Eating for two? Then you already know the benefits of a good pregnancy diet and getting your daily quota of fruits and veggies, complex carbs, and protein. But did you also know that while your little peanut can benefit from all the healthy nutrients you're nibbling on, a baby-to-be can also be affected by anything else (read: the bad stuff) that could be lurking in your food

1. Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
1 / 10Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Eating for two? Then you already know the benefits of a good pregnancy
diet and getting your daily quota of fruits and veggies, complex carbs,
and protein. But did you also know that while your little peanut can
benefit from all the healthy nutrients you're nibbling on, a baby-to-be
can also be affected by anything else (read: the bad stuff) that could be
lurking in your food — from bacteria to chemicals? That's why when it
comes to eating during pregnancy, the best rule is to err on the side of
safety and stay away from foods that could harbor enough pathogens to
make you sick (thanks — or not thanks — to your suppressed immune
system). Besides the potentially harmful bacteria and chemicals you'll
want to avoid when you're expecting, there are certain ingredients, like
caffeine, that you'll want to limit. So how do you figure out what's safe
and what's not? Here is the lowdown on the foods and drinks to avoid
during pregnancy.

2. 2 / 10 Alcoholic Drinks
So how do you toast a promotion or celebrate a birthday or some other
happy event without the champagne (or margarita, wine spritzer, or
your alcoholic beverage of choice) now that you're pregnant? You
break out the cocktails or the fruit-juice spritzers for the next 40-odd
weeks. You may have heard that an occasional alcoholic drink is okay,
but it's best to be on the safe side when you've got a baby on board.
Why? Alcohol enters your baby's bloodstream in the same
concentration as yours — and takes twice as long to leave it — so
whatever you're drinking, your baby's downing one, too. But what
about that night out with the girls (and a few too many margaritas) a
couple of days before you found out you were pregnant? It happens to
many moms, and (what a relief!) there's no need to worry.

3. 3 / 10 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Eating for two? Then you already know the benefits of a good
pregnancy diet and getting your daily quota of fruits and veggies,
complex carbs, and protein. But did you also know that while your little
peanut can benefit from all the healthy nutrients you're nibbling on, a
baby-to-be can also be affected by anything else (read: the bad stuff)
that could be lurking in your food — from bacteria to chemicals? That's
why when it comes to eating during pregnancy, the best rule is to err
on the side of safety and stay away from foods that could harbor
enough pathogens to make you sick (thanks — or not thanks — to your
suppressed immune system). Besides the potentially harmful bacteria
and chemicals you'll want to avoid when you're expecting, there are
certain ingredients, like caffeine, that you'll want to limit. So how do
you figure out what's safe and what's not? Here is the lowdown on the
foods and drinks to avoid during pregnancy.

4. 4 / 10 Too Many Caffeinated Beverages
Even if you couldn't get by without your daily triple-shot vanilla lattes
before you became pregnant, now's definitely the time to switch out
two of those caffeinated shots for decaf ones. While a couple of cups of
coffee are fine throughout your pregnancy, consuming more than 200
mg of caffeine per day has been linked to miscarriages. What's more,
too much caffeine can interfere with your body's ability to absorb iron
(which can lead to anemia). So besides taming the caffeine habit and
bypassing a lot of that java, pay attention to other sneaky sources of
caffeine to ensure you don't slip over the 200 mg limit. Drinks like
Mountain Dew can have about 40 mg of caffeine. If energy drinks were
your pre-pregnancy pick-me-up of choice, just remember they are high
in caffeine, too — Red Bull's caffeine content is 80 mg per can.

5. 5 / 10 Raw or Seared Seafood
Got a taste for some tuna sashimi? Obsessing over those oysters on the
half shell? Before you visit your favorite raw bar or local sushi joint,
keep in mind that uncooked or even seared seafood is off-limits during
pregnancy — the risk of ingesting bacteria and parasites along with
your meal is too high. So you'll just have to say no to raw oysters,
clams, ceviches, fish tartars, and capriccios, along with the smoked stuff
(like lox) that can also harbor illness-inducing parasites and bacteria.
And while this doesn't mean you should shun your favorite Japanese
restaurant for the next nine months, it does mean that you'll need to
be careful about what you order. Most places, for example, offer rolls
made with cooked seafood or vegetables right at the sushi bar! Just
make sure that any seafood you order is well cooked: Fish should flake
and shellfish should be firm.

