Meat Is Mostly OK, If Cooked - Eating meat, including poultry, will for the most part, not pose any problem, though there are some exceptions. The general rule here is to eat only meat that has been cooked, and is at least medium well done, or better yet, well done. Meat that is undercooked, or raw, can be a nesting ground for bacteria, particularly if not refrigerated, and can also play host to a nasty little things like toxoplasma, a parasite, salmonella, and E-coli. The toxoplasma parasite is not particularly common, but if present, could cause serious health problems to the fetus, and in rare cases could cause stillbirth. Even sliced meat from the delicatessen should be heated, as a precaution, to kill off any bacteria. The same applies to wieners, make certain they are cooked well. In general, when preparing meat at home, keep it refrigerated and don't allow it to sit on the counter and warm up to room temperature. Start preparing it while it is still cool. Some recommend removing the fat from fresh meat before preparing it. Fat tends to concentrate and store chemicals animals ingest, including elements which may not be all that good for you.

Good Fish and Bad Fish - One of the seemingly complex types of foods to avoid during pregnancy is fish. You'll hear that certain fish should be avoided; others are perfectly safe to eat, while still others are in somewhat of a gray zone, as far as safety is concerned. The culprit in many cases is mercury, or methyl-mercury. Ocean dwelling fish in particular, ingest mercury from the plant life they eat, or from smaller fish as the mercury makes its way up the food chain. Mercury is one of those elements that simply accumulates in a fish, or a person, and at some point you get have to much of it in your system, and it will begin to cause problems, particularly in the baby's developing brain and nervous system. Farm-raised fish should be avoided for a different reason. Farm-raised fish can contain a cancer causing agent, polychlorinated biphenlys, PCB for short, which is more prevalent in fatter farm-raised fish than in their wild counterparts.

Fish is of course rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and other nutrients you need during pregnancy, and is in general a very healthy food, which you should eat plenty of, even when not pregnant. So don't avoid fish entirely during pregnancy, just eat the right varieties. Fish best avoided are the larger salt water types such as swordfish, shark, tuna (steaks and canned), cod, mackerel, and grouper. Also avoid farm-raised catfish and farm-raised salmon, don't eat sushi or smoked fish either. What you can eat, and feel good about, is wild salmon, shrimp, sea bass, lake whitefish, and catfish (as long as it is not the farm-raised variety). Some sources say to avoid shellfish, while others say shellfish are generally fine as long as they are well cooked. So, cooked clams and oysters should be fine, raw oysters are out. Light canned tuna is considered safe while tuna itself has a rather bad reputation. If in doubt, you may wish to avoid tuna completely.

Herbal Teas and Vegetables Should Be Fine, Right? - Almost right, but there are a few items best to avoid. Generally speaking, any vegetable is going to be good for mother and baby. As far as vegetables are concerned, the one big problem is with pregnant women who are vegetarians. Vegetarians don't always get enough of certain nutrients, such as calcium, which is all important for having a healthy pregnancy. But that's another subject. The only vegetables which should definitely be avoided are sprouts. Sprouts have a tendency to be contaminated with E-coli, or other bacteria. It's not that all other vegetables are guaranteed safe, witness the recent E-coli scare in which lettuce was involved. You can't go through life though worrying about each and every vegetable. A good idea might be to subscribe to an on-line newsletter that monitors the food supply and alerts you if there is a specific food item you should avoid for a period of time. It's a bit of a different story with herbal teas. Generally considered healthy, several of the herbal teas are in the category of foods to avoid during pregnancy. It is generally recommended that ginseng, raspberry, and green teas be avoided, while ginger and mint teas are perfectly fine.

Processed Foods, A Can Of Worms - It would make things simple to just tell you to avoid processed foods altogether, but that might be very difficult to do during the course of a pregnancy, plus many, and probably most processed foods, are perfectly fine to keep in your diet. We've already mentioned meat, but processed meats often contain nitrates, especially cured meats, and sausages. You don't have to eliminate them completely from your diet, just go easy on them. The same for artificially sweetened drinks. While they haven't been proven especially harmful, they usually aren't very nutritious either. You'd be better off switching to fruit juices, just make certain if it is fresh fruit juice, it has been pasteurized. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one food additive that should be avoided, as is the case with certain food colorings - red 3, green 3, and blue, plus Olean, and saccharin.

You should be able to look at these guidelines and design a healthy diet to take you through pregnancy. Cook your meat well, avoid certain types of fish, cooking the good kinds well, hard boil your eggs, stick to hard cheeses, eat all the veggies you want (except sprouts), and continue to enjoy your morning cup of coffee.