Other than fish marinated in mercury, what foods should women limit or avoid during pregnancy?
A. Here’s my list of the top 10 things to avoid. The raw milk, cheese, and lunch meats are on the list due to the risk of the listeria. Listeria is a foodborne illness that can cross the placenta and lead to miscarriage. It’s tough not eating deli sandwiches, but why risk it! I found that not being able to eat so many sandwiches got me to eat more salads. • Alcohol. • Tobacco (weed, too!). • Caffeine; limit it as much as possible. That includes energy drinks that contain natural forms of caffeine, like guarana, yerba mate, or ginseng. • Unpasteurized (raw) milk, juice, and other beverages. • Unpasteurized soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, blue cheese, feta, and queso fresco. • Processed meats, such as lunch meat, hot dogs (unless they’re steaming hot), lox, meat spreads, and pâté. • Raw foods, including meat, fish (sushi), shellfish, eggs (sorry, that includes raw cookie dough), and sprouts (including alfalfa, mung, clover, and radish). • Fish high in mercury (cooked or uncooked),