This section will provide a few links and information on eating healthy.

 

Foods to avoid during pregnancy

Should I eat the fish I catch?

• Good nutrition starts with eating a variety of healthy foods.  Use whole grains, fruits vegetables, lean meats, and low-fat dairy foods.
   
• The food pyramid for pregnancy recommends:
  
       6 or more servings of whole grains and starches
       2-3 servings of fruit
       3-5 servings of vegetables
       3-4 servings of milk or yogurt
       2-3 servings of meat or other proteins
   
• Eat often enough!  Three small meals and 2-4 snacks at regular times work best.
   
• Breakfast might be:
  
       Oatmeal & toast                    Bagel & cream cheese
       Egg & English muffin              Plain waffle & sausage
   
• Lunch or dinner ideas:
  
       2-4 oz. meat, small potato, vegetable & milk
       sandwich, fruit & soup
   
• Snack ideas might include:
  
       1 slice toast with peanut butter
       1 oz. cheese & 6 crackers
       small bowl of Cheerios with milk
       1 c. yogurt
       1 granola bar
       1 piece fresh fruit
   
• Limit foods that are high in added sugars.  They are low in nutrients and may raise your blood sugar too high.  These sugary foods include:
  
       table sugar
       honey
       jelly and jam
       syrup
       molasses
       desserts (pie, cake, etc.)
       cookies
       soft drinks
       regular gelatin
       lemonade
       punch
       ice cream
   
• Limit convenience and restaurant foods.
   
• If you need more details or have questions about what to eat, talk with your doctor about scheduling a visit with a registered dietician.

Steps to avoid listeriosis:

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) provide the following advice for pregnant women and all at-risk consumers:

• Do not eat hot dogs, luncheon meats or deli meats unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
• Do not eat soft cheeses such as feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as "queso blanco fresco".  Hard cheeses, semi-soft cheeses such as mozzarella, pasteurized processed cheese slices and spreads, cream cheese, and cottage cheese can be safely consumed.
• Do not eat refrigerated pate' or meat spreads.  Canned or shelf-stable pate' and meat spreads can be eaten.
• Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it is an ingredient in a cooked dish such as a casserole.  Examples of refrigerated smoked seafood include salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, and mackerel which are most often labeled as "nova-style", "lox", "kippered", "smoked", or "jerky".  This fish is found in the refrigerated section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens.  Canned fish such as salmon and tuna or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be safely eaten.
• Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.

Additional Advice

1. Advise pregnant women, those who may become pregnant, nursing mothers and young children not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish (FDA).
2. Advise women of child-bearing age they can safely eat up to an average of 12 ounces a week of other types of cooked fish from a store or restaurant. (FDA)
3. Advise women  of child-bearing age not to eat more than 6 ounces in a week of cooked fish, that are caught in local waters. (EPA)
4. Advise young children not to eat more than 2 ounces in a week of cooked fish that are caught in local waters. (EPA)

Additional guidance on the proper selection, cleaning and cooking noncommercial fish is available in the brochure "Should I Eat the Fish I Catch?: A guide to healthy eating of fish you catch? from the U.S. EPA internet site www.epa.gov/ost/fish   or calling 1-800-490-9198 and requesting document number EPA 823-B-97-009. 

 

 

 

 

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