British Lion hen eggs and hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme are less likely to have salmonella in them.
Salmonella is unlikely to harm your unborn baby, but you could get food poisoning.
You should cook all eggs thoroughly, unless they are British Lion hen eggs or hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.
What you can eat
- cooked fish and seafood
- sushi, as long as the fish has been cooked thoroughly
- cooked shellfish, such as mussels, lobster, crab, prawns, scallops and clams
What to limit
- you should eat no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week, such as salmon, trout, mackerel or herring
- you should eat no more than 2 tuna steaks (about 140g cooked or 170g raw) or 4 medium-size cans of tuna (about 140g when drained) per week
Tuna does not count as an oily fish
You can have 2 tuna steaks, or 4 medium-size cans of fish, as well as 2 portions of oily fish.
What to avoid
- swordfish
- marlin
- shark
- raw shellfish
- cold-smoked or cured fish (for example smoked salmon or gravlax, including in sushi), unless it has been cooked until steaming hot
Why
You should avoid ready-to-eat cold-smoked or cured fish because it could be contaminated with Listeria bacteria. These bacteria can cause an infection called listeriosis, which can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby seriously unwell. However, cooking smoked or cured fish until it's steaming hot will kill any bacteria that may be present.
You should limit tuna because it has more mercury in it than other fish. If you eat too much mercury, it can be harmful to your unborn baby.
You should limit oily fish because they can have pollutants such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls in them. If you eat too much of these, they can be harmful to your unborn baby.
You should avoid raw shellfish because they can have harmful bacteria, viruses or toxins in them. These can make you unwell and give you food poisoning.
Other foods and drink
Caffeine
You can have caffeine, but no more than 200mg per day. Regularly drinking more than this amount can increase your risk of pregnancy complications, such as low birthweight, and even miscarriage.
There is:
- 100mg in a mug of instant coffee
- 140mg in a mug of filter coffee
- 75mg in a mug of tea (green tea can have the same amount of caffeine as regular tea)
- 40mg in a can of cola
- 80mg in a 250ml can of energy drink
- less than 25mg in a 50g bar of plain dark chocolate
- less than 10mg in a 50g bar of plain milk chocolate
Herbal teas
The caffeine content can vary quite widely between different brands of herbal tea. Some contain no caffeine, while others may have quite high levels.
Check the ingredients label on the packet to see how much caffeine is in a brand. Some of the herbs used in herbal tea can also be potentially dangerous if you have a lot of them during pregnancy; especially during weeks 1 to 12 (first trimester).
As a general rule, if you drink no more than 1 to 2 cups of herbal tea a day during your pregnancy, you should be fine.
Alcohol
Drinking alcohol in pregnancy can lead to long-term harm to your baby.
If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, the safest approach is to not drink alcohol at all.
This keeps risks to your baby to a minimum.
Liquorice
Liquorice is safe to eat. But you should avoid liquorice root.
Fruits, vegetables and salads
Be careful with fruits, vegetables and salads as they can have soil on them, which can make you unwell.
Make sure to thoroughly wash all fruits, vegetables and salad ingredients.
Peanuts
You do not need to avoid eating peanuts when you're pregnant.
Only avoid eating peanuts if you're advised to by a healthcare professional, or if you have a nut allergy.
Vitamins
Do not take high-dose multivitamin supplements, or any supplements with vitamin A in them.
Other foods and drinks
Call 111 if:
Try not to worry if you've eaten one of the foods to avoid.