Foods to avoid in pregnancy: a short, clear and calm checklist

A pregnancy food list can look long and confusing. The good news is that most of the foods to avoid come down to a few shared reasons, and once you change a habit, daily life gets easy again.

Why so much care?

The immune system works a little differently in pregnancy. So some germs that cause only mild illness in you can still reach your baby. The two main concerns are listeria (a bacterium) and toxoplasma (a parasite). Both infections are uncommon, but prevention is easier than treatment.

Raw and undercooked animal foods

• Red meat, chicken and turkey should be cooked thoroughly, with no pink inside.
• Runny eggs (soft-boiled, sunny-side up) and raw-egg sauces or desserts, such as homemade mayonnaise, are replaced by well-cooked or pasteurised egg products.
• Raw meat dishes such as çiğköfte with raw meat, tartare and carpaccio are not recommended.
• Some cured and processed meats, such as pastırma, sucuk, salami and ham, are eaten without cooking. Heating them until steaming hot, or cutting back during pregnancy, is a safer route.
• Raw or cold-smoked fish, sushi and raw shellfish are on the list too.

Milk and dairy

• Avoid unpasteurised milk, yoghurt and cheese. Village milk, raw milk and unlabelled “natural” products may fall into this group; boiling makes them safer.
• Milk and cheese labelled as pasteurised are generally fine.
• Blue-veined cheeses and mould-ripened soft cheeses (such as brie and camembert) are generally not recommended unless cooked; once heated until piping hot, the risk drops.
• For traditional cheeses such as fresh white cheese, curd cheese and tulum, check the label to confirm they are pasteurised.

Vegetables, fruit and contact with soil

Toxoplasma can be found in soil and on some unwashed produce.

• Wash fruit and vegetables well under running water; separate leafy greens leaf by leaf.
• Raw sprouts (alfalfa, bean sprouts) are generally not advised in pregnancy because of bacteria; cooked sprouts are fine.
• Wear gloves when gardening and wash your hands with soap afterwards.
• If possible, ask someone else to clean the cat litter; if you must, wear gloves.

Things to limit

• Alcohol: No safe amount has been defined in pregnancy, so avoiding it completely is the safest path.
• Caffeine: The usual advice is to stay under about 200 mg a day, roughly 1–2 small cups of coffee. Tea, cola and chocolate also contain caffeine.
• Liver and offal products: They can be very high in vitamin A, so eating them often is not recommended.
• High-mercury fish: Avoid shark, swordfish and similar types; see our fish article for details.
• Herbal teas: Not every herb is safe in pregnancy. If you drink them regularly, ask your doctor.

If you slipped up

There is no need to panic if you realise you ate something raw. Most of the time nothing happens. The best thing to do is watch for symptoms and tell your doctor if you remain worried. Feeling guilty protects neither you nor your baby; paying attention at the next meal is enough.

What you can do

1. When eating out, ask how well done the food is and request “well cooked”.
2. For ready-made foods, check the label for “pasteurised”.
3. Keep your fridge at 5 °C or below and eat leftovers quickly.
4. Use separate boards and knives for raw meat and ready-to-eat foods.
5. For any food you are unsure about, check the “Yenir mi?” feature in the app.

When to contact your doctor

• Fever, chills, muscle aches or flu-like symptoms (listeria can look mild), especially after eating a risky food.
• Severe vomiting, diarrhoea or stomach cramps lasting more than 24 hours, or if you cannot keep fluids down.
• A clear drop in your baby’s movements.
• If you are worried about raw meat or another risky food; your doctor will decide whether a toxoplasma test is needed.
• For confusion, seizures or an unbearable headache, call 112 (your local emergency number) immediately.

This article is for information only; your doctor’s or midwife’s advice for your personal situation comes first.