During pregnancy, your immune system dials down to protect the baby, which makes you far more vulnerable to foodborne infections. Pregnant women are 10 times more likely to get a Listeria infection than the general population, and other common pathogens like Salmonella and E. coli pose heightened risks too. The good news is that most of the foods on the “avoid” list have safe alternatives or simple workarounds.
Soft Cheeses and Unpasteurized Dairy
Soft cheeses are one of the most common sources of Listeria, a bacterium that can cross the placenta and cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or serious illness in a newborn. The riskiest options are soft cheeses made from unpasteurized (raw) milk: brie, camembert, blue-veined cheese, queso fresco, queso blanco, and requesón. Queso fresco-style cheeses carry risk even when made with pasteurized milk because their high moisture and low acidity create a friendly environment for bacteria.
Hard cheeses like cheddar and parmesan are fine. So are soft cheeses clearly labeled as made from pasteurized milk, though you should still check the label every time. Unpasteurized milk itself, along with unpasteurized juice and cider, falls into the same category and should be skipped entirely.
Raw and Undercooked Meat
Undercooked meat can harbor Toxoplasma, Salmonella, and E. coli. During pregnancy, the stakes of these infections are higher: Toxoplasma in particular can cause serious developmental problems for the baby. Use a food thermometer and cook to these minimum internal temperatures:
- Beef, pork, lamb, and veal steaks, roasts, or chops: 145°F (63°C), then let the meat rest for 3 minutes before cutting
- Ground meat and sausage (any type): 160°F (71°C)
- All poultry, including ground chicken and turkey: 165°F (74°C)
Rare and medium-rare steaks, beef tartare, and carpaccio are off the table until after delivery.
Deli Meats, Hot Dogs, and Prepared Foods
Cold deli meats, hot dogs, pâté, and pre-made salads from a deli counter are Listeria risks because the bacteria can grow even at refrigerator temperatures. The fix is straightforward: heat deli meats and hot dogs until they’re steaming hot all the way through (165°F) before eating. If you can’t heat them, it’s best to skip them. Refrigerated smoked seafood, like lox, carries the same risk unless it’s part of a cooked dish.
High-Mercury Fish
Fish is genuinely good for fetal brain development, and the goal isn’t to avoid seafood altogether. The EPA and FDA recommend eating 8 to 12 ounces per week (two to three servings) of low-mercury fish like salmon, shrimp, tilapia, cod, and sardines. What you want to avoid are the large, long-lived predatory fish that accumulate the most mercury: shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish from the Gulf of Mexico, bigeye tuna, marlin, and orange roughy. Mercury damages the developing nervous system, so the distinction between low-mercury and high-mercury species matters.
If someone in your family catches fish locally, check for advisories in your area. If no advisory exists for that body of water, limit yourself to one serving that week and skip other fish.
Raw Seafood and Sushi
Raw fish and shellfish, including sushi made with raw fish, oysters, clams, and ceviche, can carry parasites and bacteria that are harder for your body to fight off during pregnancy. Cooked sushi rolls (like shrimp tempura or fully cooked eel) and vegetable rolls are safe alternatives if you’re craving a sushi night.
Raw Eggs and Hidden Sources
Raw and undercooked eggs carry Salmonella risk. The obvious sources are easy to avoid: runny scrambled eggs, sunny-side-up with a liquid yolk, soft-boiled eggs. The less obvious ones trip people up. Homemade Caesar salad dressing, hollandaise sauce, tiramisu, mousse, homemade eggnog, and raw cookie dough or cake batter all typically contain raw eggs.
Pasteurized eggs have been heated long enough to kill Salmonella while remaining liquid, so dishes made with pasteurized eggs are safe. Many store-bought versions of Caesar dressing and eggnog already use pasteurized eggs, but check the label. Cook eggs until both the white and yolk are firm.
Raw Sprouts
Alfalfa, clover, mung bean, and radish sprouts can harbor E. coli and Salmonella in the seeds themselves, meaning washing won’t eliminate the bacteria. The warm, humid conditions sprouts need to grow are also ideal for bacterial multiplication. Cooking sprouts thoroughly makes them safe. Raw sprouts on a sandwich or salad should be skipped.
Caffeine
You don’t have to give up coffee entirely. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists considers moderate caffeine intake, under 200 mg per day, acceptable during pregnancy. That amount has not been linked to a significant increase in miscarriage or preterm birth.
For reference, a standard 8-ounce cup of brewed coffee has roughly 80 to 100 mg of caffeine. A 12-ounce cup from most coffee shops runs closer to 150 to 200 mg. Black tea has about 50 mg per cup, and a 12-ounce cola has around 35 mg. The caffeine adds up fast if you’re combining sources throughout the day, so it helps to keep a rough tally.
Alcohol
There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy, no safe type, and no safe trimester. All wines, beers, and spirits are equally harmful. Alcohol can cause fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, a group of conditions with lifelong effects including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, poor memory, intellectual disability, and physical issues like low birth weight, heart or kidney problems, and abnormal facial development. These effects range from mild to severe and are entirely preventable by avoiding alcohol.
Because brain development continues throughout all nine months, stopping alcohol at any point still benefits the baby. Women who are trying to conceive are also advised to avoid alcohol, since pregnancy can go unrecognized for the first four to six weeks.
Herbal Teas and Supplements
Most commercial herbal teas consumed in normal amounts are considered low risk, but several common herbal ingredients lack reliable safety data for pregnancy. Stinging nettle is rated likely unsafe by the Natural Medicines Database, despite appearing in many pregnancy tea blends. Alfalfa and yellow dock are rated possibly unsafe. Chamomile, dandelion, and rose hips don’t have enough reliable information to confirm their safety one way or the other.
The biggest risks come from homemade herbal teas brewed from wild plants, teas made with large amounts of herbs, or herbal supplements in concentrated capsule form. If you’re not sure exactly what’s in it and whether it’s safe, skip it. Standard black, green, and white teas are fine within your daily caffeine budget.
Quick-Reference List
- Avoid entirely: alcohol, raw sprouts (unless cooked), high-mercury fish, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw or undercooked meat and eggs, raw seafood
- Avoid unless heated to steaming: deli meats, hot dogs, refrigerated smoked seafood
- Avoid unless labeled pasteurized: soft cheeses (especially queso fresco-style, even pasteurized versions), any dairy product from raw milk
- Limit: caffeine to under 200 mg per day, locally caught fish to one serving per week if no advisory exists