What dietary taboos should pregnant women pay attention to?

In fact, the dietary taboos for pregnant women are far less complicated than what is reported online. There are only three categories that really need to be avoided 100%. The rest are mostly about "controlling intake" rather than "complete fasting". You don't need to be overly anxious and don't dare to eat this or touch that.

When I was rotating in the obstetrics department, I met a girl who was 9 weeks pregnant. She was greedy for half-cooked salmon from an izakaya. She developed bacterial diarrhea and low-grade fever that night. Fortunately, it did not affect the fetus. The attending doctor at the time repeatedly emphasized that incompletely cooked animal foods are the number one risk - regardless of Sashimi, soft-boiled eggs, undercooked steak, unpasteurized fresh milk, and soft cheese may all carry Listeria. For ordinary people, infection may only last a few days, but pregnant women may suffer from teratogenesis and miscarriage if infected. You should not touch any of these items. There are also all drinks and foods that contain alcohol. Don’t believe in the sayings that “drinking a small amount of alcohol is good for the fetus” or “boiling red wine will evaporate all the alcohol.” The current academic consensus is that there is no safe dose of alcohol intake, and even trace amounts may affect fetal neurological development. Before the prenatal check-up, I encountered an aunt who insisted on feeding her pregnant daughter-in-law two mouthfuls of glutinous rice to "replenish qi and blood". The doctor present advised her for a long time that if she really wanted to eat food containing alcohol such as glutinous rice and drunken crab, she should at least cook it until there was no alcohol smell at all before considering it. It would be better to avoid it directly if it is safer. Oh, by the way, there are also large deep-sea fish with excessive mercury content, such as swordfish, shark, and tilefish. Long-term consumption may affect fetal brain development, but don’t accidentally damage low-mercury deep-sea fish such as salmon and cod. Eating it 1-2 times a week can supplement DHA, which is good for the development of the baby.

In addition to these three categories that are clearly to be avoided, the remaining "taboos" that have been widely circulated on the Internet, such as crabs, hawthorns, ice drinks, lychees, etc., are actually very controversial, and there is no need to apply them across the board. The older generation always said that eating cold crabs can cause miscarriage. Last year, I met a pregnant mother who was in her second trimester. Her hometown is in Jiangsu. She ate two or three hairy crabs every week during the hairy crab season, and the whole pregnancy went smoothly. On the contrary, there was another girl who had a weak spleen and stomach before pregnancy and had stomach pains when she ate something cold. When she was pregnant, she couldn't help but drink a whole glass of iced Americano. To put it bluntly, this kind of food is not a "pregnancy poison" at all. Whether you want to eat it or not depends on your own body constitution. If you eat it before pregnancy, you will not feel uncomfortable. It is perfectly fine to eat it in moderation to satisfy your cravings during pregnancy. If you feel uncomfortable eating it yourself, then just don't touch it.

As for foods that everyone often struggles with, such as coffee, milk tea, and cakes, they are not actually taboos. The key is not to overdose. I once had a patient who drank a cup of milk tea with small cakes every day for fear of losing her appetite during pregnancy. As a result, she passed the glucose tolerance test at 24 weeks and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. For the next six months, she did not dare to touch anything sweet. She pricked her finger every day to test her blood sugar, but she suffered. There are different opinions on the intake of caffeine. Some believe that you should quit it completely during pregnancy. Some studies have confirmed that caffeine intake of no more than 200 mg per day will not affect the fetus. It is about the amount of a medium American cup. If you have insomnia and panic after drinking coffee, then definitely don’t touch it. If you have the habit of drinking coffee, you don’t need to completely quit it when you are pregnant. Just reduce it to less than one cup a day. Don’t be too uncomfortable with yourself.

In fact, I have been in contact with so many pregnant women, and I have seen many people who dare not eat or touch this. In the end, nutritional imbalance affects the development of the fetus. There is really no need to be so tight. Remember the three things that must not be touched. The rest will follow your body's reaction. Eat what you like in moderation. If you are in a good mood, it will be better for the baby.