Many women during pregnancy suffer from a lack of calcium in the body. A serious dilemma becomes the search for the necessary means that can restore the balance of vitamins and microelements in the body, including calcium. Without it, the condition of hair, skin, teeth deteriorates, and bones become more fragile.

Many expectant mothers with a deficiency of this macroelement begin to experience alopecia, fractures and dislocations occur even from simple movements, teeth fall out and caries begins. You can avoid this by enriching your diet with fermented milk products, including natural cheeses.

What are the benefits of cheese?

This product dates back thousands of years of production. There are hundreds of varieties of both hard and soft cheeses with different taste nuances, aromas, and structures. There are cheeses without mold and various types of artificial mold that are beneficial for the body. What are the benefits of the cheese itself?

• It contains a whole complex of vitamins and microelements, including group B. These substances help activate metabolic processes, protect the immune system from diseases and normal fetal development.
• Since cheese is a protein product, it contains valuable amino acids and proteins necessary as a building material for cell membranes.
• Cheese is the only protein product that contains a huge amount of calcium, even more than cottage cheese. Due to the miracle macroelement, it improves the condition of bones, teeth, nails, hair and skin.
• In this product, it is responsible for improving mental activity and activating the work of the cerebral cortex.
• Various types of cheese contain enzymatic substances that aid digestion.

If you have no appetite, you should cure this ailment by eating small pieces of fermented milk product daily.

Benefits of different types of cheese

Each variety outperforms each other in some way. Let's look at the benefits of each variety.

• Durum varieties - Russian, Dutch, gouda, edam, cheddar and parmesan - do not contain pathogenic microflora that are dangerous for the expectant mother and baby.
• Varieties such as Ugliysky and Kostromsky, which are more soft, contain a lot of animal fats, so they are recommended for use in morning sandwiches. But you shouldn’t get carried away with such a non-dietary product.
• Cheeses with large holes have a special composition and help normalize blood pressure.
• Melted varieties that have been exposed to temperature are not as healthy, but they are safer for the pregnant woman’s body.
• Curd cheeses are record holders for the content of vitamins and macroelements, in particular calcium.
• Vegetable tofu cheese made from soy milk does not contain cholesterol, but is enriched with iron and folic acid, which are necessary for fetal development.

What are the possible contraindications?

Cheese, despite its benefits, is a heavy product that burdens the digestive system. To digest it, all organs of the gastrointestinal tract must work smoothly, enzymes and enzymes that break down the product into useful substances must be injected in a timely manner.

Anyone with hypertension should not consume the key element of French cuisine. It is also contraindicated in case of increased secretory function, diseases of the urinary ducts, glomerulo- and pyelonephritis, urolithiasis, excess weight and metabolic disorders. Anyone who gains weight too quickly, suffers from edema, or toxicosis in the 2nd or 3rd trimester should savor cheese with caution.

When buying a product in a store, pay attention to several points:

1. Best before date. The cheese must be cut on the day of arrival with a difference of 2-3 days. If more time has passed, then there is no point in buying this cheese - do not forget that then it will lie in your refrigerator for more than one day.
2. Do not buy cheeses and cheese products unknown to you - they are very harmful to the body. Forget about “Hochland” - this kind of “cheese” in essence is not such, but it contains a lot of preservatives.
3. Do not buy “braids” and smoked sausage cheeses.
4. Be careful when buying cheeses with additives - raisins, olives, nuts.
5. Do not purchase products containing vegetable or palm oil.
6. Brynza is a very tasty and healthy type of cheese. It is easy to buy and is recommended for pregnant women, since you can immediately determine whether it is a fake or an original. Real cheese is distinguished by a large amount of liquid, a characteristic fresh-salty taste, and a special structure.

Instead of supermarkets, go shopping to private traders who bring food from the village or to markets - there are more chances to buy a high-quality and safe product. Be sure to taste it so as not to buy cheese that is tasteless or unhealthy.

Ways to eat cheeses

This versatile product is an addition to many classic dishes and recipes. It is not recommended to heat some cheeses so that they do not lose vitamins and beneficial qualities.

