Almost every woman knows the basic of what they should and should not do during pregnancy. They know that caffeine should be cut back; they should not smoke, drink alcohol or spend time in any hot tubs. However more and more studies are being done to see if pregnant women should avoid certain foods for the duration of their pregnancy.

It is essential that pregnant women eat a well balanced meal at all times to provide their growing baby with the vitamins, nutrients and minerals that the baby needs to grow. There are some foods though that needs to be avoided due to the risk they pose to not just to the mother, but also to the growing baby. This also will work as a natural remedy for morning sickness, so please, keep reading.

For starters, raw meat needs to be avoided due to the risk of toxoplasmosis and salmonella. This means no more rare steaks, or rare burgers. Pregnant women should take caution and make sure that all of the meat they eat is cooked well done. Cold deli meat should also be avoided because of the risk of listeria. Listeria can cross the placenta and can cause an infection or blood poisoning to the baby. Keep in mind though that deli meat can be reheated until it is steaming and this will help reduce the risk.

Speaking of listeria there are other foods that can contain this bacteria. Some soft cheeses such as brie, feta, and gorgonzola. These cheeses are commonly made with unpasterized milk. Unpasterized milk often contains listeria, so pregnant women need to make sure that any soft cheeses they are going to eat are made with pasteurized milk.

Fish has always been a subject of debate for pregnant women. While some forms of fish contain essential nutrients that are needed by the baby, others contain a high level of mercury. Any fish with a high level of mercury such as shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish and fish used in sushi should be avoided through out pregnancy. Studies have linked mercury to developmental delays and in some cases brain damage. Tuna also contains a lot of mercury but canned, chunk light tuna has a lower amount of mercury and can be eaten in moderation. Raw shellfish also should be avoided through out pregnancy.

Raw eggs or anything containing raw eggs is a no no during pregnancy. There is a potential exposure to salmonella. This means no raw cookie dough, no brownie mix, and some homemade sauces such as hollandaise, Caesar dressing and blue cheese dressing. When dining in a restaurant, it would be wise to ask any sauces or dressings contain any raw eggs. Most restaurants should be using pasteurized eggs in any raw egg recipe but one should still double check.

There has never been a more important time to be careful what a woman eats then when she is pregnant. Some of the above foods have been linked to miscarriages and other birth defects. If you are pregnant and you have already indulged in a few of the foods you should not have, do not panic. Chances are, you and your baby are fine but take extra care to avoid these foods in the future.

Related Blogs

• Sandra Bullock Files For Divorce! Adopts Baby Boy! | PerezHilton.com
• Lawrence's Fears For Baby Daughter
• Just Baby Fat or Looming Obesity?
• Rename that fish! | Discussions | PRI's The World
• Million-dollar fish ladder « Don Surber
• Cinco De Mayo Crispy Fish Tacos « Italian Handful
• Health Fitness - Benefits Of Fish Oil For Health And Fitness
• Fish Oil Benefits Fallacies
• Getting Information on Fish and Aquarium | Buy Aquarium Decorations
• Study helps identify sources of Listeria contamination ...
• Raw chicken primary source for Listeria monocytogenes – USDA ...
• How can I reduce the amount of meat I eat? | How can I recycle this?
• 'Fresh Meat II' Poll: Should Landon And CJ Make A Secret Pact ...
• Freezing Taco Meat :: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures
• Top Chef – Meat Natalie – Season 6 Episode 10 October 28 2009 Part 3
• Tobacco – Maniac Meat | ComfortComes
• Mercury Pours Another $2 Million into Prop 17 Campaign as ...
• You can now get employer-based health insurance for adult children ...
• HCWH and the Philippine Mercury Watch Countdown to 2010 | Nurse ...
• There's More Mercury In Sushi Restaurant Tuna Than Canned Tuna at ...

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: activity, countries, developing, diarrheal, diet, diseases,, during, issues, lactation, nutrition, part, Pregnancy

Consumer's Guide To Psychiatric Drugs gives you all you want to know about drugs. The book is written in a simple language, easy to read for people from non medical background. If you need the answers to your concerns about the use of drugs treatments, this book is for you. Order here.

While most women know they should be careful with any type of medication or drug while pregnant, there is still a quite a number who take the pregnancy hazards and ignore the future of their unborn child and do as they please with their body: smoking cigarettes, drinking large amounts of coffee or even alcohol.

The horrific side effects of illegal drugs are indisputable, so are cigarettes smoking and alcohol consume. Less is know about poisoning effects of legal drugs and medications on fetal growth and brain development so are unclear the dangers of over-the-counter medications and simple drugs.

The book Consumer's Guide To Psychiatric Drugs By John D. Preston, Mary C Talaga, R.Ph., M.A., John H O'Neal takes the confusion away and it should be a real guidence not only for women who suffer from different conditions but also for those who just have to deal with an everyday morning sickness.

Below you can read an excerpt from the above motioned book:

Much of the information about safe use of [medications] during pregnancy comes form studies done on animals. Although these studies are extensive, it cannot be assumed that the findings necessarily will apply to humans. Even if there are human studies available, they are often not conducted among large numbers of people, so applying the results to the general population must be done cautiously.

Therefore, it may be very difficult to your doctor to give you an absolute answer about whether a particular drug has been shown to be safe.

Some drugs are safer than others during pregnancy, while some other drugs should be avoided entirely. Still others are considered safe only during the second and third trimester and should not be given in the first trimester. Because the first trimester I the period when fetal cells are rapidly growing, dividing, and forming into organs, it is considered the time of highest risk for damage from medicines. However, organs, including the brain, continue to develop during the second and third trimesters and even after birth. Thus, some medicines could be potentially harmful to the baby throughout an entire pregnancy. Furthermore, these effects might be of such a nature that they might not be noticed until later in the child’s life; for example, behavioural problems would not be apparent during infancy.

Keep in mind that woman often do not realize they are pregnant until after conception has taken place and fetal development has begun. Therefore, before starting a new medication, it is important that your doctor is aware of any plans you may have for becoming pregnant in the near future. In this situation, you and your doctor might have to decide where this is the best time for you to have a baby, and take into account what would happen if you didn’t start particular medicine right now. Obviously, this is a very personal and complex issue, but it is faced frequently by women who wish to become pregnant and who also may require medications to treat their depression, for example.

Related Posts:

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News
Strong Immune Response To New SiRNA Drugs In Development May Cause Toxic Side Effects

Toxic Chemical Overload
In addition, by choosing non organic foods we are supporting the continued poisoning of the earth’s soil, air and water with both legal and illegal pesticides. Some of the most dangerous pesticides that have been banned in the United States are still manufactured there and exported to other countries, only to be imported on produce bound for US markets.

 Mail this post

Technorati Tags: fetal growth development, poisoning effects of legal drugs, pregnancy hazards, side effects of medications