What you should NOT EAT during pregnancy

When pregnant, your diet must be balanced to supply your body with useful nutrients and minerals. Among the pregnancy factors you will most likely observe is your Body Mass Index (BMI) and folic acid statues. These, experts say, play a very important role in determining how healthy you are and the possible outcome of your pregnancy.

As a pregnant woman works towards achieving or maintaining a good health status, her focus is likely to be the baby growing in her womb, rather than herself. For this reason she will earnestly search for information about the best foods for her pregnancy. However, the flip side of this search for nutrient rich foods is that most begin to panic about what they shouldn’t be eating; the biggest concern being the risk of eating harmful bacteria which could threaten their pregnancies.

To help you understand this, I spoke to a doctor and a nutritional expert to help us look at some of the foods that you may have to limit or avoid , altogether. The two experts agree on the fact that you need to no vigilant about following safe food preparation and storage practices.

‘You also need to be aware of the two most dangerous bacteria that pose a threat to you and your developing baby, listeria and salmonella,’ says Dr. Onyango Ogutu, of the harmful bacteria which car lead to miscarriage, premature labour and toxemia.

The bacterium listeria is often found in a selection of foods like ham, salami and pre-mixed salads, soft serve ice cream, soft cheese, smoked seafood as well as left over foods that may have stayed m or out of the fridge for more than 12 hours If this bacterium is ingested by a pregnant mother, it could lead to miscarriage, still birth or early labour.

The salmonella bacterium, on the other hand, explains Dr. Ogutu, is a form of food poisoning that can trigger a miscarriage or premature birth. This bacterium is mostly traced to under cooked poultry, meat and raw eggs.

Seafood high in mercury
According to nutritionist consultant Bethseba Nyawira, who is based at the SDA clinic Nairobi, despite some seafood being the greatest providers of proteins, irons and omaga-3 fatty acids that help promote your baby’s brain development, studies show that some fish and shellfish contain potentially dangerous levels of mercury that could easily damage your baby’s developing nervous system.

The bigger and older the fish, the more the mercury it likely contains,
says Bethseba. It is therefore advisable to avoid indulging in huge fish like the tilefish and shark. Tilapia, salmon, catfish, cod and tuna remain better recommended types of fish.

Avoid under cooked meat, poultry and eggs.
Undercooked meat, poultry and -lags may slug your metabolism, thus increasing the risk of bacteria! food poisoning, To prevent this, before consuming meat and poultry, ensure these are fully cooked.

Cook hotdogs to steaming hot. Cook your eggs until both the yolk and white of the egg are firm. Avoid foods made with raw or partially cooked eggs.

Avoid too much Vitamin A
Do not consume large quantities of liver as it contains high levels of vitamin A, and too much of this vitamin may cause birth defects

Unwashed fruits and vegetables
Vegetables and fruits are essential, safe and recommended during pregnancy. Just avoid consuming them unwashed. Clean them thoroughly and cut away damaged portions to eliminate any harmful bacteria that may have resulted from toxoplasmosis-contamination from the soils which the vegetables or fruits have grown on.

Excess Caffeine
Research shows that consuming caffeine excessively is not good for you and the baby especially during the first trimester; the caffeine could cross the placenta and affect your baby’s heart rate, Studies also suggest that dunking too much caffeine may affect your baby’s birth weight Though not conclusive. Dr, Ogutu says that most healthcare experts discourage or rather recommend limited to moderate consumption of caffeine.

Since it is also a diuretic, meaning caffeine helps eliminate fluids from the body, this can result in water and calcium loss, which contravenes the recommendation that a pregnant woman needs to drink plenty of Juices and milk to boost her fluid Supply.

Avoid Unpasteurized food
Anything containing unpasteurized milk should be a no-no during pregnancy as it contains listeria bacteria which may lead to food-borne illnesses and even miscarriage.
Also avoid drinking unpasteurized Juices You can identify them by reading the labels.

Alcohol
Avoid alcohol entirely, not even one drink should be encouraged Alcohol consumption could interfere with the nearby development of the baby, lead to foetal alcohol syndrome that could cause facial deformities, heart problems, low birth weight and menial retardation Alcohol should continue being avoided even during breastfeeding.

As you continue making healthy choices for you and your baby, keep checking with your healthcare provider for advice and what is best for the wellbeing of both of you during and even after pregnancy.

END:PG39/12-13