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Foods To Avoid While Pregnant The Food and Drug Administration as well as the professionals in the medical field always caution expecting Moms against eating soft cheeses and certain deli meats. The reason being certain foods can become contaminated with bacteria called Listeria. . If you become sick from Listeria, the baby you're carrying could get sick or worse case scenario –it could be fatal. To protect your unborn baby, eat hard cheeses instead of soft cheeses and thoroughly cooked meats while you are pregnant. The soft cheese made in the US are usually okay because they are made from pasteurized milk (pasteurization kills the Listeria organism.) Imported soft cheeses are usually best to avoid. Here is a short list of soft cheeses to avoid: feta (goat cheese) brie Camembert blue-veined cheeses, like Roquefort Symptoms of a bacterial infection can develop from 2 to 30 days after you eat contaminated food. If the infection spreads to your unborn baby, you could start early labor. Tell your doctor right away if you get any of these symptoms: fever and chills, or other flu-like symptoms headache nausea vomiting To prevent infection, take these precautions: Eat hard cheeses, like cheddar, instead of soft cheeses during pregnancy. If you do use soft cheeses during pregnancy, cook them until they are boiling (bubbling). Make sure the labels of your dairy products say "pasteurized" on the label. Make sure you consume meat, poultry or seafood that has been cooked thoroughly! Here is a list of meats, poultry and fish to avoid while pregnant: Hot dogs Sausages Deli meat Under cooked meat like beef and chicken Pates Ready to eat cold seafood Raw eggs and raw egg dishes Raw seafood, especially shellfish The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the contaminated food eaten by pregnant women is estimated to cause mental retardation and blindness in anywhere from 400 to 6,000 infants, and may kill another 80 fetuses and newborns a year, according to the CSPI. Listeria has been blamed for 2,500 illnesses and 500 deaths a year, and CSPI estimates 1/3 of the deaths involve pregnant women and their fetuses. Please be very careful about the food you eat, and talk to your physician about the risks of food and food handling and preparation. CONTENT AREAS Pregnancy Main Page Trying to Conceive Pregnancy Week by Week Labor and Birth Questions and Answers Forum Cord Blood Pregnancy & Childbirth TOOLS Ovulation Calendar Due Date Calculator Due Date Club "What Week Am I In?" Pregnancy Calendar Birth Plans Gender Predictor PICTURES Ultrasound 3d Ultrasound Pregnant Belly Labor and Delivery HEALTH ISSUES Fertility Nutrition Pregnancy & Childbirth Morning Sickness Women's Health Child Health Colic and Your Baby BABY SHOWERS Baby Shower Planning Baby Shower Games Baby Shower Ideas Baby Shower Food Baby Shower Gifts