• Grate hard cheeses to fine crumbs and sprinkle them on top of salads, sandwiches, stewed or baked chicken, add to pies and other baked goods.
• Curd cheeses can be used for sandwiches by grinding them with nuts, herbs and a small amount of garlic. It can also be added as a filling to baked goods and dumplings.
• An Armenian breakfast recipe is to spread freshly baked lavash with soft cheese and pour honey on top.
• Greek pickled cheeses are ideal for salads. They go great with fresh or grilled vegetables.
• Khachapuri with cheese and egg is a nutritious and healthy breakfast option.
• Pizza is an Italian pastry that is unthinkable without cheese. To prepare it, both brine mozzarella and rich-tasting hard parmesan are used. Bread, rolls and calzone pies are also prepared with cheese.
• In summer, dishes made from cheese are delicious. It can also be used as a snack. It goes very well with figs, strawberries, nuts and honey. Use cheeses to make homemade casseroles, stews and ratatouille. Add cheese to omelets - this will make the usual dish even tastier.
• You can come up with unusual combinations by setting “cheese plates” for the table. Grapes, figs, walnuts, citrus fruits, apples, pears - there can be any options. But fruits should be tart, sweet, sweet-sweet or sweet-sour, but not just sour. Not all berries are suitable for the table - they do not combine in taste, unless you consider dried strawberries or maraschino cherries as an option. Some dried fruits and dried ham will complete the appetizing picture.

And forget about wine! The cheese plate is now available to you only in a non-alcoholic version.

What to replace cheese with?

Not all women love classic cheeses, and some have individual intolerance to the components of the product. Also, vegetarians and vegans do not eat cheese, replacing it with plant-based analogues. How to replace this healthy, calcium-rich product?

If you are not allergic to cottage cheese, then you can eat it. From this universal product you can make a “batter” for morning sandwiches - the cottage cheese is salted, chopped basil, oregano, tarragon and dill, chopped pistachios or pine nuts are added to it. The mixture is ground until smooth - now you can make sandwiches. They are very tasty with balsamic vinegar or honey, or with fresh herb decorations.

Tofu is a universal substitute for classic cheeses. It is made from soy milk and has a soft consistency, sharp aroma and mild taste, so it can be flavored with any flavor using other products. It goes perfectly with fresh or baked vegetables, various types of meat and even fruits.

If a woman does not like cheese at all, then she can get valuable calcium from other foods. For example, you can make decoctions from nettles. Suitable products include sunflower seeds, cottage cheese, beans, sour cream, almonds, hazelnuts, barley, oatmeal, and green peas. You can see the full table of foods with percentages of calcium below.

What you should know about cheeses. Precautionary measures

You should not use this product during pregnancy. Each cheese has a high percentage of fat content, and a pregnant woman should not overeat and gain weight. You also need to carefully read the ingredients and purchase products with the necessary caution to protect yourself and your baby from toxic infections.

Do not buy dishes containing cheese in public catering establishments - they can be hazardous to your health.

Cheese is a tasty and healthy product that contains a lot of calcium, amino acids and other useful substances. It is practically irreplaceable and is an integral component of more than hundreds of dishes. Do not deprive yourself of the pleasure of enjoying cheese during pregnancy, just take the necessary precautions in choosing and consuming it.

Everyone loves burgers with cheese, and even broccoli tastes good with cheese! It would be surprising if pregnant women didn't crave cheese. But is it safe to eat cheese during pregnancy? Prevention is always better than cure, so you should know for sure whether cheese is harmful for a child.

Today, cheese is everywhere, in all the most delicious foods. In fact, it is impossible to imagine a dish that would include cheese and be tasteless. And if you are an expectant mother, it is safe to say that you have little control over your food cravings right now and simply cannot help but eat cheesecakes, pizza, pasta, lasagna, burgers or salads with a huge amount of cheese sauce, as well as everything else, on that you can put cheese. But pregnant women need to adhere to so many food restrictions!

Cheeses are produced by coagulating the proteins and fats contained in milk during fermentation. This means it contains bacteria. In this regard, the question arises: is it healthy to eat cheese during pregnancy? Are the bacteria contained in cheese dangerous for a child's health? Generally hard cheeses are safer than soft ones, since the pasteurization process destroys pathogens that can harm the fruit. Additionally, the safety of cheese largely depends on the type of cheese you consume, as there are a huge variety of them.

Eating cheese during pregnancy

When eating cheese during pregnancy, you need to make sure that it is made from pasteurized milk and not raw milk! This is important because raw milk contains a harmful bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause certain diseases, including in the fetus, by crossing the placenta. This is more true for soft cheeses, as they are made from raw milk, which makes them less sour. They also contain more moisture than hard cheeses, making them an ideal environment for the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and other bacteria.

