Foods you should avoid during pregnancy

Mandy Sacher

Child nutrition expert and mother of two, Mandy Sacher, is a Paediatric Nutritionist and SOS Feeding Consultant. Her private practice focuses on prenatal and childhood nutrition, helping parents and mums-to-be feed their children healthy, nourishing foods right from the start. Mandy’s philosophy is simple: train children’s taste buds to enjoy nourishing, nutritionally beneficial foods early as possible to ensure optimal development and establishment of lifelong healthy eating behaviours. After the birth of her first child in 2010, Mandy became increasingly aware of the lack of nutritionally sound information available to first-time parents. She was alarmed at the amount of baby and toddler foods marketed as ‘healthy’ when the sugar, salt and preservative contents were overly high. Mandy realised the journey to junk food can begin with the squeezie yoghurts we are fed or the teething rusks given to us. Mandy’s career in children’s health spans more than a decade – in 2006, she, along with other paediatric experts, founded the MEND Programme, an independent, not-for-profit organisation established to research and prevent obesity in children. Mandy and her colleagues at MEND developed one of the world’s only proven weight-loss treatments for obese children, now based on ten years of research and clinical trials. For the past five years Mandy has consulted to daycares on implementing more nutritious whole food menu plans and also privately to parents with children of all ages. Wholesome Child’s nutritional workshops are held at preschools, mother’s groups, non-profit organisations and medical practices.

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Updated on Jun 14, 2024 · 2 mins read

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Bringing a new life into the world requires a lot of changes to your own! There are exercises you should do, positions you should sleep in, and food you’re supposed to eat. Your little one relies completely on what nutrients you put in your body, so eating pizza and ice cream all day might not seem so tasty anymore. No matter how much you want to indulge in your favourite sushi or milkshakes, it’s time to start being conscious about what you’re feeding your baby.

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What’s the problem with food and infection?

Hormonal changes are constant during pregnancy, which will become clear when every single other aspect of your body starts changing. Importantly, they may alter your immune system which would make you more susceptible to infections. Regarding food (the big worry!), the main concern is Listeriosis which is an infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

Infection is uncommon, however, if an infection does happen during pregnancy there is a chance your unborn child could become infected as well. If this were to happen, the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth increases.

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Foods to avoid during pregnancy

No need to become too worried though, a simple way to avoid this is by cutting out some risky foods including:

Soft cheeses e.g brie, camembert, blue cheese, feta and ricotta (may be safe if cooked and served hot)
Processed deli meats, chicken and poultry
Chilled seafood e.g sushi, oysters and tuna
Pate and different meat spread
Pre-cut salads and fruit
Seeds sprouts
Soft serve ice creams and any drinks like thick shakes or milkshakes made with it this
Raw or undercooked eggs and freshly made mayonnaise dressings (higher risk of salmonella)
Raw or undercooked meat (higher risk of toxoplasmosis)

The NSW Government Food Authority provides a list of foods to avoid and eat with caution during pregnancy.

We know, the thought of cutting out brie for 9 months is not ideal. The cheese parties and glorious charcuterie boards will have to be on pause, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

Not only will this keep your baby safe it will also encourage you to maintain a healthy diet – win-win!

Undoubtedly, this will be hard to do at first but just make the effort to be extra aware of your eating and keep the benefits in mind. The cheese and milkshakes will be more than welcome in a few months!