During pregnancy, avoid raw, undercooked, unpasteurized, and high-mercury foods, plus liver products with high vitamin A.
Pregnancy cravings can be loud. Food rules can feel louder. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s lowering the few risks that can hit harder in pregnancy: certain foodborne infections, mercury in some fish, and vitamin A overload from liver products.
If you want clarity fast, start with the table. Then use the sections that match what’s in your fridge, your restaurant order, or your usual grocery run.
Foods You Can’t Eat While Pregnant? By Risk Type
This is the “skip or switch” list. When a food lands in the left column, you still have choices. You can often swap to a cooked, pasteurized, or freshly prepared version and keep the meal you wanted.
| Food Or Drink To Skip | Main Risk In Pregnancy | Safer Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Unpasteurized milk or cheese | Higher risk of Listeria and other germs | Pasteurized dairy; check the label |
| Soft cheese with unclear pasteurization | Listeria can grow even when chilled | Hard cheeses, yogurt, or cook soft cheese until steaming |
| Cold deli meat, cold hot dogs, refrigerated pâté | Ready-to-eat foods can carry Listeria | Heat until steaming hot, then eat right away |
| Raw or undercooked eggs | Salmonella risk | Eggs cooked until whites and yolks are firm |
| Raw or undercooked meat and poultry | Food poisoning germs and parasites | Cook through; keep raw juices off ready-to-eat foods |
| Raw seafood (sushi, oysters, ceviche) | Parasites and bacteria | Choose cooked seafood or vegetarian rolls |
| Cold smoked seafood from the fridge section | Listeria risk in chilled smoked fish | Smoked fish cooked in a hot dish |
| Raw sprouts | Germs can be inside the sprout | Cook sprouts until hot |
| High-mercury fish (shark, swordfish, king mackerel) | Mercury can harm fetal brain growth | Lower-mercury fish like salmon, sardines, cod |
| Liver products (liver pâté, cod liver oil) | Too much preformed vitamin A | Skip liver products; stick to a prenatal as directed |
| Alcohol | No known safe amount in pregnancy | 0.0% labeled options, seltzer, mocktails |
Why Some Foods Are Off-Limits In Pregnancy
During pregnancy, infections that might feel like a rough stomach bug can turn serious faster. Listeria is a special concern because it can grow at refrigerator temperatures and can affect the pregnancy even when symptoms seem mild.
Mercury is a different kind of risk. It builds up in certain fish over time. One meal rarely changes the picture. Repeated high-mercury choices can.
What You Can’t Eat While Pregnant?
If you remember one rule, make it this: skip foods that are raw, undercooked, unpasteurized, or chilled and ready-to-eat for days. When in doubt, choose cooked and freshly prepared.
Unpasteurized Dairy And Soft Cheeses
Pasteurization lowers the chance that milk and cheese carry dangerous germs. Many products in major supermarkets are pasteurized, yet some farm products and imported items are not. If the label doesn’t clearly say pasteurized, treat it as a skip.
Soft cheeses can also pick up germs after they’re made. If you’re buying from a deli case where labels are missing, choose hard cheese or yogurt instead. If you’re cooking at home, soft cheese is safer when heated until steaming hot.
Deli Meats, Hot Dogs, And Refrigerated Pâté
Deli meats and hot dogs can be safe when they’re heated. Cold versions are the problem. Heat until steaming hot, then eat. That’s it.
When you’re ordering out, ask for the meat to be heated. If that’s a no, switch fillings. Go with grilled chicken, a hot veggie option, or a made-to-order salad with a fully cooked protein.
The CDC’s chart of Safer Food Choices for Pregnant People is a solid reference when you want quick swap ideas.
Raw Seafood And Undercooked Fish
Raw fish, raw shellfish, and dishes that “cook” seafood in citrus still count as raw. Skip them. If you want sushi, choose rolls with cooked shrimp, cooked crab, eel, or tempura fillings, or go vegetarian.
Cold smoked salmon and similar products from the refrigerator case are also a skip unless they’re cooked in a hot dish. Smoked fish baked into a pasta dish is a safer way to get the flavor.
Eggs And Anything Made With Raw Egg
Raw eggs can hide Salmonella. That shows up in runny eggs, some homemade dressings, homemade mayo, mousse, tiramisu, and raw cookie dough.
At home, cook eggs until whites and yolks are firm. If a recipe calls for raw egg, choose pasteurized eggs or pasteurized liquid egg products and still keep the mixture chilled.
Undercooked Meat And Poultry
Steak tartare, undercooked burgers, pink chicken, and “just a bit” underdone kebabs are a hard no during pregnancy. The fix is plain: cook meat and poultry through, then keep raw juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
- Use separate cutting boards for raw meat and produce.