However, these bacteria are usually killed during the pasteurization process, so cheeses made from pasteurized milk are safe to eat. Listeria is known to be responsible for blood poisoning, deadly infections such as listeriosis and meningitis, as well as certain flu-like symptoms. Unfortunately, pregnant women are at increased risk of harm from Listeria monocytogenes because their body's defense mechanism becomes weaker. They may experience nausea, vomiting and muscle pain. These symptoms appear within 2-30 days after Listeria enters the body.

According to statistics, pregnant women are 20 times more likely to develop listeriosis.

But this is dangerous for the child’s health and can even lead to complications such as premature birth, stillbirth or miscarriage, although this disease is not fatal for the mother. However, 22 out of 100 cases of listeriosis in pregnant women result in the death of the child.

Avoid soft cheeses such as:

• Camembert;
• Cambozola;
• All types of goat cheese or chèvre that are ripened with mold, such as Feta, Castelo Branco;
• All types of blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Danablu;
• White Mexican cheeses such as Queso fresco, Blanco, Panela.

Keep in mind that imported cheeses are most often made from raw milk. Do not buy such cheeses unless their packaging states otherwise. While you can't be 100% sure your cheese doesn't contain listeria, pasteurization minimizes the chance of this happening, so...

Cheddar, Gouda, Edam, Parmesan and Swiss cheeses are good options for satisfying cheese cravings during pregnancy. In addition to Listeria, soft cheeses may also contain another bacterium, Escherichia coli. It can cause serious symptoms and illnesses in both mother and baby, such as diarrhea, blood poisoning, fever and meningitis. Other substitution options for soft cheeses during pregnancy include cottage cheese, mozzarella and cream cheese.

Precautionary measures

To protect your unborn baby from harmful bacteria, it is recommended that you avoid eating commercial foods that contain cheese and switch to home-cooked foods. It is imperative that cheese is thoroughly cooked at high temperatures to destroy pathogens and reduce the danger they pose.

Prepare cheese by deep frying or baking!

It should also be noted that American cheeses contain trans fats, which, when consumed by pregnant women, have been linked to food allergies to dairy products in their children. Beware of labels such as “hydrogenated” and “partially hydrogenated” on packages.

Cheeses are made mostly from pasteurized milk. Not only cheeses, but also all dairy products made from unpasteurized milk can be dangerous for consumption during pregnancy. So, the next time you go to a farmer's market to buy cheese, check the ingredients on the package or ask the seller about its ingredients. If you have doubts about the safety of a product, do not buy it so as not to expose your child to the risk of exposure to harmful bacteria. Overall, cheese is good for your health during pregnancy as it helps meet your need for extra calcium.

Video

Cheese is an important source of protein and calcium, which are so necessary for pregnant women. However, it is better to avoid eating certain types of cheese as they may contain bacteria, such as listeria, which can harm the fetus.

Pregnant women are not recommended to consume the following types of cheese:
soft blue cheeses such as brie and camembert;
blue cheeses such as Dor Blue, Danablu, Stilton or Roquefort.

These types of cheese contain more water and less acid than others, which in turn creates excellent conditions for bacteria to grow. Heat treatment kills the causative agents of listeriosis, so ready-made dishes with the above-mentioned cheeses can be eaten without fear. Just make sure the dish has been prepared properly and is served hot.

In a healthy adult, listeriosis occurs in the form of a rapidly passing acute respiratory viral infection. However, a pregnant woman's immunity is weakened, and this disease can be more severe.

Symptoms of listeriosis do not appear until several weeks after the bacteria enter the body, so it is often very difficult to determine which food triggered the disease. Signs of this disease include fever, chills, muscle and back pain. Listeriosis is diagnosed by a blood test. Antibiotics are prescribed as treatment. Newborn babies are also examined for listeriosis and, if necessary, receive appropriate treatment.

Listeriosis is a fairly rare disease. Every year from 40 to 100 cases of this disease are recorded in our country. Therefore, if you avoid dangerous foods, the likelihood of infection is almost zero.

Hard cheeses are considered safe to eat. Listeria is present in them in negligibly small quantities and does not pose a threat to the health of a pregnant woman.

Cheeses that CAN eat during pregnancy:

Hard cheeses: Russian, Gouda, Kostroma, Poshekhonsky, Soviet, Bukovinsky, sour cream, Vityaz, Dutch, cheddar, edam, emmental, parmesan, maasdam, athlete, pecorino (hard), provolone, comte, cantal, radamer.

Soft and processed cheeses: feta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, boursin, goat cheese without white rind, mascarpone, mozzarella, Philadelphia, processed (processed) cheeses, quark, ricotta.

