For Moms
Foods to Limit or Avoid
What’s off the menu?
Here’s what you should eat less of, or avoid altogether, during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Caffeine:
Limit your caffeine intake to 300 mg/day, the equivalent of 1 to 2 cups of coffee. Beware of ‘energy’ drinks-they can be loaded with caffeine.
Herbal teas:
For a warm, relaxing drink, try citrus, ginger, lemon, orange or rose hip herbal teas (up to 3 cups/day). Other teas may have a harmful effect.
Alcohol:
All forms of alcohol, including hard liquor, wine and beer, are dangerous to your baby’s health.Ready-to-eat meats:
Deli meats, patés and hot dogs all bring a slight risk of listeria infection.
Raw or undercooked meat, poultry and eggs:
(including “rare” burgers, steaks and runny eggs) can harbour harmful bacteria such as salmonella.
Unpasteurized foods:
(including milk, juices and cheeses) can also contain illness-causing bacteria
Fish and shellfish:
(including swordfish, marlin, fresh/frozen tuna, orange roughy, escolar and shark) may contain high levels of mercury. Limit consumption of these types of fish to no more than 150 g per month (approximately 1 cup). Also avoid raw or undercooked shellfish. Eat no more than 300 g (approximately 2 - 170 g cans) per week of canned albacore (white) tuna, but eat as much as you like of other types of canned light tuna which are low in mercury (such as skipjack, yellowfin and tongol).
But, don’t shy away from other fish. Fish is an excellent source of DHA (an Omega-3 fat), which supports baby’s normal brain and eye development. Eating well with Canada’s Food Guide recommends that Canadians eat at least 2 servings (of 75 g or 2 ½ oz each) of fish a week*. Choose fish that are high in DHA and low in mercury such as salmon, mackerel, herring, rainbow trout, canned light tuna, Pollock (Boston Bluefish), sole and hake.
*Health Canada provides advice for limiting exposure to mercury from certain types of fish.
