The short version
- Most of the list comes down to four things: listeria, toxoplasma, salmonella and mercury.
- Many foods aren't off for good. Heat deli meat until steaming, choose pasteurized dairy and cook eggs until firm.
- Eat 8 to 12 oz of low-mercury fish a week, and skip the six highest-mercury fish and bigeye tuna.
- Keep caffeine under 200 mg a day. A 12 oz brewed coffee can be more than that on its own.
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The list of foods to skip in pregnancy can feel long and a little random. It isn’t. Almost every item is there because of one of four things: listeria, toxoplasma, salmonella or mercury. Once you know which is which, most foods turn out to need a different way of cooking, not a goodbye.
Why are some foods off the list in pregnancy?
Because a few germs and one metal can reach the baby, even when you feel fine.
- Listeria is a germ that can grow in the fridge. The CDC says it can spread to the baby during pregnancy, even if you don’t feel very sick.
- Toxoplasma is a parasite found in undercooked meat and shellfish, unwashed produce and soil. A new infection in pregnancy can pass to the baby.
- Salmonella can be inside a clean, uncracked egg. The FDA lists pregnant women among the groups at greater risk.
- Mercury builds up in some large fish. ACOG notes it has been linked to birth defects.
Which foods carry a listeria risk?
Cold deli meats, hot dogs, fresh soft cheeses, raw milk, chilled smoked fish and raw sprouts.
Listeria is rare. The CDC estimates about 1 in 25,000 pregnant women get it each year in the US. It’s serious when it happens, so the advice is worth following. Most of these foods are fine once heated or swapped.
| Skip | Have instead |
|---|---|
| Cold deli meat, cold cuts, hot dogs | The same, reheated to 165°F or until steaming hot |
| Unheated fresh soft cheese, like queso fresco | Hard cheese made with pasteurized milk |
| Raw (unpasteurized) milk | Pasteurized milk, yogurt and ice cream |
| Refrigerated smoked fish | Smoked fish in a sealed shelf-stable pack, or cooked into a dish |
| Raw sprouts | Sprouts cooked until steaming hot |
| Cut melon that has sat out | Melon that has just been cut |
Based on the CDC’s listeria advice.
Can I eat eggs while pregnant?
Yes, cooked until both the yolk and the white are firm.
That’s the FDA’s advice for avoiding salmonella. Dishes with egg in them, like casseroles or quiche, should reach 160°F.
Watch for foods where egg stays raw. The FDA names homemade Caesar dressing and homemade ice cream. For those, it suggests pasteurized eggs or pasteurized egg products.
How do I cook meat to avoid toxoplasma?
Cook it to a safe temperature and check with a thermometer.
These are the CDC’s numbers:
- Whole cuts of meat: 145°F, then rest for 3 minutes
- Ground meat: 160°F
- Poultry: 165°F
The CDC also suggests rinsing fruit and vegetables under running water, and skipping unpasteurized goat’s milk and raw or undercooked oysters, mussels and clams. Gardening counts too. Wear gloves when you touch soil and wash your hands after.
Which fish should I avoid when pregnant?
Bigeye tuna, king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish and Gulf of Mexico tilefish.
These are the FDA’s highest-mercury fish. Fish itself is a good thing in pregnancy, so this is about choosing well, not cutting it out. The FDA notes fish brings omega-3s, iron, iodine and choline.
- How much: 8 to 12 oz a week, which is 2 to 3 servings from the FDA’s “best choices” list. A serving is 4 oz, about the size of your palm.
- Best choices include: salmon, sardines, anchovies, cod, pollock, shrimp, catfish, crab and canned light tuna.
- Albacore (white) tuna: a “good choice”, so keep it to 1 serving a week.
- Raw fish: ACOG says to avoid raw fish and shellfish, sushi included.
How much caffeine is OK in pregnancy?
Under 200 mg a day, the amount ACOG uses.
That adds up faster than people expect. These ranges are from the FDA, per 12 fl oz:
| Drink | Caffeine |
|---|---|
| Brewed coffee | 113–247 mg |
| Energy drink | 41–246 mg |
| Black tea | about 71 mg |
| Caffeinated soda | 23–83 mg |
| Green tea | about 37 mg |
So one large coffee can take up the whole day.
What about liver?
It’s very high in vitamin A, so ask your OB or midwife before making it a habit.
The NIH says too much preformed vitamin A in pregnancy can cause birth defects, and liver is one of its richest food sources. ACOG still lists liver among iron-rich foods, so advice isn’t all one way. Imi flags liver and keeps it off pregnancy plans. Your care team can tell you what’s right for you.
How does Imi help?
Imi flags foods to skip on recipes, keeps them off your plan, and counts your caffeine.
Turn on the pregnancy focus and Imi flags raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs, unpasteurized cheese, deli meat, high-mercury fish, raw sprouts and liver. It keeps them off your plan and shows the reason on the recipe. It counts caffeine against 200 mg a day.
The pregnancy focus also switches off weight loss and GLP-1 support. Calories step up by trimester at weeks 14 and 28. If you’d rather not see much counting, “show fewer numbers” keeps the plan and the food-safety notes.
Print the foods to skip list for your fridge, or see how Imi plans for pregnancy.
Sources (10)
- CDC: Preventing Listeria infection
- CDC: People at increased risk for Listeria infection
- CDC: About toxoplasmosis
- CDC: Preventing toxoplasmosis
- FDA: What you need to know about egg safety
- FDA and EPA: Advice about eating fish
- ACOG: Healthy eating during pregnancy (FAQ001)
- ACOG Committee Opinion 462: Moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy
- FDA: Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much?
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Vitamin A and carotenoids
