What foods should I eat during pregnancy?

During pregnancy your unborn baby gets all the nutrients they need to grow from you. It’s important that you eat a balanced diet so here are some tips:

• Calcium is great for you and your baby so try and eat 4 or more portions of dairy foods a day.
• Ordinary cheddar cheese, cream cheese or cottage cheese is fine, as long as they are pasteurised so make sure you check the label!
• Include lean meat, chicken, fish and some protein in each main meal but only eat one portion of oily fish and one portion of white fish each week.
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, wholegrain cereals (like Shredded Wheat) and beans to make sure you get plenty of fibre.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, as well as low-fat milk and fresh fruit juices.
• Try not to drink more than 3 mugs of coffee or 6 cups of tea a day.

What foods should I avoid during pregnancy?

It’s best to stay away from some foods during pregnancy because of what they contain or the way that they’re prepared. They could harm your baby as well as make you ill. Here are some things to avoid:

• Limit the amount of sweets, crisps, cakes, biscuits, fats, oils, salt and sugar that you eat as they don’t have much of the nutritional value that you and your baby need.
• Avoid undercooked or raw eggs, or foods likely to be made with them, (including home-made mousses, ice cream and mayonnaise, all of which may be made with raw eggs).
• Don’t eat raw, undercooked or very rare meat and fish.
• Avoid unpasteurised milk, cheese or yogurt and soft cheeses like brie, camembert, ricotta, or blue cheeses.
• Don’t eat pâté or liver – these can have excessive amounts of vitamin A which can harm your baby.
• Check that any ready meals or reheated foods are piping hot all the way through before you eat them.
• It is recommended that women should avoid eating peanuts during pregnancy.
• Government advice states that pregnant women should avoid alcohol altogether.

Teenage Pregnancy Support Service

You can call to make an appointment on (01482) 336379 or come along to the TPSS all-day drop-in session on Tuesdays. The TPSS is based at Conifer House (link to map opens in new window), 32-36 Prospect Street in Hull.