Common Foods to Avoid During Pregnancy and TTC

Here’s a list of foods to avoid in pregnancy and for women planning for pregnancy to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness:

1. Raw or Undercooked Eggs: avoid foods containing raw eggs, e.g. homemade mayonnaise, aioli, chocolate mousse or Caesar salads in restaurants. Avoid tasting uncooked cake or pancake batter that contains raw eggs. Raw or undercooked (runny) eggs are risky foods for Salmonella. Salmonella food poisoning can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and, in rare cases, miscarriage. 
2. Tahini Products: raw sesame seeds and products such as tahini sesame paste, including store-bought or homemade hummus, can be a risk for Salmonella. Sesame seeds that have been heat treated are safe to eat.
3. Unpasteurised Milk and Certain Dairy Products: avoid unpasteurised dairy foods and soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Ricotta, Feta and blue cheese (unless used in a cooked dish). Avoid soft serve or fried ice cream as the risk is related to the cleanliness of the dispensing machine. 
4. Raw or Undercooked Seafood: don’t eat uncooked or smoked fish or seafood (except canned). Avoid pre-cooked prawns as they may not have been thoroughly cooked. 
5. Raw & Processed Meats: only eat if it is fully cooked. 
6. Sushi: avoid store-bought sushi unless it is homemade with freshly cooked ingredients. 
7. Pre-Packaged Vegetables and Fruit Salads:  Pre-packaged vegetable salads are considered high-risk foods because the shelf life is a little longer than unpackaged vegetables, which may present an opportunity for Listeria to grow. It is best to avoid fruit salads as pre-cut fruit may also carry some risk because of the food handling process. 
8.  Rockmelon: rockmelon has been linked to several foodborne severe sickness outbreaks. The textured, net-like skin of rockmelon is difficult to clean, harbouring bacteria. The current guidelines recommend avoiding rockmelon.
9. Unpasteurised Fruit Juices: don’t drink freshly squeezed juices and smoothies from cafes or juice bars (because they use pre-cut fruit and the juicing machine may not be appropriately cleaned). Buy pasteurised juices as they have been heated to a temperature that will destroy any food-poisoning bacteria. 
10. Bean Sprouts: avoid alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts, onion sprouts, sunflower sprouts, clover sprouts, radish sprouts, snowpea sprouts, mung beans and soybean sprouts unless it is fully cooked. 

*Please note that these are based on Australian guidelines. Food regulations may vary depending on rules in different countries.