The types of foods you eat during pregnancy have an important role to play in ensuring a healthy pregnancy. Not all things are good for the stomach, especially for pregnant women. The importance of eating well-balanced meals in the life of a pregnant woman cannot be overstated. Eating a well-balanced diet doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket. It simply means taking in the essential nutrients of carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and minerals in the proper proportions. Stay away from the following foods during pregnancy:

• raw eggs: Try to avoid eating raw eggs or any food that contains raw eggs. These may contain bacteria that cause food poisoning known as salmonella. Salmonella is associated with diseases such as typhoid fever and gastroenteritis. The general advice is that pasteurized eggs are better in food recipes than unpasteurized ones. If there is any doubt about the condition of the eggs used, it is best to avoid using them.
• Raw meat: All raw and undercooked beef, pork, chicken or even seafood should be kept away. All of these foods can expose you and your baby to salmonella; coli form bacteria, brucellosis and all kinds of dangerous microorganisms.
• soft cheese: Avoid all soft, unpasteurized cheeses. They may contain a strain of bacteria called listeria. Listeria is a rod-shaped aerobic parasitic bacterium. Listeria causes a disease known as listeriosis. Listeriosis is a life-threatening disease that can cause fever, meningitis, miscarriage, or preterm labor in pregnant women.
• Sausages: Avoid eating deli meats known to be contaminated with listeria which can cause miscarriage and sometimes premature labor. This is the same reason you should avoid raw milk, refrigerated pâtés, and meat spreads.
• live: As good as liver is for the body, pregnant women should not eat large amounts of it. The liver is very rich in iron and vitamin A. A high level of vitamin A can be harmful to the baby. Therefore, consume less liver during pregnancy.
• Alcohol: Do this nice and straight. There is no level or amount of alcohol that is good or safe for pregnancy. Therefore, avoid alcohol at all costs. If you have been consuming alcohol before conception, stop it. There should be total abstinence from alcohol even postpartum. Alcohol will not do your child any good. Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to abnormalities and defects in the child.
• Mercury-rich fish: Fish such as mackerel, shark, swordfish, and tilefish are high in mercury. Mercury consumption during pregnancy has been associated with brain damage and developmental delays in babies.