Safe products also include all varieties of yoghurts, probiotic drinks, cottage cheese and sour cream, both in their natural form and in combination with fillers and biocultures.

Cheeses that IT IS FORBIDDEN eat during pregnancy

Soft blue cheeses: brie, blue brie, cambozola, camembert, chomez, chevre (goat cheese with a white rind), taleggio, vacherin fribourgeois.

Blue cheeses: Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Danablu, Stilton, Bergader, Bleu d'Auvergne, Wensleydale (blue), Shropshire blue, dolcellatte, Roncal, Savoy cheese.

Soft unpasteurized cheeses, including goat and sheep: Shabishu, Pyramid, Torta del Cesar.

LISTERIOSIS
Listeriosis is little known in practical healthcare, although the history of its study goes back more than 100 years. This infection occurs on all continents, in countries with different socio-economic and climatic conditions. It is well known to veterinarians because... It is distributed mainly among wild and domestic animals and relatively rarely affects humans.
Rare reports of listeriosis in humans are also associated with the small number of practical laboratories capable of isolating listeria or detecting antibodies to it. Despite the relatively low incidence of human morbidity, deaths in sick people are often recorded, and among newborns - even in 70-80%.

Listeriosis poses the greatest danger to pregnant women, as it leads to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and early neonatal mortality. In addition to pregnant women and newborns, listeriosis most often affects elderly and senile people, in whom the most severe forms of the disease are recorded - septic and meningoencephalitic. People of all ages with impaired immunity and weakened by other previous diseases also often get sick. These are primarily people suffering from cancer, infection caused by the immunodeficiency virus (AIDS, HIV infection), people who have been receiving corticosteroid drugs for a long time, drugs that suppress the immune system during organ and tissue transplantation. In recent years, the risk category has been supplemented by a large group of young drug addicts, dependent on intravenously administered drugs, which significantly destroy the immune system. In all these cases, associated listeriosis is often the last link leading to death.

The causative agent of the disease is Listeria monocytogenes - a small, mobile rod that does not form spores and stains well using the Gram method. It belongs to the group of corynebacteria, among which the diphtheria bacillus is the most famous, therefore bacteriologists often initially diagnose listeria as a diphtheroid (i.e., similar to diphtheria) and only as a result of additional research distinguish these bacteria from each other.

At the same time, they quickly die at boiling temperature, although at 62°C they die only after 35 minutes. But even high temperatures can be tolerated by Listeria while inside cells or tissues. Thus, in Canada and several European countries, outbreaks of foodborne listeriosis were observed, caused by the consumption of pasteurized milk, which was not previously centrifuged, and Listeria survived in single leukocytes and epithelial cells found in the sediment after centrifugation. On open surfaces, conventional disinfectants (formalin, bleach), as well as sunlight, cause their death.

Most often, infection occurs through contact with sick animals and poultry or through consumption of infected animal or plant products, contaminated with animal excretions or soil - the usual habitat of Listeria. Among such products, the most dangerous are raw cabbage salads, soft cheeses, and semi-finished meat products, including poultry. Raw meat and meat products can be 30-50% contaminated. The possibility of infection with listeriosis increases significantly in cases of professional contact between a person and animals, poultry or raw materials. Therefore, workers in livestock farms, poultry farms, meat processing plants, dairies, food processing units and others constitute a risk group.

Although the food route of penetration of listeria into the human body is the main one, we should not forget that they can also penetrate through other routes - airborne dust through the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, through the conjunctiva of the eye and damaged skin. A sick person or bacteria carrier who excretes listeria in urine, feces, vaginal and other secretions is often also a source of infection. Particularly dangerous are asymptomatic carriers or persons suffering from mild and subtle (not clinically expressed) forms of the disease. In recent years, a long-term presence of Listeria in the organs and secretions of the genitourinary tract has been established. As a result, infection is transmitted from mother to fetus in utero (through the placenta) or infection of the newborn during childbirth. Infection of the fetus can occur at any stage of pregnancy, but most often it occurs in the last third of it. Postpartum women and newborns can shed the pathogen during the first two weeks after birth. Therefore, they can often be a source of nosocomial listeriosis if hygiene measures are not observed and patients’ excretions are insufficiently disinfected.

Due to the widespread distribution of listeria in the human environment and the possibility of contracting erased and mild forms of the disease, the natural susceptibility to listeriosis is low, and, as indicated, in addition to newborns and pregnant women, mainly people over 60 years of age, as well as those with a deficiency of cellular immune factors, are affected. Listeriosis is usually observed in the spring and summer, often in the form of sporadic diseases. Group morbidity and epidemic outbreaks are caused mainly by the consumption of listeria-infected food products.

