Pregnancy is a time to be careful and cautious especially when it involves nutrition. What you eat directly affects your baby and though you may have heard common advice to avoid foods like Pineapples, alcohol and raw cheese, doctors now reveal ten more surprising foods pregnant women should avoid.
Dr. Emma Derbyshire a public health nutritionist revealed to the daily mail recently that certain snacks, fruits and juice which were surprisingly regarded as common fare were actually detrimental to the health of both mother and child. Here are 10 such foods to avoid when pregnant.
1 Unpasteurized fruit or vegetable juice
Unpasteurized fruit and vegetable juice can do more harm than good. Such items contain bacteria harmful for people with weakened immunity and that includes pregnant women. Freshly squeezed juices especially need to be avoided such as those sold at farmers markets, juice bars and roadside stalls.
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2 Pate (including the vegetable variety)
Pate contains a bacterium called Listeria Monocytogenes; hence pregnant women should avoid consuming it as a spread on toast. Consuming pate may result in listeriosis which causes common flu like symptoms, nausea and possibly diarrhea and vomiting. This can be a dangerous development in pregnancy inviting the risk of a stillborn or miscarriage and illness in the newborn baby. Smoked salmon is a better choice safe to eat.
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3 Alfalfa sprouts
Alfafa sprouts should be avoided as alfafa seed is a host that invites bacteria. Alafafa sprouts can also contain bacteria strains like slamonella, listeria and E.coli and no amount of cooking will destroy them.
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4 Cantaloupe melons
Cantaloupe is a cultivated muskmelon that is 90 per cent H20, nine per cent carbohydrates and one per cent protein and fat. However, the bumpy rinds of cantaloupe can be invaded by listeria monocytogenes bacteria. Not washing the rinds or even nibbling them unintentionally can result in a risk of miscarriage.
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