6. 6 / 10 Rare or Underdone Meat
Even if you've been cooing over those adorable baby-girl layette pieces,
now is not the time to be seeing pink…or red when it comes to your
meat. (This is also true for poultry and pork, but most people tend to
eat those foods well done.) So while you may have cooked (or ordered)
that steak medium-rare before your baby came on board, you'll now
need to refrain from blood-red meat. Undercooked meat (and poultry)
can harbor such bacteria as E. coli, Trichinella, and Salmonella (all of
which can cause a bad case of food poisoning) or cause toxoplasmosis.
And if you find that the restaurant burger you ordered came out a little
too pink, don't be afraid to send it back. Now is not the time to be
bashful. (Just keep your baby's safety in mind and you'll find it easier to
release your inner restaurant diva!)

7. 7 / 10 Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy
Eating for two? Then you already know the benefits of a good
pregnancy diet and getting your daily quota of fruits and veggies,
complex carbs, and protein. But did you also know that while your little
peanut can benefit from all the healthy nutrients you're nibbling on, a
baby-to-be can also be affected by anything else (read: the bad stuff)
that could be lurking in your food — from bacteria to chemicals? That's
why when it comes to eating during pregnancy, the best rule is to err
on the side of safety and stay away from foods that could harbor
enough pathogens to make you sick (thanks — or not thanks — to your
suppressed immune system). Besides the potentially harmful bacteria
and chemicals you'll want to avoid when you're expecting, there are
certain ingredients, like caffeine, that you'll want to limit. So how do
you figure out what's safe and what's not? Here is the lowdown on the
foods and drinks to avoid during pregnancy.

8. 8 / 10 Raw Eggs
While it may seem like commonsense to refrain from raw eggs, you'll
find them in more places than the yummy bits of batter that stick to the
spatula. So unless something's been made with pasteurized eggs, avoid
consuming foods where rawness runs rampant: homemade ice cream,
raw batter or cookie dough, mayonnaise, and eggnog. Skip the Caesar
dressings and hollandaise sauce unless you're absolutely certain they
were made without eggs, and make sure those breakfast omelets are
cooked through and through. As with raw meats and poultry, you don't
want to take the chance of being exposed to Salmonella. To be
absolutely safe, make sure the eggs you buy have been kept well
refrigerated and the sell-by date hasn't expired.

9. 9 / 10 High-Mercury Fish
You know fish is loaded with all those brain-boosting (good for baby)
and mood-boosting (good for you) omega-3s. But it's easy to get
confused about which fish is bad (e.g., high in mercury) and which is
safe to eat. So here's a way to keep the rules of eating fish while
pregnant simple: Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish —
they're the highest in mercury. Stay away from these other fish that
contain contaminants: tuna steak and albacore tuna, grouper, farmed
salmon, red snapper, wild striped bass, orange rough, Atlantic halibut,
and blue marlin. What's the safest seafood for expectant eaters? That
would be wild salmon (fresh, frozen, or canned), Pollack, arctic char,
skipjack tuna, farmed rainbow trout, Pacific halibut, sole, tilapia,
shrimp, sardines, or scallops. Aim for eating a six-ounce serving twice a
week, but be sure the seafood is well-cooked.

10. 10 / 10 Raw Sprouts
Thinking of putting some alfalfa or bean sprouts into your sandwich or
salad to give it that extra crunch? Better think again. Raw sprouts have
been linked to E. coli and Salmonella outbreaks, so they definitely
belong to the "better-safe-than-sorry" category of foods to avoid during
pregnancy. But you're not condemned to forgo that crunchy texture
until you give birth. Try substituting baby spinach or baby arugula in
your sandwich or salads or some thin-cut, French-style green beans.
That will definitely kick the color and flavor of your sandwich up a
couple notches — plus give you a serving of those healthy green
veggies.