- Wash hands with soap after handling raw meat.
- Reheat leftovers until steaming hot.
Fish Choices And Mercury
Fish can be a smart pregnancy protein, so this section isn’t about cutting fish out. It’s about choosing the lower-mercury options most of the time and skipping the high-mercury list.
Use FDA Advice about Eating Fish to spot “best” and “good” choices and to plan weekly portions.
High-Mercury Fish To Skip
- Shark
- Swordfish
- King mackerel
- Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico)
- Bigeye tuna
Raw Sprouts, Bagged Salads, And Pre-Cut Fruit
Raw sprouts are tricky because germs can be inside the sprout. Skip them unless they’re cooked until hot.
Bagged salads and pre-cut fruit can be fine, yet they’ve been linked to outbreaks at times. If you buy them, keep them cold, wash your hands before handling, and eat them soon after opening. Whole produce you wash and cut at home is the safer route.
Alcohol, Caffeine, And Supplements
Alcohol is a clear no during pregnancy. If you miss the social ritual, pick drinks labeled 0.0% or mix seltzer with juice and citrus.
Caffeine limits vary by clinician and pregnancy history. If you drink coffee or tea, measure your serving and avoid stacking multiple high-caffeine drinks in the same day.
Skip high-dose vitamin A supplements and avoid liver products like liver pâté and cod liver oil. Herbal powders and “detox” teas can also be unpredictable, so stick with what your clinician recommends.
Eating Out Without Guesswork
Eating out can still be part of normal life. Your job is to order foods that are cooked through and served hot, and to skip items that sit cold for long stretches.
Watch out for salad bars, buffet trays, and deli counters where food is handled by many hands and kept chilled for hours. If you’re unsure how long something has been out, pick a hot entrée and a side of cooked vegetables instead.
If you’re craving a cold sandwich, ask for the meat heated, then add veggies after. Skip refrigerated pre-made salads from the display case unless you know they were prepared that day and kept chilled until served.
- Ask for burgers, eggs, and seafood fully cooked.
- Skip raw fish, raw oysters, and ceviche.
- Order deli meats only if the shop will heat them until steaming hot.
- Choose dressings made without raw egg, or use packaged options.
Common “Is This Okay?” Moments
If you’ve asked yourself what you can’t eat while pregnant? while standing in front of a fridge, these quick calls help.
Soft Serve Ice Cream
Soft serve is often made from pasteurized dairy, yet the machine can be a weak spot when cleaning slips. If you’re unsure about the shop, choose hard ice cream from a sealed tub.
Cheese On Pizza
Cooked cheese is safer because heat cuts down germ risk. Pizza and baked pasta can be a safer way to enjoy cheeses that you’d skip cold.
Dates And Other Question-Mark Foods
Some foods get flagged online for reasons that don’t match food safety. If dates are on your mind, this quick read on dates during pregnancy can help you decide what fits your diet.
When To Call Your Clinician After A Food Slip
Even careful eaters get surprised. If you ate a risky food once, don’t spiral. Most single exposures don’t lead to illness. What matters is how you feel over the next day or two.
Call your clinician the same day if you have a fever, bloody diarrhea, dizziness with dark urine, or vomiting that won’t stop. If you ate a recalled product and then feel unwell, call right away.
| What Happened | What To Do | What To Watch For |
|---|---|---|
| Cold deli meat or cold hot dog | Monitor how you feel; avoid cold versions next time | Fever, aches, stomach upset |
| Runny eggs or raw cookie dough | Hydrate and rest; call if symptoms start | Diarrhea, cramps, fever |
| Raw sushi or oysters | Monitor; choose cooked seafood next time | Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea |
| Unpasteurized cheese | Check the label and brand; call if you feel unwell | Fever, chills, body aches |
| High-mercury fish meal | Skip high-mercury fish next time | This risk is tied to repeat intake over time |
| Persistent symptoms after a risky meal | Call your clinician | Symptoms lasting more than a day |
A Kitchen Checklist You Can Use All Week
Here’s a short routine that keeps meals flexible while cutting the biggest risks.
- Buy pasteurized dairy and clearly labeled cheeses.
- Choose fully cooked proteins and reheat leftovers until steaming hot.
- Skip raw sprouts, raw seafood, and undercooked eggs.
- Heat deli meats and hot dogs until steaming hot, then eat right away.
- Wash produce under running water and keep the fridge cold.
- Skip liver products and high-dose vitamin A supplements.
If you want the simplest way to remember it, save this line: what you can’t eat while pregnant? comes down to raw, undercooked, unpasteurized, and long-stored ready-to-eat foods.