What are the dietary taboos for pregnant women?

Undercooked animal/mushroom foods, any alcoholic beverages, unpasteurized dairy products and freshly squeezed bulk juices. The rest of the statements that everyone often hears, such as "can't eat crabs, can't eat hawthorns, and can't drink ice drinks", are mostly not universal. They either need to control the intake, or adjust according to personal physique, and cannot be regarded as unified "taboos".

Don’t believe it, my distant cousin was so greedy when she was 5 months pregnant that she went to a Japanese restaurant and ate two pieces of half-rare wagyu beef. Her fever reached 38 degrees that night. She went to the hospital to be diagnosed with listeria infection and stayed in the hospital for a week for miscarriage. She almost had an accident. This kind of bacterium is extremely thief. It can survive and reproduce at refrigerated temperatures. Ordinary people will have diarrhea for two days at most after being infected. Pregnant women have weak immunity. The bacterium can easily cross the placenta and infect the fetus. In severe cases, it can really lead to premature birth and miscarriage. So no matter what others say, "Sashimi is very fresh," and "Soft-boiled eggs are nutritious." If you don't touch half-cooked steaks, raw pickled seafood, undercooked enoki mushrooms, and unheated leftovers just taken out of the refrigerator, you really can't touch them if you can.

Not to mention alcoholic drinks, even the so-called "low-alcohol fruit beer, boiled fermented rice dumplings, and tiramisu with wine" should be avoided as much as possible. At present, there is no clear "safe alcohol intake during pregnancy" in the academic community. Some studies believe that a very small amount of alcohol intake may not have any impact. However, there are also cases showing that even just one sip of liquor can cause damage to fetal neurodevelopment. This risk has no standard answer, so avoid it if you can.

Another category that is easily overlooked is unpasteurized dairy products and drinks. There was news before about a pregnant mother who drank freshly squeezed goat milk that the elderly at home bought specifically to replenish her body. As a result, she was infected with Brucella, and the baby did not survive. Freshly squeezed juices sold by unqualified small workshops on the street and soft cheeses (such as Brie and Camembert) that are not labeled as "pasteurized" all fall into this category. Invisible bacteria are the most dangerous.

Someone must have seen this and asked, is the saying that has been passed down for decades by the elders that "you cannot eat crabs, hawthorns, and longans during pregnancy, otherwise you will have a miscarriage", is it all made up? It’s not entirely wrong. This is actually a cognitive difference between traditional Chinese medicine and modern Western medicine: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that crabs are cold in nature. Pregnant women with a weak spleen and stomach will easily have diarrhea if they eat more, which may indirectly induce uterine contractions. Hawthorn has the effect of activating blood circulation. People with a history of threatened abortion should eat with caution. ； However, the view of modern Western medicine is that in order to achieve the effective dose of these foods that can induce uterine contractions, you need to eat three to five kilograms at a time. Normal people cannot eat this amount in one meal. As long as you do not have allergies or discomfort when eating these foods, it is perfectly fine to eat them in moderation. When my best friend was 4 months pregnant, she secretly hid in the kitchen and ate two hairy crabs. Nothing happened. A pregnant mother in her neighborhood was allergic to seafood. After taking one bite of crab legs, she developed rashes and abdominal pain all over her body and was sent to the hospital. To put it bluntly, it depends on the individual's constitution. There is no unified standard for "not to eat".

As for the coffee, iced milk tea, spicy hotpot, and spicy strips that everyone asks about every day, they are not even taboo. Obstetrics and gynecology guidelines from various countries now clearly state that there is no problem if the daily caffeine intake does not exceed 200 mg, which is about the amount of a medium cup of American or two cups of latte. I used to accompany my colleague to a prenatal check-up. She was so sleepy every day at work that she couldn't keep her eyes open. The doctor directly told her to drink a small cup of latte every morning. Don't drink it in the afternoon and evening to affect her sleep. She has not stopped drinking coffee throughout her pregnancy, and the prenatal check-up was green. But if you feel flustered and your heart beats as fast as 120 after drinking coffee, there is definitely no need to drink it. The same goes for ice drinks. There is no such thing as "children who eat ice will be born with stomachaches." My sister-in-law's third trimester of pregnancy coincided with the summer and she chewed an ice pop every day. The baby was born white and fat, and even had mild jaundice. But if you have a weak stomach and have diarrhea for a long time after taking one sip of ice, then definitely don't do it.

I've also met pregnant mothers who cautiously asked if they can eat spicy strips. To be honest, as long as they are produced by regular manufacturers and are not Sanwu products, it's okay to eat one or two strips if you are craving for them occasionally. Just remember to drink two more sips of water after eating to avoid getting angry and toothache. Of course, if you have a bad stomach and get a fever after eating, then definitely don't touch them.

I accompanied a friend to the nutrition department before, and I particularly agree with what the doctor said: Pregnancy is a natural physiological process. There is no need to act like an ascetic and eat according to the "pregnancy fasting list" every day. Rather than remembering a hundred taboos, what is more important is to be "clean, balanced, and in moderation." As long as you have eaten something that you are not allergic to and don't feel uncomfortable after eating, you can basically eat it. Just control the amount.

There are many pregnant mothers around me who dare not eat or touch this throughout their pregnancy. In the end, they hide in the quilt and cry in the middle of the night. It is really unnecessary. Keep the three red lines that must not be touched, indulge in other things once in a while, eat something you like, and feel comfortable is better than anything else. After all, if the pregnant mother is happy, the baby in the belly will grow well.