Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy (and What's Actually Safe)

TL;DR

• Hard avoid: Raw or undercooked meat/eggs, unpasteurized dairy, high-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel), raw sprouts
• Use caution: Deli meat (heat it first), soft cheeses (check the label for pasteurization), caffeine (limit to 200mg/day)
• Actually fine: Cooked sushi, pasteurized soft cheese, well-washed fruits and vegetables, most seafood in moderation
• The real risk is smaller than you think — most food safety rules are about avoiding rare but serious infections like listeria and toxoplasmosis

Why the Food Rules Exist

Pregnancy changes your immune system, making you more susceptible to certain foodborne illnesses. The three big concerns are:

• Listeria — Found in unpasteurized dairy, deli meats, and some ready-to-eat foods. Rare but can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.
• Toxoplasmosis — Found in undercooked meat and unwashed produce. Can cause birth defects.
• Mercury — Accumulates in certain large fish and can affect fetal brain development.

The rules aren't about being overly cautious — they're about avoiding specific, known risks.

Foods to Avoid

Raw or Undercooked Meat and Eggs

Cook all meat to safe internal temperatures. Skip rare steaks, raw cookie dough, and runny eggs. This reduces the risk of salmonella and toxoplasmosis.

High-Mercury Fish

Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish. These large, long-lived fish accumulate mercury. Limit albacore tuna to 6 ounces per week.

Unpasteurized Products

Skip unpasteurized milk, juice, and soft cheeses made from unpasteurized milk (often labeled "raw milk"). This is the main listeria concern.

Raw Sprouts

Alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean sprouts can harbor bacteria even when washed. Cook them if you want them.

Foods That Are Probably Fine (Despite What You've Heard)

Cooked Sushi

The concern with sushi is raw fish, not rice and seaweed. Cooked rolls (California rolls, shrimp tempura, eel) are safe. See our full sushi guide.

Pasteurized Soft Cheese

Brie, feta, goat cheese — check the label. If it says "pasteurized," it's fine. Most cheese sold in US grocery stores is pasteurized.

Coffee

Up to 200mg of caffeine per day (about one 12oz coffee) is considered safe by ACOG. More in our caffeine guide.

Most Seafood

The FDA actually recommends eating 8-12 ounces of low-mercury seafood per week during pregnancy. Salmon, shrimp, tilapia, and cod are all good choices. The omega-3s benefit your baby's brain development.

Deli Meat (Heated)

The listeria risk from deli meat is real but small. Heating it to steaming (165F) kills listeria. More in our deli meat guide.

A Note on Food Anxiety

It's easy to fall down a rabbit hole of pregnancy food rules and feel like you can't eat anything. The reality is that most food in the US is safe, and the actual risk from any single food is very low. Wash your produce, cook your meat, check cheese labels, and don't stress about the rest.

If you accidentally ate something on the "avoid" list, don't panic. The odds of any single exposure causing harm are extremely small. Mention it to your provider at your next visit if you're concerned.

The Bottom Line

Focus on eating a varied, nutritious diet. The foods to truly avoid are a short list: raw meat, high-mercury fish, unpasteurized dairy, and raw sprouts. Everything else is either fine or manageable with simple precautions like heating or checking labels.

Sources

• ACOG — Healthy Eating During Pregnancy
• FDA — Advice About Eating Fish
• CDC — Listeria and Pregnancy

Related Articles

• Can I Eat Sushi While Pregnant?
• Is Deli Meat Safe During Pregnancy?
• Can I Drink Coffee While Pregnant?