Foods to skip while pregnant

Avoid raw or undercooked meat, fish, and eggs. Fully cooked eliminates listeria, salmonella, and toxoplasma risk. Fish high in mercury — shark, swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish — should be off the menu entirely. Salmon, cod, sardines, and shrimp are safer choices. Unpasteurized dairy (some brie, feta, blue cheese, and soft imports) can carry listeria; check the label for "pasteurized." Deli meats and hot dogs are fine if heated until steaming. Raw sprouts (alfalfa, mung bean) are a listeria vector too — skip them. Limit caffeine to about 200mg per day (one 12oz coffee). Alcohol has no safe threshold — the safest amount is zero. When in doubt about any food, err on the side of cooking it a little more.