and yolk) of all other eggs, including duck, goose or quail

You should avoid:

• raw or partly cooked hen eggs that are not British Lion or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
• raw or partly cooked duck, goose or quail eggs

Fish

During pregnancy, eating fish is good for your health and the development of your baby.

But pregnant women should avoid some types of fish and limit the amount they eat of some others.

You should limit oily fish because they can have pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in them.

If you eat too much of these, they can be harmful to your unborn baby.

You should avoid raw shellfish because they can have harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins in them.

These can make you unwell and give you food poisoning.

You should avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish because it could be contaminated with listeria bacteria.

These bacteria can cause an infection called listeriosis, which can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell with sepsis or meningitis.

However, cooking cold-smoked or cured fish until it is steaming hot will kill bacteria that may be present.

What you can eat:

• cooked fish and seafood
• thoroughly cooked shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams
• sushi, as long as the fish has been cooked thoroughly

You should avoid:

• swordfish
• marlin
• shark
• raw shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams
• cold-smoked or cured fish (including smoked salmon, gravlax or in sushi) unless cooked until steaming hot

You should eat no more than:

• two portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring
• two tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or four medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week

Tuna does not count as an oily fish. You can have two tuna steaks, or four medium-size cans of fish, as well as two portions of oily fish.

Other foods and drinks

Caffeine

You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day.

There is:

• 100mg in a mug of instant coffee
• 140mg in a mug of filter coffee
• 75mg in a mug of tea (green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea)
• 40mg in a can of cola
• 80mg in a 250ml can of energy drink
• less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate
• less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby.

If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all.

This keeps risks to your baby to a minimum.

Herbal teas

You should drink no more than four cups of herbal tea a day.

Liquorice

Liquorice is safe to eat. But you should avoid liquorice root.

Fruits, vegetables and salads

Be careful with fruits, vegetables and salads as they can have soil on them, which can make you unwell.

Make sure to thoroughly wash all fruits, vegetables and salad ingredients.

Enoki mushrooms

There's a chance that enoki mushrooms may contain listeria bacteria. This can cause listeriosis.

Listeriosis can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell.

Cooking enoki mushrooms thoroughly kills bacteria, reducing the risk of listeriosis.

Enoki mushrooms should be stored in the fridge before use.

When preparing enoki mushrooms, wash your hands regularly with soap and warm water, and clean any surfaces and utensils used.

Peanuts

You do not need to avoid eating peanuts when you're pregnant.

Only avoid eating peanuts if you're advised to by a healthcare professional or if you have a nut allergy.

Vitamins

Do not take high-dose multivitamin supplements, or any supplements with vitamin A in them.

Get medical advice

Seek prompt medical advice if:

• you feel unwell after eating one of the foods to avoid
• you have signs of listeriosis or toxoplasmosis infection

Try not to worry if you've eaten one of the foods to avoid.

More useful links

• Foods to avoid in pregnancy - PHA video