nuhahyearlyLaunch pricing - Get £50 off!nuhahyearlyAvoid raw or undercooked meat, non-Lion-marked raw eggs, mould-ripened soft cheeses, high-mercury fish, liver, and unpasteurised dairy. Limit caffeine to 200mg per day. The safest approach to alcohol is none at all. Most everyday foods are perfectly safe.
All meat should be cooked thoroughly until there is no pink visible and juices run clear. Raw or undercooked meat can contain toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause serious harm to a developing baby.
Be especially careful with minced meat products like burgers and sausages, which must be cooked all the way through. Steaks can be served slightly pink as long as the outside is fully seared.
Cured meats like salami, chorizo, parma ham, and pepperoni carry a small risk of toxoplasmosis. The NHS advises freezing them for four days before eating, or cooking them.
Eggs without the British Lion mark should be cooked until both white and yolk are solid. However, eggs with the British Lion stamp are considered safe to eat runny or raw because the hens are vaccinated against salmonella. So dippy eggs and homemade mayonnaise made with Lion-marked eggs are fine.
Duck, goose, and quail eggs should always be cooked thoroughly regardless of source.
Avoid mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white rind (brie, camembert, chevre) unless cooked until piping hot. Also avoid soft blue cheeses (gorgonzola, roquefort, Danish blue). These can contain listeria.
Safe to eat: hard cheeses (cheddar, parmesan, stilton), soft pasteurised cheeses (cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, paneer, ricotta, halloumi), and processed cheese.
Limit oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines) to two portions per week. Limit tuna to two fresh steaks or four tins per week due to mercury.
Avoid entirely: shark, swordfish, and marlin (high mercury). Raw shellfish unless thoroughly cooked.
Safe: cooked shellfish, smoked salmon, sushi made with cooked ingredients or previously frozen fish (most UK restaurant sushi is frozen first and therefore safe).
Avoid liver, liver pate, liver sausage, and haggis. Liver contains very high levels of vitamin A (retinol), which in large amounts can cause birth defects.
Avoid unpasteurised (raw) milk and products made from it. All standard supermarket milk in the UK is pasteurised and safe.
Limit to 200mg per day. Roughly one mug of filter coffee, two mugs of instant, or two and a half mugs of tea. Remember chocolate and energy drinks also contain caffeine.
The safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all during pregnancy. There is no known safe level.
When in doubt: could this food contain harmful bacteria or harmful substances? If yes, cook it thoroughly, choose a safer alternative, or skip it. Wash all fruit and vegetables. Keep raw and cooked foods separate. The list of foods to avoid is specific and manageable.
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