Your quick reference guide to what to eat and what not to eat during pregnancy.

Pregnancy

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Fruit & Vegetables

Cereals & starchy foods

Milk & yogurt Cheese Meat Fish Beans & pulses Eggs

Plenty of fruit and vegetables, especially those rich in folate such as green vegetables and oranges. Aim for at least five portions of a variety each day.

Plenty of cereal and starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Choose wholemeal versions for fibre.

All milk, yogurts, fromage frais, and dairy desserts. Live or bio yogurts, probiotic drinks, crème fraiche and soured cream.

Hard cheese such as cheddar or parmesan. Feta, ricotta, mascarpone and cream cheese. Mozzarella, cottage cheese and processed cheese such as cheese spread.

Lean meat, poultry and meat products. Red meat is a good source of iron.

Eating fish is good for your health and the development of your baby, so you should still aim to eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish.

All beans, lentils and foods such as falafel and houmous made from them.

Well cooked eggs and egg dishes.

Unwashed fruit, vegetables and salad.

Unpasteurised milk. Camembert, Brie and Chevre (a type of Goat’s cheese) and other mould ripened soft cheese. You should also avoid soft blue cheeses.

Raw, smoked or undercooked meat, liver and liver products, i.e. pâté.

Shark, swordfish and marlin. Tuna: no more than two fresh steaks or four cans per week. Raw shellfish. Eat no more than two portions of oily fish a week. Oily fish includes fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines, salmon and trout.

Raw or lightly cooked eggs and foods that contain them, e.g. home-made mayonnaise, mousse and ice cream.

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Nuts Sweets, preserves, jams, honey & spreads

Alcoholic Drinks Non-alcoholic drinks

Caffeine Mayonnaise, sauces & dressings

Supplements

All nuts except peanuts.

All safe to eat, but limit amounts and choose healthy snacks.

Fruit juices and carbonated drinks, milk and water.

Deca�einated drinks.

You should take 10 µg (micrograms) Vitamin D per day. Take 400 µg of folic acid per day until the 12th week of pregnancy. Iron supplements may be prescribed.

Serious allergies to nuts and seeds a�ect about 1-2% of people in the UK. Current advice is to avoid peanuts if you, your partner or a close relative has allergies*.

It's best not to drink alcohol while pregnant. Drink no more than one or two units once or twice a week.

No more than 200 mg ca�eine per day (a mug of brewed or instant co�ee has 100 mg, a cup of tea has 50 mg and a can of cola has 40 mg.)

Avoid home-made mayonnaise made with raw eggs.

Supplements containing Vitamin A. Fish liver oils.

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*This advice is under review.

Your quick reference guide to what to eat and what not to eat while breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding

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Fruit & Vegetables

Cereals & starchy foods

Milk & yogurt Cheese Meat Fish Beans & pulses Eggs

Plenty of fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least five portions of a variety each day.

Plenty of cereal and starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and breakfast cereals. Choose wholemeal versions for fibre.

All milk, yogurts, fromage frais, and dairy desserts. Live or bio yogurts, probiotic drinks, crème fraiche and soured cream.

All cheese. All meat. All white fish such as cod, plaice and sole. Fish products such as fish fingers and breaded fish. Eat two portions of fish per week, one of which should be oily fish such as salmon, mackerel or fresh tuna.

All beans, lentils and foods such as falafel and houmous made from them.

All eggs and egg dishes.

Limit shark, swordfish and marlin to one portion per week. Limit oily fish to two portions per week.

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Nuts Sweets, preserves, jams, honey & spreads

Alcoholic Drinks Non-alcoholic drinks

Caffeine Mayonnaise, sauces & dressings

Supplements

All nuts except peanuts.

All safe to eat, but limit amounts and choose healthy snacks.

It's a good idea to have a drink by your side before you settle down to breastfeed. Water, milk and unsweetened fruit juices are all good choices.

Deca�einated drinks.

You should take 10 µg Vitamin D per day.

Serious allergies to nuts and seeds a�ect about 1-2% of people in the UK. Current advice is to avoid peanuts if you, your partner or a close relative has allergies*.

If you do have alcohol try to have it only occasionally, because having alcohol regularly, or in large amounts, will a�ect your baby.

If you do have ca�eine try to have it only occasionally, because having it regularly, or in large amounts, will a�ect your baby.

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*This advice is under review.