Foods To Avoid During Pregnancy | Pregnant Women Diet

Pregnancy is a natural condition and even though brings significant changes in women's life, it can be easily overcome by having a balanced lifestyle and support from the family. It is important to mention that a pregnant woman should be aware of her condition and should adopt a proper diet in order to mantain a good health for herself and for the baby.

During your first trimester, foods that have a lot of protein, are the best foods that you can choose to eat. By consuming more protein you will be giving your baby the main building block of all cells. Protein is especially critical, since your tiny unborn child develops their major organs in these 3 months.

Today we know that eating raw foods puts us in danger of certain bacteria, pathogens and parasites. To choose voluntarily to affect ourselves is one thing; to deliberately ignore the risks and potentially cause devastating harm to our offspring is a different matter altogether.

Organic foods are produced without added chemicals of any kind at any point in their journey from the farm to the consumer's dinner table. This means there is no chance of pesticides, chemical fertilizers and other hazardous materials slipping through the blood stream to disrupt baby's healthy growth and development.

Hot smoked organic trout or salmon, or smoked organic mackerel, flaked through whole grains such as quinoa, brown rice, millet or couscous, with chopped raw vegetables. Season with lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and chopped fresh herbs.

Consuming too much mercury during pregnancy can result in developmental problems and even brain damage. The types of fish that contain the highest levels of mercury include: swordfish, shark, king mackerel, tuna, sea bass and tilefish.

There are many documented birth defects and abnormalities associated with alcohol during pregnancy. Since alcohol passes into the placenta, every time a pregnant woman drinks, her baby drinks too. There's no level of alcohol considered safe during pregnancy. And daily consumption can lead to a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome.

Caffeine crosses the placenta affecting the baby's heart rate. Excessive caffeine consumption is cited as a cause for low birth weight and an increased incidence of miscarriage and still birth. Most doctors recommend you stay under 150mg a day--about the amount in one cup of coffee or two cups of black tea.

Unpasteurized milk products and foods made from them such as raw milk cheese, particularly soft or semi-soft cheeses including Camembert and Brie. All unpasteurized cheeses could possibly contain the Listeria bacteria. Listeria can cause listeriosis which may be harmful to your baby.