We spoke to a range of nutrition and pregnancy experts to find out which are foodie myths - and which foods really are best to steer clear from.
Dr Critchley points out that too much caffeine - even in drinks we may not expect to be laden with the addictive stuff - can harm the baby. "Try to avoid too much coffee and tea,” he says. “High caffeine intake can lead to low baby weight and even miscarriage. Furthermore, fizzy and sugary drinks can also contain caffeine and can be packed full of chemicals and sweeteners, all of which are best avoided.
“When you are pregnant, your immune system is lower and this is why unpasteurised milk should be avoided during pregnancy but is fine any other time,” says Strudwick, who also says that eating these products could directly harm the baby. "High levels of the bacteria Listeria Monocytogenes may be found in unpasteurised milk and cheese, and listeriosis, while rare in the UK, can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in newborns,” she says.
“Recent research carried out by the University of Helsinki concluded that women should avoid consuming large amounts of liquorice during pregnancy after studying the effects on 400 young adolescents,” says Soutter. “The findings showed evidence that youths who were exposed to large amounts of liquorice while in the womb performed less well than others in cognitive reasoning tests.”
However, if you love the sweet treat, don’t despair. “The researchers, however, stressed that occasional consumption of liquorice during pregnancy is not dangerous, and there are no current UK guidelines which suggest pregnant women should avoid liquorice,” she adds.
Unbaked cheesecakes that contain raw or partially cooked eggs or unpasteurised cream cheese or toppings made from unpasteurised cream or milk are a no-no.You might be confused when it comes to nuts, but according to the NHS guidelines, you can eat peanuts or food containing peanuts, such as peanut butter during pregnancy, unless you’re allergic to them. The government previously advised women to avoid nuts during pregnancy, but recent research has shown no reason why they should be avoided.
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