Listeriosis is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations, variants of the course and outcomes of the disease. Incubation period, i.e. The time from infection to the appearance of the first signs of the disease also varies - from 3-5 days in newborns to 2 months, but most often with food contamination it is 2-3 weeks.

In most cases, the gastroenteric form is registered, which is manifested by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, usually against the background of an increase in body temperature to 38-39°C. Listeriosis can be limited to the indicated symptoms, but often after 3-4 days the patient’s condition suddenly deteriorates sharply and signs of damage to the central nervous system (CNS) are detected in the form of meningitis, encephalitis, or a combination thereof.

The listeria origin should be considered primarily in the case of meningitis developing in people over 50 years of age, after previous gastroenteritis, as well as in people suffering from lymphoma, having undergone an organ transplant or receiving corticosteroids. Although in general the clinical course of meningitis is quite typical, there are some features that characterize its listeria nature. Unlike meningitis caused by other bacteria, with listeria meningitis, convulsions, loss of coordination of movements, tremors, and impaired mental state are more often observed. Rigidity of the neck muscles may not be detected in almost half of the patients; changes in the cerebrospinal fluid are not as significant as with other purulent meningitis.

Listeria meningitis, as a rule, is combined with simultaneous damage to the brain substance, i.e. are essentially meningoencephalitis, in all cases they are extremely severe and in 25-30% of cases end in death.

Another form of damage to the central nervous system due to listeriosis is brain abscesses, which are usually subcortical and also often result in death or serious complications in the form of paresis, paralysis, and mental disorders. In most cases of damage to the central nervous system, listeria is found in patients in the blood, and often in the cerebrospinal fluid, i.e. there is a septic form of listeriosis. The latter can also manifest as purulent foci in various organs, and then endocarditis, pericarditis, peritonitis, osteomyelitis, pleuropneumonia, liver abscesses, spleen, etc. are diagnosed. In all these cases, chills, significant fluctuations in body temperature, enlargement of the liver and spleen are noted, and septic shock often develops with secondary renal failure, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and respiratory failure, which together causes death.

Listeriosis occurs much more easily in pregnant women, in whom it, as a rule, does not affect the central nervous system, usually resembles an acute respiratory infection and is accompanied by fever, pain in the muscles, joints, lower back, and headache. Let us recall that while not posing a serious threat to the life of a pregnant woman, listeriosis is extremely dangerous for the development of the fetus, leading to stillbirth and premature birth. Since the disease usually develops in the last months of pregnancy, when the fetus has already formed, its septic lesion is accompanied by microabscesses and specific formations (granulomas) in the placenta, liver and spleen of the fetus. If a child is born alive, then he has purulent conjunctivitis, a widespread papular rash, bacteremia, the main organs and systems are affected, which makes him unviable within 2-3 days.

If listeriosis did not have time to infect the placenta and the fetus became infected during childbirth, then in some children without the development of sepsis, meningitis or meningoencephalitis with a severe course is diagnosed after 2-3 weeks.

Diagnosis of listeriosis presents significant difficulties due to the variety of clinical manifestations and similarity with a number of other more common diseases (toxoplasmosis, syphilis, herpetic, cytomegalovirus, staphylococcal infection, yersiniosis, etc.). Therefore, the diagnosis cannot be made on the basis of the clinical picture alone. Anamnesis data, including epidemiological data, in combination with a characteristic clinical picture, can only suggest listeriosis. To confirm the diagnosis, a laboratory test of the patient’s blood, stool, urine, and secretions is necessary, which consists of detecting listeria or finding specific antibodies in the blood serum, the level of which increases over the course of the disease.

Treatment of listeriosis is not always successful, because... The diagnosis is usually made late, and Listeria is characterized by rapid spread and damage to the central nervous system, where access to drugs is difficult. Among the antibiotics, ampicillin is most effective in suppressing Listeria, which in severe cases is prescribed in combination with gentamicin or biseptol. Treatment should be long-term (up to 6 weeks) in cases of sepsis, meningoencephalitis or brain abscesses. Since listeriosis usually develops against the background of immune deficiency, the administration of immunocorrective drugs is indicated: imunofan, thymalin, myelopid, immunoglobulins, etc. In the complex therapy of listeriosis, detoxification solutions, dehydrating agents (mannitol, furasemide), blood plasma, and symptomatic agents are used.

