Food Facts With

1. If you’re pregnant, which of these cravings suggests something important. Ice cream may be missing from your diet. You should not use multiple carrots, chocolate and cheeseburgers.

Food cravings are normal during pregnancy, and are generally OK if you give in to them, but don’t overdo it. But craving non-food items such as ice, laundry detergent, paint chips, or clay, may mean you have something called pica. Tell your doctor immediately. Eating non-foods can be dangerous to you and your baby, and your body may be lacking important nutrients.

2. Feta cheese - you should avoid during pregnancy. You can use cheeses as: Gouda, Romano or Mozzarella.

Pregnant women are 13 times more likely to contract listeriosis, a bacterial infection that can lead to miscarriage and stillbirth. That’s why soft cheeses -- which tend to be from raw or unpasteurized milk -- are not recommended during pregnancy. Raw milk and the food made from it can carry disease-causing organisms, including a bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes .

Pasteurization kills bacteria using heat. Unless clearly labeled as "pasteurized," or "made with pasteurized milk," avoid soft cheeses like feta, brie, Camembert, blue cheeses, and Mexican-style cheeses such as queso blanco and queso fresco.

3. If you eat a lot of carrots during pregnancy, your baby is likely to enjoy carrots, too.

The foods you eat during pregnancy may familiarize your baby with certain flavors even before his first eating encounter. Small studies have shown that spices such as garlic, cumin, and curry eaten by expecting mothers change the flavor of amniotic fluid, which baby regularly swallows. In another study, infants’ facial expressions were less likely to be negative when they first tried carrots if their mothers drank a lot of carrot juice during pregnancy.

4. Eating spicy food can not induce labor.

Although many women swear that spicy food helps induce labor, there is no evidence to back up this old wives’ tale. But often, a little extra spice is enough to trigger heartburn. So pay attention to how you feel after eating highly seasoned foods.

5. You should have caffeine when you're pregnant.

Studies show that drinking less than 200 mg of caffeine a day (that’s about two 8-ounce cups) is not linked to miscarriage or premature birth. But the jury is still out on whether caffeine is linked to low birth weight. If you are a mom-to-be who needs coffee to survive, your doctor will probably give you the OK to go ahead, as long as you don’t overindulge.

6. Most herbal teas are not fine to drink during pregnancy so they don’t contain caffeine.

Herbal teas such as ginger root, red raspberry leaf, and peppermint leaf usually do not contain caffeine. But there’s not enough research to know what effect herbal products will have on you or your baby. Plus, the FDA does not regulate them tightly, so there is no way to know what’s really in the box.

In contrast, non-herbal teas such as black tea are usually safe as long as you don’t drink more caffeine than your doctor recommends. Watch out for any herbal ingredients added to black tea. Before you put on the kettle for any kind of tea, check with your doctor.

7. Even when you’re not trying to get pregnant, you should not taking a supplement containing folic acid.

Folic acid helps a baby’s neural tube develop into the brain and spinal cord. But it works only if you take it before you get pregnant and in the first few weeks of your pregnancy. Because almost half of all U.S. pregnancies are unplanned, all women of childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily, usually found in a multivitamin. Pregnant women should get at least 600 micrograms.

8. Heartburn is usually worse in the third trimester.

Pregnancy hormones relax the valve in your esophagus, meaning stomach acid can splash back and cause painful heartburn. This can worsen in the second and third trimesters. The reason? As your uterus grows in size, it presses on your stomach, pushing food back up. Eating several small meals daily, avoiding spicy or fatty foods and caffeine, and propping your head up when lying down may all help prevent heartburn.

9. Hot dogs and sausages are OK to eat during pregnancy, as long as they are cooked and steaming hot.

Hot dogs, sausages, cold cuts, or other processed deli meats are usually safe during pregnancy if they are cooked and steaming hot, according to the CDC. Otherwise, they raise the risk of food poisoning, which can affect you and your baby. When in doubt, avoid these foods.

10. Ginger may help morning sickness.

About 80% of pregnant women have some nausea and vomiting, especially during the first trimester. Several small studies in humans have shown that 1 gram of ginger daily helped ease morning sickness when taken for no more than four days. Bland foods or salty crackers or sour or tart drinks like lemonade can help. So can snacking throughout the day. Ask your doctor before taking ginger. Let your doctor know if you’re vomiting several times a day or have severe nausea.

11. Eating Caesar salad dressing made with raw eggs is not safe. You can eating hard-boiled eggs as a snack or pasteurized egg products.

Eggs are a great way to get protein. But raw eggs can be contaminated with the dangerous bacteria salmonella, so stay away from eggnog, raw batter, hollandaise sauce, and Caesar salad dressing. Always cook eggs until the yolk and white parts are firm or choose pasteurized eggs.

12. Canned or potted meat spreads is usually safe if you’re pregnant. You should limit use refrigerated pâté, prepackaged chicken salad or refrigerated smoked salmon.

Some foods from the refrigerated deli department run the risk of infection from the bacteria Listeria. These include refrigerated meat products such as pâtés or spreads, and refrigerated smoked seafood. Same goes for packaged deli salads such as chicken or seafood salad. Pregnant women have a lower immunity to infections, so they are at a much higher risk of these dangers.

13. According to the CDC, a healthy diet during pregnancy is all your body needs not to get enough iron.

The U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (USRDA) for iron is 27 mg daily for pregnant women. Aim to meet this goal by eating lean meats, eggs, poultry, fish, dark leafy green vegetables, and iron-fortified cereals. However, because more than half of American pregnant women don’t meet the USRDA standard, the CDC still recommends pregnant women begin taking at least 30 mg of an iron supplement beginning at the first prenatal visit. Not enough iron can lead to anemia, which is linked to premature babies and low birth weight.

14. If allergies run in the family, eating certain foods when you’re pregnant could give your baby a food allergy.

For most women, eating certain food allergens during pregnancy does not affect the baby. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that if you, your child’s dad, or one of your other kids has severe food allergies, you might lower your baby’s chances of being allergic by avoiding food allergens like peanuts and peanut products while pregnant.

15. From diet alone, expecting vegan moms have a hard time getting enough: Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Iron.

Vitamin B12 is found naturally only in foods that come from animals,although some fortified breakfast cereals contain B12 also. So if you’re vegan, take a B12 supplement during pregnancy.

Vitamin D is most easily found in milk; vegan moms should either take a dietary supplement or spend 10 to 15 minutes in the sun three times a week, which is enough to produce the body’s requirement for vitamin D.

Iron can be found in beans, soy foods, spinach, seaweed, and more. As a vegan, you need twice as much iron in your diet as meat eaters. Doctors recommend taking an iron supplement to ensure you get enough during pregnancy.

16. Raw sprouts are not safe to eat when you're pregnant.

According to the FDA, any type of raw sprouts is bad for pregnant women. No matter how well they are washed, they can still contain dangerous bacteria. Stay away from sprouts unless they are thoroughly cooked.

17. Choices tilapia seafood is safe during pregnancy. You should'nt select King mackerel, Swordfish, Tilefish.

Chock-full of protein, fish contains omega-3 fatty acids to help with baby's brain development. But some fish contain higher levels of mercury. That can cause nervous system damage for your baby. Swordfish, tilefish, shark, and king mackerel are among the most commonly known no-no’s for pregnant women, according to the FDA.

Seafood with low mercury levels is generally safe when cooked. Pregnant women should not eat more 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish. Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

(Source Webmd.com)