Amos Grunebaum, MD - New York ObGyn - Pregnancy Food Precautions

There are 3 major foodborne risks to pregnant women:

• Listeria
• Toxoplasmosis
• Methylmercury

You can prevent a listeria infection or other causes of food poisoning by NOT EATING OR INGESTING:

• Fast Food 
• Prepared salads or prepared foods sold in delis
• Hot dogs and luncheon meats - unless they're reheated until steaming hot.
• Soft cheese, such as Feta, Brie, Camembert, "blue-veined cheeses," "queso blanco," "queso fresco," and Panela - unless it's labeled as made with pasteurized milk. Check the label.
• Refrigerated pâtés or meat spreads.
• Refrigerated smoked seafood - unless it's in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. (Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel, is most often labeled as "nova-style," "lox," "kippered," "smoked," or "jerky." These types of fish are found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens.)
• Homemade salami or sausages that are not cooked well enough
• Raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
• First wash your hands before touching anything after you have gardened or worked with soil.

You can prevent a toxoplamosis infection  or other causes of food poisoning:

• Preferably wear gloves when gardening or handling sand from a sandbox.
• Do NOT eat undercooked meat, especially no undercooked lamb or chicken.
• Do NOT get a new cat while pregnant and let someone else clean the cat litter.

You can decrease exposure to methylmercury:

• Do NOT eat shark, tilefish, king mackerel, and swordfish. These fish can contain high levels of methylmercury.
• It's okay to eat other cooked fish/seafood as long as a variety of other kinds are selected during pregnancy or while a woman is trying to become pregnant.
• She can eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
• Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.