Prevention of listeriosis consists of carrying out veterinary, sanitary and sanitary measures in populated areas, in livestock farms and enterprises for processing products of animal origin. Anti-epidemic measures provide for the separate keeping of raw and ready-to-eat foods, mandatory heat treatment of meat and dairy dishes, and bacteriological examination of workers in catering departments, agro-industrial complexes, and meat and dairy plants.

Pregnant people or people at risk should be excluded from work related to the care of animals or raw materials and products obtained from them. They should beware of consuming raw or undercooked dairy and meat products, as well as unwashed and rotting vegetables. To prevent listeriosis in newborns, pregnant women with an unfavorable obstetric history are subject to mandatory screening for listeriosis. If they are found to carry bacteria or have a local infection, they should be treated with antibiotics. Generalized listeria infection is an indication for termination of pregnancy.

V.V. MALEEV, professor,
Central Research Institute of Epidemiology
Ministry of Health of Russia
http://medi.ru/doc/7100416.html

Why is unpasteurized milk dangerous? Researchers have repeatedly detected pathogenic bacteria, including salmonella, in fresh milk. Salmonellosis in pregnant women manifests itself in the same way as in other patients: it causes headache, nausea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting. In addition, it can affect the baby's development. Today, pasteurization is the best way to protect milk and dairy products.

2. Sausages

During pregnancy, you should temporarily forget about sausages and industrially produced sausages. The fact is that real sausages made from high-quality raw materials are quite difficult to find. At best, store-bought sausage contains only 30% meat. The rest is soy and various additives that enhance the taste. One of the most harmful additives for the fetus is monosodium glutamate (it increases blood pressure). Also, sausage often contains carmine, which causes allergic reactions. Phosphates are often found in sausages, the presence of which in the body leads to calcium deficiency, and this is one of the vital elements for the fetus. Even if you consider the sausage of a certain manufacturer to be of high quality and tasty, it is best to refrain from eating it.

3. Cheese made from unpasteurized milk

Cheeses such as Camembert, Brie, Port Salut, Crescenza, Gorgonzola and some Swiss cheeses are produced without pasteurization of milk (for example, the famous Emmental is prepared by mixing raw and pasteurized milk). During pregnancy, you should temporarily avoid these types of cheeses. Also, you should not buy cheese made at home or on private farms that do not have their own laboratory to control product quality.

4. Raw and soft-boiled eggs

Eggs are very useful during pregnancy, because they are rich in vitamins, iron, phosphorus, copper, calcium, and cobalt. Eggs also contain choline, which is responsible for the mental development of the unborn child.

However, eggs during pregnancy can only be eaten if they are hard-boiled. If you are making scrambled eggs, the white and yolk should be completely coagulated. Raw eggs pose a danger during pregnancy - you can become infected with a disease such as salmonella. Note that raw eggs are sometimes used to make salad dressings (such as Caesar salad) and custards. Doctors recommend avoiding such foods for a while.

5. By-products

The diet of pregnant women should not contain by-products (these include liver, heart, stomachs, kidneys, etc.). Once upon a time, women were even recommended to eat spleen, arguing that it contains a lot of iron. However, even more of this element is contained in any red meat (beef, veal, etc.). Liver and some other offal may even contain increased amounts of vitamin A, which in excess is harmful to the fetus.

6. Fish with high levels of mercury

These species include all predatory fish (tuna, shark, swordfish, halibut, king mackerel). Their meat accumulates mercury and dioxins, which can disrupt the normal development of the nervous system of the unborn child. However, this in no way means that you need to give up fish. On the contrary, it should be included in the diet at least twice a week. It is better to give preference to sea fish, since it contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 family, necessary for the development of the fetal brain. The most useful are salmon, chum salmon, trout, sardines, mackerel, herring, cod and whitefish.

7. Caffeinated drinks

Almost without exception, doctors agree that caffeine-containing drinks are harmful to the development of the unborn fetus. And we are talking not only about coffee, but also about strong tea, cocoa and chocolate.

But it turns out that abruptly avoiding caffeinated drinks in the first trimester of pregnancy can lead to hypotension and impaired blood flow in the blood vessels of the placenta. Allow yourself a small cup of weak coffee with milk or cocoa. Remove these drinks from your diet gradually. This still needs to be done, because caffeine washes calcium from the bones, removes iron, magnesium and other elements necessary for mother and baby from the body, increases blood pressure and creates additional stress on the heart. Drink chicory instead of coffee and strong tea - this drink is not only harmless, but also improves intestinal function. Chocolate can be replaced with dried fruits.