Some foods are not safe to eat in pregnancy. Access our guide here outlining what is safe to eat, not safe and what to limit
***Key Points***
key points
***Key Points***
***Meat and Chicken***
SAFE to EAT
- Ensure any meat is cooked thoroughly and eat while hot
- Store leftovers in fridge, use within a day of cooking and reheat thoroughly.
- Hot takeaway chicken is safe if freshly cooked and eaten while hot. Store leftovers in fridge and eat within 24 hours
- Beef, chicken, or pork mince is safe if cooked thoroughly and eaten while hot
DO NOT EAT
- raw or undercooked meat including beef, poultry, or pork.
- stuffing unless cooked separately and eaten while hot
***Meat and Chicken***
***Cold meats***
Cold meats, deli meats and any processed meats
DO NOT EAT
unless processed meats are thoroughly cooked to steaming hot and eaten soon afterwards e.g., on a pizza it is better to avoid all processed meats in pregnancy.
- packaged or unpackaged ready- to-eat meats such as ham, salami, pre- prepared chicken, chicken loaf
- cold meats, chicken, or turkey from sandwich bars.
- pâté
LIMIT
Limit liver due to high Vitamin A content
***Cold meats***
***Liver***
LIMIT
Limit liver to 50 grams per week. It contains high levels of vitamin A
***Liver***
***Fish and seafood***
SAFE to EAT
- Freshly cooked fish
- Two to three serves of fish per week is recommended. Serve size is 150g.
- freshly cooked seafood
- canned seafood including canned tuna
DO NOT EAT
- Ready to eat, pre-cooked prawns
- uncooked or smoked seafood such as smoked salmon
- raw fish or seafood
- sushi with raw or smoked
- seafood or sushi with other fillings that is not freshly made
LIMIT
Eat 2-3 serves per week of any fish except
Eat 1 serve per week of these fish (and no other)
• Catfish
• Orange Roughy (Deep Sea Perch)
Eat 1 serve per fortnight of these fish (and no other)
- Shark (Flake)
- Broadbill
- Swordfish
- Marlin
***Fish and seafood***
***Cheese***
SAFE to EAT
- Hard cheese e.g., Cheddar or tasty cheese
- Processed cheese, cottage cheese or cream cheese are all safe to eat – ensure they are stored in the fridge and eaten within 48 hours of opening
DO NOT EAT
Soft and semi-soft cheese Egg brie, camembert, ricotta, feta,
bocconcini or blue cheese
***Cheese***
***Dairy Foods***
Safe to eat – pasteurized
- milk
- yoghurt
- cream
- buttermilk
- Store-bought custard – eat if cold and freshly opened.
- Home-made custard – cook thoroughly and eat while hot
ice cream – packaged frozen
Do not eat
- unpasteurized dairy food
- soft serve ice-cream
- smoothies/milkshakes – made with soft serve ice cream.
***Dairy Foods***
***Eggs***
Safe to eat
Cooked eggs – such as scrambled, fried or quiche.
Eggs should be cooked thoroughly, and yolk thickened.
Check non-refrigerated products such as mayonnaise for pasteurized egg and follow storage instruction
Do not eat
• raw or runny eggs
• foods that may contain raw eggs egg mousse, eggnog, aioli, cake, or pancake batter,
- homemade & café-made mayonnaise or Caesar salad dressing which may contain raw eggs
- dips that contain feta or ricotta cheese
***Eggs***
***Vegetables and Herbs***
Safe to eat
- fresh cooked vegetables (wash before cooking)
- canned vegetables
- frozen vegetables
- salad if freshly prepared
(except raw alfalfa, bean, or snow pea sprouts)
Do not eat
- pre-prepared salads including fruit salads from salad bars/smorgasbords
- sprouted seeds such as alfalfa, snow pea, broccoli, mung bean or radish sprouts
***Vegetables and Herbs***
***Fruit***
Safe to eat
All types are safe except store- bought pre- cut fruit.
If fruit is to be eaten whole, wash before eating
Do not eat
- commercial pre-cut fruit
- rockmelon
- freshly squeezed juices
and smoothies from cafes and juice bars
***Fruit***
***Sushi***
Do not eat
Store-bought sushi
Homemade sushi – do not use raw meat, fish, or shellfish.
Wash vegetables well an consume immediately
***Sushi***
***Soy Products***
Safe to eat
- • tofu
- soy milk
- soy yoghurt
***Soy Products***
***Sesame seeds***
Safe to eat
Sesame products that have received heat treatment such as sesame oil and sesame seeds on baked products such as bread
Do not eat
Sesame seed and sesame products that are made from ground or whole sesame seeds such as tahini, halva, and hummus
***Sesame seeds***
***Canned and bottled foods***
Safe to eat
Follow storage instructions after opening
***Canned and bottled foods***
***Eating out and takeaway***
Safe to eat
Eat food that is freshly cooked. Make sure hot food cooked through and is steaming hot.
Do not eat
• pre-made food if you suspect that may have been stored for some time
• salad bars and smorgasbords
• pre-prepared sandwiches • sushi containing raw or
smoked seafood or that is not freshly prepared
***Eating out and takeaway***
***Leftovers***
Safe to eat
Cooked leftovers are safe if they have been
- refrigerated as soon as they have stopped steaming
- eaten within a day
- reheated thoroughly
before eating
Do not eat
Food left at room temperature overnight or not refrigerated immediately
***Leftovers***
***Drinks***
Safe to drink
• Water
- Carbonated water
- Pasteurized milk
Do not drink
• alcohol
• energy drinks that contain guarana or caffeine such as V, Red Bull, Mother• Artificial sweeteners in
moderation are safe for pregnancy.
Limit caffeine-containing drinks:
- 1-2 cups of espresso style
coffee
- • 3 cups of instant
coffee per day
- • 4-5 cups per day of tea, hot choc or
cola drinks***Drinks***
- 1-2 cups of espresso style
Access to quick reference guide here
