Being pregnant can feel overwhelming at times, in both positive and negative ways.
One minute you're basking in the excitement of growing a new life, preparing the nursery and eagerly anticipating meeting your new arrival.
The next, you can be floored by your fluctuating hormones, morning sickness - or, on the contrary, navigating your way through intense and random cravings.
And on top of that, there are so many of rules on what you should and shouldn't do while pregnant, which can prove difficult to keep track of.
But with that - and snacks - in mind, here's a list of all the foods to limit or avoid, as advised by the NHS.
Dairy
There are a selection of dairy products that shouldn't be eaten while pregnant.
Some cheese products might contain Listeria bacteria or are more likely to it due to their white coating.
Listeria can cause a Listeriosis infection, which can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, or make your newborn baby very unwell.
But cooking cheese until it's steaming hot kills bacteria, reducing the risk of listeriosis.
The NHS recommends avoiding the following cheese and dairy products...
- any other foods made from unpasteurised milk, such as soft ripened goats' cheese
- pasteurised or unpasteurised mould-ripened soft cheeses with a white coating on the outside, such as Brie, Camembert and chèvre (unless cooked until steaming hot)
- pasteurised or unpasteurised soft blue cheeses, such as Danish blue, Gorgonzola and Roquefort (unless cooked until steaming hot)
- unpasteurised cows' milk, goats' milk, sheep's milk or cream
Meat and fish
The NHS recommends being careful with certain meat and limiting your intake of oily fish while pregnant.
It advises caution eating cold cured meats such as salami, pepperoni, chorizo and prosciutto, unless cooked thoroughly.
When it comes to oily fish, you should eat no more than two portions of salmon, trout, mackerel or herring a week.
Tuna doesn't count as an oily fish, but you should still not eat any more than two tuna steaks or four medium-sized cans a week. You can consume the tuna along with the two portions of oily fish a week.
However the NHS does recommend steering clear of:
- raw or undercooked meat
- liver and liver products
- all types of pâté, including vegetarian pâté
- game meats such as goose, partridge or pheasant
- swordfish
- marlin
- shark
- raw shellfish
Eggs
You might be surprised to learn that pregnant women can safely consume raw eggs and products that contain them, such as mayonnaise.
However, the eggs must be British Lion hen eggs produced under the Laid in Britain scheme.
And of course, you can consume partially and fully cooked eggs while pregnant too.
But the NHS advises avoiding:
- raw or partially cooked hen eggs that are not British Lion or produced under the Laid in Britain scheme
- raw or partially cooked duck, goose or quail eggs
